Last summer, Elena Könz and Kuno Egli showed us what the Saas-Fee snowpark had to offer. It was so much fun that we decided to reunite the team in Zermatt this year. Since Elena recently resigned from the Swiss National Team, we figured that it was also a good opportunity to learn more about her plans for the future. Time on the train, gondola and T-bars offered us a good opportunity to catch up…

Hey Elena, what were some of the highlights of your career so far?
There isn’t a single day or event that stands out. Every day on my snowboard that made me happy was a good day. It doesn’t matter whether it was a day spent riding with friends, by myself, or at a contest. I also feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to visit some amazing destinations that I might never have seen otherwise.

That makes sense… were there any “lowlights”?
The injuries. I bruised my heel several times. This was the worst for me, because nobody could tell me when I would be ready to ride again. Besides, with that injury, you’re not doing exercises on a regular basis with a physiotherapist. Sometimes I would try to ride again after a week and it would still hurt. This meant more waiting – sometimes up to a month. Not only does it hurt physically, but you also start to question yourself mentally.

I bet! Good thing that you’re healthy now… What are you up to these days?
I just spent two weeks working at the Freestyle Academy in Laax. It was a great way to experience working with kids. Of course, having the opportunity to skate and to jump on the trampolines myself was also a big plus! I might work there again in the future. Otherwise I’m just happy to have more time for my art, which is what I studied. Snowboard wise, I’m looking forward to shooting more this season.

We’re glad to hear that! Coming back to your art: we couldn’t help but notice that dragons appear a lot in your work. What’s the story behind that?
Art always played an important role in my family. My dad paints as well, and there were dragons in some of his pieces. I also can’t deny the influence of Steivan Liun Könz’ work, where dragons often appear as well. Furthermore, I was reading a lot as a kid, and of course there were stories with dragons as well. Due to all these reasons, it just felt natural to paint those dragons.

Nice! Hopefully we’ll see one of them on one of your signature boards some day…
Thanks a lot for your time Elena! We wish you a good summer and can’t wait to see more of your the edits, photos and art. Speaking of photos: let’s finish this off with a few of the action shots that Kuno got of Elena in Zermatt.