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Interview: Ana Rumiha
Kelly Vance
Age: 25
Years riding: 8
Home mountain: Sljeme
Hometown: Zagreb
Sponsors: Nikita, Nitro, Burn, Raiden, ThirtyTwo, Etnies, Oakley
Recent results (if any?): I’ve just recently aced my college diploma!
Ana’s part in last year’s Lipstick Film, “5 More Minutes… Please?!” (with Basa Stevulova’s part)
So, how does a Croatian girl get into snowboarding? I don’t remember seeing a whole lot of mountains there!
I was skateboarding a lot at the time and one winter my hometown got a lot of snow so snowboarding was a natural replacement. I got immediately hooked and have been chasing the snow ever since. It was never easy living so far from the real mountains but not riding was not an option so I spent every euro I had getting somewhere close to the snow and so I could ride.
I know you’re really into style in snowboarding tricks - do you work on things extra-long to make them more styley, or does it just happen naturally?
For me learning a trick means doing it so it looks safe and easy. I guess that’s the definition of style anyway and mine happens naturally.
Which would you be more likely to survive; a mountain lion chasing you down a steep rocky chute or a regular lion chasing you down a huge snowy staircase?
It would probably be the staircase solution! I don’t think a lion could survive a “stair massage” and I know I can!
What’s the story behind Lipstick Productions? How did you get involved?
Conny Bleicher is the mastermind behind it all. She got to the idea to unite the European girls scene and give us all a platform to show what we can do and the opportunity to create something new. We basically just all agreed over email that we would try through the first season and it turned out well. The group is functioning surprisingly well and filming with the girls is always fun.
What should readers expect for the next Lipstick film?
Our next movie will definitely keep the same element of fun with a not too serious vibe but there will be visible riding and filming progress as we learned a lot from last year.
Again, we travelled all over Europe and filmed in some less know areas such as Macedonia and Iceland so there will be powder, street and random weird things that happened to us along the way.
How do you keep things fun and drama-free when traveling so much with a group of girls? Or do you just go crazy and hormonal on each other sometimes?
There’s actually not much drama with us. We’re all very different but we always say everything straight to each other and we rarely fight. Every disagreement turns into laughter right away. If one person is feeling hormonal the other will always be able to handle it. I don’t think there’s another group of people I could spend so much time with and still be amused.
What’s the weirdest place you travelled for snowboarding this year?
Macedonia. Friendly people, good food, chaotic traffic, cops telling me I can ride the spot if I go out with them, horse riding, cat riding, snowstorm, powder…all that in one week!
Footage from the Lipstick Productions trip to Macedonia.
Pirates or Ninjas?
Ninjas. I always wanted to be one and that still hasn’t changed.
You’re obviously more into filming than competing - does competing really suck?
Filming is so much fun that I don’t have time to explore which contests don’t suck. But I’ve been a professional triple jumper for seven years and I know what competing means, that’s another reason why I feel really free being out there, surrounded by few friends and training my creativity, not starting when somebody else tells me to.
What would you say to a girl who thinks she might be ready to try some urban features or handrails?
If you can stick a trick 8/10 in the park you might be ready for the streets, but still you have to take it easy, start with smaller stuff and gradually step it up as you feel comfortable. Best thing is to start with somebody much more experienced than you who also knows your skills level well and can tell if you’re ready for it or not. I rely 80% on my own feeling and 20% on what my good friends feel I can do too.
Park or powder?
Powder.
What’s your plan for the summer? Following the snow or summer fun?
I prefer to skip the main summer season in Croatia since there are too many tourists for me to handle. This summer I’m planning a three month American adventure. I’ll spend one month in Toronto visiting my friend and then I’ll fly to Mexico City and start going south. Over the next two months I’m going to try to sightsee as much of central and South America as possible. There will definitely be some spontaneous surfing and snowboarding included but just for my own pleasure, no pressure!
Ana’s summer edit
Ten years from now, where do you see your snowboarding career taking you?
If you’d asked me that few years ago I would say somewhere in the industry but as I’m getting older I’m not so sure anymore. One thing is certain, I will be living outside the city, doing something I love because there’s no going back to regular nine to five office life after experiencing how awesome life can be. I will figure it out on the way, I always do.
FAVORITES:
Things: Longboard and a guitar
Park feature: Corner
Snowboard shop: http://www.surfmania.net
Breakfast food: Oats and fruits
Movie: Finding Forrester
Makeup: Only five days a year on Nikita catalog shoot
Chairlift snack: Sesame bar
Inspiration : Traveling to new places, meeting different people and experiencing new cultures
Posted by Kelly Vance on 04/22/2012
