Category: News

SNOWBOARD GERMANY HOSTS ZERO PROJECT MEETING IN PLANEGG

Post author By Birgit
Post date November 3, 2023

From 25^th to 27^th October, Planegg was center stage for the ZERO Project partners. The second in person project meeting took place in the premises of Snowboard Germany.

Hosted by Snowboard Germany in Planegg, all 11 partner organisations gathered for the 2^nd in-person Partner’s meeting of the ERASMUS+ funded ZERO consortium.

The meeting defined an important milestone for the development of the challenges and rides for the ZERO Platform on the WSF Academy website. The work sessions were intense and productive, thus resulting in the development of rides and challenges for the ZERO Platform (stay tuned ).

The defined rides and challenges will be developed in collaboration with “battle now”, the platform for video based online contests. The project team has been very productive and with their expertise and experience, we developed the first bunch of challenges and rides for the upcoming winter.

Our research expert urged for action towards climate change, otherwise winter resorts will have to close on a rolling basis. Also, according to the EU Flash Eurobarometer, 39% would like to see combating climate change prioritized more. To follow the voice of the people, ZERO is putting climate change at the core of its actions & works to educate as much young people as possible about sustainability and climate action. Having an outstanding educational expert – POW Europe – material for the educational workshops in all partner countries were presented.

The mission here is clear: as many snowboarders as possible should be knowledgeable about climate change and become actors in creating a more sustainable mountain community.

Finland already kicked off the workshop circle, followed by Germany. More is yet to come. Follow WSF and our project partners on social media to stay tuned about updates – maybe you are lucky and can join some of the workshops.

Stay tuned.

Features News SafeShred

WSF’s Erasmus+ SafeShred project comes to an end with successful closing conference

Post author By Birgit
Post date June 28, 2023

The World Snowboard Federation and its partners are proud to announce the successful closing conference of the Erasmus+ SafeShred project, which took place in Innsbruck, Austria on June 16th, during the 2023 WSF General Assembly.

SAFESHRED is an educational program to equip young riders with a comprehensive understanding of key sport integrity issues, enabling them to navigate challenges they may encounter in their snowboarding journey. This groundbreaking program covers a wide range of crucial topics, explained in the most simple manner to the young riders of different age groups, ensuring that these aspiring athletes possess the knowledge and tools to thrive while maintaining integrity.

SafeShred in numbers:

1 E-learning course: free and accessible to all on the WSF Academy
6 Languages available: English, Finnish, French, German, Italian and Swedish
1 Riders’ guide: to support snowboard associations in addressing integrity issues with young riders
195 Young Riders (of 13 to 19 years of age) trained during SafeShred workshops in 6 different countries (2022)
6 Topics: manipulation of sports competition, doping, harassment and bullying, corruption, whistleblowing system, and basic human rights
9 Partners
2,5 Years duration

One of the remarkable achievements of this project is the development of essential resources, including the Rider’s Guide and the multilingual E-learning course. These deliverables, along with the research-based comprehensive pedagogical training materials and the trained trainers in each of the countries, provide the snowboard community a powerful and unparalleled toolset for years to come. All the results are available on the SafeShred page of the WSF website.

SafeShred Closing Conference (c) Andreas Amplatz

CLOSING CONFERENCE – Is snowboarding really safe? Participants from all over the world were invited to discuss during the SafeShred closing conference in Austria. This interactive event included a quiz to test participants’ knowledge on past and current cases of integrity issues in their sport, exchanges between partners on their experience and challenges throughout the project, group discussions on how to make the best use of the available educational tools, and presentations of the main project results.

SafeShred Closing Conference (c) Andreas Amplatz

SafeShred partners (c) CSFC

MEET THE PARTNERS– The World Snowboard Federation would like to thank the managers and sport integrity experts of CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, the researchers from the University Ramon Lull in Spain, and the snowboard associations who contributed to SafeShred: Austrian Snowboard Association, Finnish Snowboard Association, Snowboard Germany, Snowboard Italia, Snowboard Team Sweden, and Swiss Snowboard.

SafeShred is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Features News WSF Team

WSF Team Update: New WSF Communication Team

Post author By Birgit
Post date June 12, 2023

New on board is Digital Marketing & Social Media expert Huguette Fakhry from Lebanon, multiple Lebanese Champion in Snowboarding and Cross Country Skiing (true fact!). She grew up in the northern part of the country with slopes just minutes away. Next to her love and passion for Snowboarding, she volunteers since years for the Lebanese Red Cross as Emergency Medical Technician.

Heading up the communication team is PR & Marketing specialist Birgit Gruber (Austria) who joins the WSF with over 25 years of experience within the snowboarding industry. From falling in love with Snowboarding as teenager in the early 90ies she turned her passion into her job. Couple of years at the ISF (International Snowboard Federation) were followed by 14 years as PR Manager for Burton Europe in Innsbruck. Since 2017 she is running her own agency focusing on Event PR and is happy to return to her federation roots as WSF Communications Manager to support the sport we all love in the best possible way.

Please remember:

We are looking for your content! If you have any news to share through our website, newsletter and social media channels, please reach out to us directly: communication@worldsnowboardfederation.org

Features News

2023 WSF General Assembly takes place in Innsbruck (AUT) from June 15 – 18, 2023

Post author By Birgit
Post date June 12, 2023

The WSF General Assembly is just around the corner taking place in Innsbruck, Austria from June 15th – 18th, 2023. We can’t wait to welcome you in Tyrol for a weekend packed with meetings, workshops, and of course also fun times together. Be part of shaping Snowboarding’s future!

Important for members:

please remember to sign up for your WSF Login before the GA in order to administer your WSF membership and services.
If you can’t join us in Innsbruck personally, you can give a proxy to somebody who will be present. To make this happen, please fill in the following form to officially give a proxy.

The agenda is as follows:

2023 WSF General Assembly

Thursday, June 15^th, 2023

14:00 – 14:45 Welcome, introduction & round of interviews

15:00 – 17:00 Sightseeing tour Innsbruck

19:00 Dinner in Burenwirt

Friday, June 16^th, 2023

09:15 – 09:30 WSF Event Pathway

09:30 – 10:15 new WSPL & World Rookie Rank

10:30 – 11:30 WSF’s new scoring and event management

11:30 – 12:30 WSF’s new Judging Program

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch at the hotel

14:00 – 14:45 WSF Erasmus+ Projects

14:00 – 15:00 SafeShred Project Partners Meeting (closed meeting)

15:00 – 18:00 WSF Safe Shred Closing Conference

19:00 Office Opening & Drinks and Dinner by WSF at Wundervoll

Saturday, June 17^th, 2023 (MEMBERS ONLY)

09:00 – 10:00 WSF LiveHeats System – Tutorials & Training

10:15 – 10:30 Registration of Representatives

10:30 – 12:00 WSF Reports

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch at the Hotel

14:00 – 14:45 Strategic Pillars & Action Plan 2023/24

14:45 – 15:30 Future Plans: Youth Competitive

15:30 – 16:15 Future Plans: Sport Development

16:30 – 17:15 Future Plans: Grassroots

17:15 – 18:00 Future Plans: ProWomen

Sunday, June 18^th, 2023 (MEMBERS ONLY)

09:00 – 11:30 Elections

11:30 – 11:45 Closing

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 15:00 Board Meeting

15:00 – 17:00 WSF Office

For any questions reg. the upcoming GA please contact Anna Negri (WSF General Secretary): anna@worldsnowboardfederation.org

Tags general assembly, members, WSF

Features News WSF Team

WSF TEAM UPDATE: May we introduce? Michael Leyendecker, the WSF Anti-Doping Officer

Post author By Birgit
Post date June 9, 2023

WSF TEAM UPDATE: May we introduce? Michael Leyendecker, the WSF Anti-Doping Officer

In 2022 Michael Leyendecker from Germany took over the role as WSF Anti-Doping Officer. What does this mean exactly? Together with the WSF Board Michael is informing riders in the best possible way about doping rules as well as sensitizing them about the importance of Anti-Doping. Michael accompanies and supports young athletes on their road to clean top performances. His mission is to make sure they keep their love for Snowboarding despite some hurdles when it comes to Anti-Doping.

Michael brings a lot to the table for this position with a background in many sports associations and also experience as Doping Control Officer. And of course a love for snowboarding, especially being fond of the joy and ease our sport conveys.

Say hello to him when you meet him somewhere on the mountain!

Contact Michael: michael@worldsnowboardfederation.org

News Uncategorized

WSF IS HIRING: Part-Time Head Office Manager

Post author By Tricia
Post date June 1, 2023

Tags job, Office manager, WSF

Features News ZERO

ZERO PROJECT KICKS OFF

Post author By Birgit
Post date May 30, 2023

In early April 2023 the new ERASMUS+ ZERO project kicked off. The World Snowboard Federation (WSF) and the partner organizations gathered in Innsbruck, Austria, to officially kick off the new Erasmus+ Sport funded project Zero Emission Rides.

ZERO – Zero Emission Rides Objectives is a 36-month project involving research, advocacy and sport professionals from 11 partner organizations and from 9 different countries.

World Snowboard Federation
Protect our Winters Europe (POW)
Magyar Snowboard Szövetség / Hungarian Snowboard Federation
Federação de Desportos de Inverno de Portugal
Snowboard Verband Deutschland e.V.
Sneeuwsport Vlaanderen
Nederlandse Ski Vereniging
SUOMEN LUMILAUTALIITTO
SWISS-SKI SCHWEIZERISCHER SKIVERBAND
Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Institut für Outdoor Sport und Umweltforschung / Institute of Outdoor Sports and Environmental Science
SandSi

The project will develop innovative practices of grassroot snowboarding to increase accessibility and participation of young people in sport activities while empowering them in the fight against climate change toward ‘zero emission rides’. Through the 15 outputs developed, Sport Federations and umbrella sport organizations will be equipped with resources and knowledge on how to develop and expand the practices of snowboarding to make them accessible in a larger diversity of environments, allowing more young people to engage in physical activity at their local level. The project consortium will also propose an innovative and sustainable form of snowboarding event that will contribute to drastical reduction of travel and transportation of riders across Europe while increasing their participation in leisure / grassroot competitive snowboarding. Moreover, the project aims to foster a strong and digitally active snowboarding community to encourage changes in the sport practices coming from the grassroot level, voicing their concerns and answering the environmental problems of new and future generations of riders.

The project should also open and encourage the dialogue between the snowboarding community and external stakeholders and raise awareness among grassroot young riders and their families on the concrete actions they can undertake to reduce the negative impact on their environment.

Photo-Credits: (c) WSF

Tags erasmus, ZERO

Banked Slalom Features News

The Hochkeil “Bioschnee” Banked in Muhlbach

Post author By Tricia
Post date April 29, 2023

The Hochkeil Banked celebrated its comeback in Mühlbach on Easter weekend. On April 9th, snowboarders big and small met on a leisurely course with steep curves and waves.
The schedule was coordinated with public transport to match the Hochkeil natural snow area. Everyone who arrived by bus or a car pool with at least 3 people in the vehicle received a 5 euro discount on the entry fee.

Whether you traveled a long way or were from the neighborhood – all riders had fun at the Hochkeil and showed great runs in the snow! The main prizes again went to the average time, with the fastest also receiving a small acknowledgment. Especially the many young participants showed impressive performances and amazed the many established riders.

There were test boards and prizes from Amplid Snowboards , Goodboards and SP Bindings , as well as Naked Optics and Blue Tomato . Everyone enjoyed the steep curve run, the cozy atmosphere and food in the Arthurhaus lift umbrella with a view of the banked course.