A journey through 40 years of Swiss snowboarding culture, going back to a time when pioneers, punks and pop stars triggered a revolution in winter sports. But is the rebellious spirit of the early years still alive?
This documentary by Swiss public television, SRF, is presented by news presenter – and avid snowboarder – Arthur Honegger, who speaks to the Swiss pioneers who often came from a skateboarding background but found skiing too uncool. He finds out how Switzerland contributed to the evolution of “a new sport, so-called snowboarding” as a television report from 1982 put it.
Snowboarders and their often homemade boards were initially banned on the pistes and it was only by bribing ski lift operators with chocolate and wine that meant they didn’t have to hike it up the slopes.
“We wanted to be wild, rebel and party,” says Olympic champion Gian Simmen about his early years. Simmen reflects the soul of an entire generation: snowboarding conquered the Swiss winter in the 1980s and 1990s because it was more than just a sport.
(Subtitles translated from German to English by SWISS TXT)
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