[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”11px|||||” border_radii=”off|||10px|10px” border_color_all=”#666666″ border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#A82828″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
We are delighted to welcome Andr\u00e9<\/strong> “Andy” <\/em>Tanner<\/em>,<\/strong> one of the formative pioneers of the European snowboard scene, for an interview.<\/p>\n Andy Tanner, former Sims Pro rider, is the founder of Beach Mountain<\/strong><\/em> and the lifestyle brand +Alprausch<\/strong><\/em>. As a passionate snowboarder, he has shaped the scene both on and off the slopes by introducing innovative ideas into snowboard culture and the fashion world. <\/p>\n In an exclusive interview, Andy gives us exciting insights into the beginnings of snowboarding, his personal highlights and the development of the scene over the last few decades.<\/p>\n Look forward to inspiring stories and anecdotes from the time when snowboarding was still a crazy adventure.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/radical.swiss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Andy-Tanner-Vorab-Gletscher-Laax-1985.jpg” alt=”The picture shows Jos\u00e9 Fernandes today. The snowboard pioneer par excellence. ” title_text=”Andy Tanner – Vorab Glacier Laax – 1985″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Picture:<\/em> Andy Tanner, Sims Pro rider and founder of Beach Mountain and +Alprausch<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_font_size=”1.4em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n … Today I feel extremely grateful that I was born in an era when all these cool sports were created and developed. …<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/radical.swiss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Andy-Tanner-Erstes-Board-Location-Hoch-Ybrig-1983.jpg” alt=”Andy Tanner – First board, location Hoch Ybrig 1983″ title_text=”Andy Tanner – First board, location Hoch Ybrig 1983″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Caption<\/em>: My first snowboard<\/strong> – 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. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n What was it like to be there in the early days of snowboarding?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”243220,243224″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Captions:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n What was the story behind the founding of Beach Mountain? As quasi “first generation” snowboarders, Jose Fernandes<\/em> 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”. <\/p>\n After returning from overseas, a whole winter of “snowboarding” and a title: North American Champion<\/em>, and total enthusiasm for it, I spontaneously decided to open Switzerland’s and Europe’s first snowboard store – Beach-Mountain<\/em> – 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n As a result, the Beach Mountain<\/em> 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. <\/p>\n 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<\/em> store in Zurich made a significant contribution to the development and spread of snowboarding in Switzerland and Europe. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”243226,243228,243232″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Captions:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n 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”.<\/p>\n So the time was ripe for +Alprausch<\/em>, 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”5px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_font_size=”1.4em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n … once a “Br\u00e4ttlibueb – always a “Br\u00e4ttlibueb …<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n 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 “Br\u00e4ttlibueb” – always a “Br\u00e4ttlibueb”… life moving sideways. <\/p>\n The fascination has remained the same, only the body is slowly not allowing as much as it used to.<\/p>\n Enthusiasm, active commitment, passion and a bit of rock-n-roll<\/em> are attributes that were the driving force behind the creation at every stage.<\/p>\n We have been running a unique event location in our +Alprausch-Fabrik<\/em><\/a> 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. <\/p>\n
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Caption<\/em>: Andy Tanner at the Snowboard World Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA, 1985.<\/li>\n
Caption<\/em>: Andy Tanner’s first descent into the crater of Mauna Kea at 4200 m, Big Island, Hawaii, 1984\/85.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Caption<\/em>: Andy Tanner at the North American Championships in Canada, 1984\/85.<\/li>\n
Caption<\/em>: Andy Tanner winning the award for “Best Manouevre of Contest” at the North American Championships, 1985.<\/li>\n
Caption<\/em>: 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. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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