Michi Stanschitz
First name: Michael
Last name: Stanschitz
Home: Gresten, Lower Austria
Home away from home: Right now I life in Schladming next to the Dachstein glacier, Austria
Height: 1.72 m
Weight: 63 kg
Favourite board: Riot & Vice, Riot for jibbing and Vice for big jumps
Stance: +15/–12, (stance: 60 cm)
Sponsors:
- Völkl Snowboards & Performance Wear
- Electric
- Nomis
- Moreboards
- Sport Senoner
- SP
- 1st place, Andorra Total Fight
- 3 x 1st place, ShredDown
- 1st place, Austrian Rookie Challenge
You probably have a nickname - please tell us the story behind it.
My nickname is Stani, some people also call me “Stone”. It might from the word “stoned” but I don’t know what they mean. But Stani is also my father’s nickname, so I’m actually “little Stani”.
Do you remember your first day on a snowboard?
My first day on a snowboard was pretty hard. I had been skiing for at least ten years and when both of my legs were in ski boots and fixed on a plate binding on one board, it felt really weird in the beginning. But at the end of the day I was riding both turns. This was the beginning of my shredding career. I was riding at Hochkar, my local spot, and I stopped skiing right after my first time on the snowboard!
How did you learn new tricks back in the days?
I was riding with my school friends back in the days, and we just had fun which is the most important thing. We tried to do backflips everywhere, so this was the first trick I did before I started doing my first 360s. But all in all I just learned new tricks because I had fun riding!
Why have you never stopped snowboarding since then?
Because I was addicted to it and I love to be in the mountains.
You probably have visited a bunch of different ski resorts already. What’s your favourite place, what was the most exotic and where would you like to live and ride in the future?
Yes, I really saw a bunch of ski resorts, and every resort has got its personal charm; you can have fun anywhere. But I think the really good resorts are Laax, Flumserberg… fuck, there are so many. I would say it’s cool everywhere as long there’s enough snow.
You also must have seen tons of snowboard videos in the past. What’s your favourite video part and why do you remember it?
I remember Heikki Sorsa who a really sick part in a movie from about five years ago but I can’t remember the title. He was doing such a sick SW BS 1080 with a kind of shoulder dip like the one Torstein Horgmo did this year. Everybody talked about a new trick then…
Let us know about your favourite trick! Do you have any specials in your trick bag?
My favourite trick are SW BS 5s and 9s, but BS 180 and SW BS 180 also feel good. I also like FS 540 over the toe edge. I tried a lot of crazy stuff in the air bag, too. Maybe you’ll get to see some double corks next season!
What do you like most about Völkl Snowboards?
Völkl Snowboards is like a family, and I also get the chance to give them my input regarding designs and technology. It’s a really cool team and really good friends as well.
What about entertainment? Let us know about your gigabytes of MP3s and videos!
I have tons of music and movies, and I really listen to all kind of music, from punk to reggae, from chill-out sound to minimal techno. It depends how I feel.
How do you make your stomach happy? You must have some favourite drinks and food?
My favourite food? I really like noodles and cheese, yeah cheese, I could put cheese in any meal I eat. Cheese is just sooo good. What I also really like is sushi, I love sushi. The best drink is fresh water from Dachstein, and quite obviously, a cold beer.
What was your best experience in life so far?
My best experience in life so far might have been the hitchhike to Greece when I was 17. I was working there as a bartender for the whole summer. It was great fun and I met lots of funny people on this trip, too.
And finally, what is your biggest dream?
I have lots of dreams, but right now a big dream is to ride and rank among the top 20 in the TTR ranking. Another is a film shooting for a sick movie production.
Enjoy life!
