Radical Stories: In conversation with Andy Tanner, founder of Beach Mountain and +Alprausch

Please introduce yourself briefly.

My name is Andy Tanner, I’m from Zurich, I was born in 1960, so I’m older, I’m a skateboarder and snowboarder and I’m still on the board… It all started with skateboarding.

I had my first skateboard in 1973, a “plastic thing”. Then I was lucky enough to be able to travel to California in 1975, where I naturally caught the skateboarding bug. From the mid-70s, the worldwide skate boom developed, including in Switzerland. The first clubs were founded and championships were held.

Competition was never really my thing – rather freespirit skateboarding in various facets. Today I feel extremely grateful that I was born in an era in which all these cool sports were created and developed. We were young, had an endless belief in the future, wanted to have fun, move around and really “lived” skateboarding and subsequently snowboarding. The fascination for it still exists.

Caption: My first snowboard – a piece of molded wood with steel fins and “bindings” ordered from Tom Sims in the USA, ridden with Sorel boots. Location: Hoch-Ybrig, 1983/84.

What was it like to be there in the early days of snowboarding?

Of course, you can’t compare snowboarding in the past (80s) with today. It was exotic, we were very few and not at all popular in the ski resorts. With the “snowboards” of that time, it was only possible to board in deep snow – no edges – fins and foot straps as bindings… Just “crossing” a slope was a risk.

Snowboarding was a real revolution – on snow – not “riding in the snow”, but “surfing in the snow”, across – on a board. A fascination for me that still continues.

Captions:

1. WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS – Breckenridge, Colorado, USA 1985
   Caption: Andy Tanner at the Snowboard World Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA, 1985.
2. FIRST DESCENT – Into the crater at 4200 m, Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii, 1984/85
   Caption: Andy Tanner’s first descent into the crater of Mauna Kea at 4200 m, Big Island, Hawaii, 1984/85.

What was the story behind the founding of Beach Mountain?

As quasi “first generation” snowboarders, Jose Fernandes and I were the first Europeans to travel to the USA and Canada to take part in the snowboard competitions. That was in 1985 and 1986. The Americans had invented the snowboard and were therefore already further along in the snowboarding “movement”.

After returning from overseas, a whole winter of “snowboarding” and a title: North American Champion, and total enthusiasm for it, I spontaneously decided to open Switzerland’s and Europe’s first snowboard store – Beach-Mountain – in Zurich in 1985. At this point it should also be noted that snowboarding developed from the cities with a background in skateboarding and not from the mountain regions.

Back then, you couldn’t buy snowboards anywhere in Europe. You had to contact the first manufacturers in the USA, etc. Right from the start, there was huge interest in the store and the new, revolutionary action sport of snowboarding. In addition to the hardware that I imported and sold from the USA, I added clothing, outerwear and, of course, skateboards in the summer.

As a result, the Beach Mountain was more than just a store where you could buy snowboards and everything that went with them – it was a real meeting place for interested, like-minded and fascinated people. The “Beach” became a hot spot for people from all over Switzerland and abroad.

Back then, we also organized movie nights at the Volkshaus with snowboard, surf and skate films. The Volkshaus was always totally full. Later on, the Beach Mountain always had visits from snowboard pros from all over the world, where we organized meet and greets. In retrospect, it’s fair to say that the Beach Mountain store in Zurich made a significant contribution to the development and spread of snowboarding in Switzerland and Europe.

Captions:

1. North American Championships, Canada, 1984/85
   Caption: Andy Tanner at the North American Championships in Canada, 1984/85.
2. Best Manouevre of Contest, North American Championships, 1985
   Caption: Andy Tanner winning the award for “Best Manouevre of Contest” at the North American Championships, 1985.
3. On the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, 1984/85
   Caption: Andy Tanner on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with the special team roundtail sponsored by Tom Sims himself. On the road as a pro rider for SIMS, 1984/85.

What was the story behind +Alprausch?

As snowboarding and the market developed, this “lifestyle” became more and more widespread, and the demand for products such as clothing, accessories etc. specifically designed for snowboarding increased. People were now willing – in contrast to the past, when everything had to come from the USA – to take an interest in products from the “local garden”.

So the time was ripe for +Alprausch, the brand for snowwear, streetwear and accessories with a touch of Switzerland. Created by riders for riders. With good quality, a connection to the Swiss mountain landscape and outdoor lifestyle. Sustainably produced in Europe, long before sustainability was the buzzword. To my own surprise, the brand really took off and we were able to delight fans and friends worldwide with our creations.

As a result, we were able to open six +Alprausch stores and were on the market with retailers in 10 countries. Now 23 years have passed since the brand was founded and it is still on the market – the story continues.

Are you still active on the snowboard?

I’m still snowboarding at the age of 65 and haven’t switched to skis like most of my friends. My aim is to board for as long as possible. I’m also active on the skateboard… once a “Brättlibueb” – always a “Brättlibueb”… life moving sideways.

The fascination has remained the same, only the body is slowly not allowing as much as it used to.

Enthusiasm, active commitment, passion and a bit of rock-n-roll are attributes that were the driving force behind the creation at every stage.

We have been running a unique event location in our +Alprausch-Fabrik in Zurich’s Kreis 3 district for some time now. Where we have had our offices, showroom, warehouse etc. for 35 years. A location where you can organize company dinners, birthdays, presentations, etc.

Our latest concept is Rocket Gran, the somewhat different wool store. Nicole, my life partner, prototype designer and knitting and crochet luminary, inspired us to create it.

Caption: Andy Tanner and José Fernandes, both sponsored for the Hooger Booger catalog in 1986. Andy knew José, a true legend of the scene and one of the first snowboard world champions, very well.

How did you experience the founding and development of Radical?

When Radical was founded, I was an active member with Mark Farner. I can still remember very well how Mark and Marco Franzoni built the first handmade snowboards in the basement of the old villa on Bellariastrasse in Zurich. Wood and fiberglass, laminated like surfboards, swallowtail with loop bindings and giant fins on the sides. From then on, things progressed rapidly. The slide slides that we shot from our deep snow rides on weekend snowboard trips in Hoch Ybrig or Andermatt were celebrated on long evenings on Bellariastrasse in Zurich, which awakened our hunger for more boards and powder.

In your opinion, how did the 1987 World Championships in St. Moritz influence the further development of the sport?

Radical was one of the key brands in the history and development of snowboarding in Switzerland. With tireless enthusiasm, Mark Farner has been committed to this new sport from a very early stage.

With the organization of the World Championships in 1987, the “sport” of snowboarding arrived with a lot of media presence and coverage, with fantastic, dynamic images, even on TV for the “normal citizen”. The following winters then triggered the great “snowboard revolution”.

Are there any special moments or anecdotes with Mark Farner that you would like to share with us?

There are of course a few special moments with Mark Farner. The most important are the ascent in Hoch Ybrig at the end of the Sternen lift, walking through the deep snow up to the ridge, marveling at the panorama and the slope in front of us and then enjoying the “Weglosen” with big powder turns. Moments like these stay in your memory for a lifetime.

Would you like to send us a message to celebrate Radical’s 40th anniversary?

Congratulations on 40 years of Radical! An impressive and unusual success story and a brand that has played a key role in the “snowboard revolution” and continues to do so.

Thank you very much for the interview Andy!

Picture: André Tanner – still a creative and versatile maker today.

The current Radical collection