The winter season of 2008/2009 saw German snowboarder Aline Bock make her entrance into the Womens Snowboard leg of the Freeride World Tour. Her smooth and easygoing style led her 2nd overall in the 2009 season. This season she is looking to step it up a notch and take the top spot……so long as it is all in the name of fun.
Aline Bock, St. Anton Am Arlberg, Austria.
Nationality:
German
Home Mountain:
Innsbruck/Nordpark
Sponsors:
Roxy, Völkl, Deeluxe, Ortovox
Favourite board:
The new Völkl Freeride Freestyle Board – Eco Cashew 157
Favourite spot:
Arlberg/Austria
What other sports are you into?
Surfing (Longboarding)
You are surfing regularly in summer these days. Is this something that you are looking to pursue further or something that something that is just for yourself?
I would love to compete in a Longboard competition soon and see if I can perform well….
That would be so much fun, I think… But I will take my time for that as I really try to never become last
Aline surfing at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia
How did you first get involved in snowboarding?
My whole family (one sister and one brother) were somehow always into sports. My parents were ski instructors in former times, so we always went to the mountains to go skiing, biking, hiking etc…
When I was 12, my dad bought me, my sister and my brother a snowboard for Christmas…we were all really excited…… I started snowboarding two years later (1997) and I loved it….!!! I always went snowboarding with the guys from my hometown Überlingen – unfortunately there were no other girls who wanted to hit some kickers. But I did not care, I was addicted and loved riding with the guys!!!
Since then snowboarding is a big part of my life (13 years now), a passion, a hobby, a job….
I started with freestyle halfpipe competitions when i was 15 years old and changed to slopestyle some years later. It has always been fun to travel to different places and parks to meet other riders, to compete, take photos or film etc., but there was and is nothing better than a powder day with friends at home .
I never heard a lot about freeriding competitions until I entered my first Freeride World Qualifier in Austria/Montafon 2 seasons ago. It was just too much fun riding some nice faces in perfect conditions. The fact that you can express yourself and your riding style being creative with choosing a line took my full attention. So here I am now, being a rider of the Freeride World Tour trying to integrate my freestyle background in my runs. It went really good so I ended up 2nd at the overall Freeride World Tour ranking.
Aline Bock, St. Anton Am Arlberg, Austria.
Do you think your freestyle background helped you on the Freeride World Tour?
I definitely think it helped me a lot as I love to jump off some cliffs and do tricks. My goal is to integrate more freestyle tricks in my runs in the future. In Sochi/Russia I just focused on some jumps in my run and I think it was the reason that I have won. So I keep on riding with the passion for some freestyle. I hope it will work out.
Aline Bock, St. Anton Am Arlberg, Austria.
Will you be going on the tour again this year?
YES, that´s the plan for now
Any plans to compete in any freestyle or halfpipe contests again?
I think it is almost impossible to do both, as I have a really tight schedule with the tour. But I am totally fine with that, as a freeride competition is also a freestyle competition for me. -As long as I try to integrate some tricks in my runs.
What’s your Favourite Country?
As I haven’t discovered the world yet, I cannot tell…But I really like Portugal as I have spent some time there just now. I actually love the ocean and the beach, it motivates me a lot and gives me energy that I need to refill after a long season.
A country with a wonderful beach, no tourists and great waves gains definitely more points
Influences:
My family and my friends…
Motivations:
The ocean and some waves, the first snow in October and my friends who cannot wait to go riding again in Autumn… It also motivates a lot if I see some big fat snowflakes coming down on my face…
Plans for the future:
My future plans are competing at all Freeride World Tour Stops again. Plus there is an ALL GIRLS extreme sports movie planned. Fingers cross that we can make it happen.
Aline Bock, St. Anton Am Arlberg, Austria.
Best Moment:
My parents surprised me at the Verbier Extreme -The final World Tour Stop – last year. I had tears in my eyes when I saw them… It was a great feeling to get their support!
Worst Moment:
Every injury is an awful moment in my sports career!
Last Words:
Don´t take it too seriously, it’s just snowboarding
So here I am back in Australia. Well, I have actually been back here for a while now. Its been an interesting trip back home despite the fact that I haven’t really gone anywhere since I have been back. Its been raining a lot since I have been back this year which is great. If there was ever a country that actually needs rain it is Australia. The water reservoirs have been sitting on low for many years now and that country has been under constant water restrictions. The recent rainfall has bolstered the water supply a little. However if there was ever a country that suffers from mismanagement of its water supplies it has to be Australia. As soon as the level of the dams had risen slightly so too were the water restrictions eased. The levels in the dams were dangerously low, to the point where some of the capital cities had less than a years supply of drinking water left. The people here have become so used to living under water restrictions that surely it makes sense to leave the restrictions in place until the water levels have risen to a safe and comfortable point and there can be no danger in the immediate future. 
Above you can see a photo from the Hume Dam situated in the Snowy Mountain region. The trees that you see were a sunken forest covered by water when they built the dam and now exposed by the drought.
