Interview with OBA Creators

16th December 2020 | 0 comments

Ondra and Terka or OBA Creators. Two creative souls with great enthusiasm for things that make sense. Their work and experience speak for themselves. From snowboarding, video production, photography, architecture to their own creative work. That's why we didn't make long decisions when considering cooperation, because if it makes sense to support someone, it's them.

Hi OBA! Ingenious ambiguity. Ondra, please explain. Did you mean your "name" like this?

O: Hi, we had more ideas, but since Téra thought about how to create a logo, a face with glasses and a mustache from these three letters OBA (like two), we chose this path.

T: Hi, yeah-yeah, it is exactly what Ondra says. I had no idea that I would screw myself like this, because several individuals think that it is the company of Ondra Bauer and it really bothered me: D

We took the introduction right at the beginning. But please tell us a little more about you. How did you meet?

T: Ondra and I met in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. I was 18, Ondra was a wise, inwardly calm and handsome man. He invited me on a date and so I found my future partner, a friend, my boss, a grateful diner, just the man of my life.

Ondra, please introduce yourself. Do you want to add something about the way you met that Terka forgot to mention?

O: My dear ran somewhere, so I answered the previous question for her, hehe.

How long have you been riding? Do you see any development in your approach to snowboarding?

T: I started riding only at about seventeen, I wanted to know everything right away, I skipped the basic tricks and that led to a number of injuries. Now I think more about riding and I enjoy those little joys. What I appreciate most is that I do work I enjoy and I have a choice of how I plan my time. So being outside in the fresh air, soaking up the sun and swinging while the rest of the mortals are locked up somewhere in the office. That's just it!

O: I've been driving for a quarter of a century, I'm just enjoying it. It's for me, along with a few other things that are also enjoyable, the best relaxation.

What do you say about the development of snowboarding in the Czech Republic and in the world?

O: You can't stop the progress, I enjoy watching new creative tricks. I just wouldn't want it all to fall apart in just one such overly sporty direction. Apart from the joy of the exercise, I myself started riding mainly because snowboarding was under no associations, without screaming coach psychopaths, overly ambitious parents, strange buffoons, etc. As is football culture, for example.

But as long as the diversity stays the same - backcountry riders, filming parties, the racing scene, punks, park-goers, creatives, etc., everything is OK, everyone can choose their path.

T: Progress, as if! The conditions are great and we live in great prosperity.

Snowboarding made you travel a lot. Where did you like it the most and why?

T: Saas Fee and Laax are love and Switzerland in general. Probably just because I studied there and then worked, I just left a piece of life here. Last year Canada and the States were a great experience. Sweden and the spring park in Hemavan also made a big impression. It's hard to say where it's the best. I like everywhere where there are good people and at least a little sun. I am also most grateful for our Weedkovice and the split run in the Giant Mountains. Especially when I get out of the computer for a while :)

O: Totally, and I would add a Colorado / Vail pass. Šárka (Pančochová) and I had a beautiful week, with snowy nights and azure days. In the morning we got on scooters and set off to jump on BC kickers prepared from the previous day, all finished in Breckenridge brewery and the next day again.

And Japan (Hokkaido, Niseko) and their powder, it's been about 12 years since I was there, but I like to think about it.

Let's go home again now. Where do you live and how did you choose the place to "nest"?

O: We've been looking for a place to settle for a few years. Terka is from Brno, I am from Jablonec, so we found a compromise halfway - Malá Skála, in the Bohemian Paradise hehe.

It's nice here, the Krkonoše Mountains around the corner, the Jizera Mountains the same, Prague with all the culture in a blink of an eye, bike trails, the Jizera, climbing, a mini-ramp in the woods, just a paradise, the Bohemian Paradise. In addition, my grandfather was the first mayor here after the revolution, he and other relatives live nearby, so I have a nice relationship with it.

Terko, you're an architect, among other things. Did you somehow tune your living exterior and interior?

T: The proverb applies to us: Shoemakers children often go barefoot. I am so busy that I don't know what to do first. But Ondra and I have a beautiful plot of land and I believe that one day there will be a house with a ramp worthy of the place.

Ondra, we know you prefer to be outside. How did you decorate your garden? (I'm thinking miniramp, haha! - just for info)

O: Yes, I am really a very talented (goat) gardener, I would not like to dabble in Terka's flower bed, so instead of roses I plant tricks in the woods. Right next to the garden, we own a small piece of forest and right among the century-old oaks, we got a mini-ramp.

Where do you spend the most time in the area?

T: When we're not clicking, it's everywhere near the area. As Ondra said, you can do almost everything here... bike, skate, climbing, paddleboard, volleyball, running... Just a decision paralysis every day.

O: I wouldn't have said it better myself.

What did the end of your last season look like? Traveling was not exactly in the course. Was it a problem for you?

T: We were supposed to fly to Hemavan, Sweden for a month, which I was looking forward to. But we made up for it with spring trips in the Krknoše Mountains, with nobody around, which was amazing.

O: I like winter in the Czech Republic, I can find powder, amusement park, and spots and as Téra says, last spring was great, we went on split / skialp trips with our dads, moms, brothers, sisters, friends and we had a blast.

What did you do during the summer?

O: We worked, project after project and interspersed it with the activities we mentioned, this year mainly bike, SK8 and climbing. Yeah, and we took one week SNB and bike trip to Zermatt, that was great!

What would you like to do this fall? Planning isn't rly working this year. Do you still have something planned for the end of the year?

T: We are not very good at planning. We work at home and when the opportunity arises, we go abroad. We always take our work with us anyway.

O: I'm not planning much, you never know when your edge is ringing.

In our team, you represent specific brands within the cooperation. Why did you choose them and what do you enjoy about them?

O: Arbor, beautiful design of snowboards and skates, wood instead of plastics, everything is super functional, wholesome people in the team, overall, the brand fits best with our philosophy.

T: I love wood and a gentle approach to nature overall, making Arbor Snowboards a clear choice. I also quite enjoy the artists they work with and their design in general.

What will you ride on this year? What equipment did you choose for the park and what for the powder?

O: I'll think about it, so far it looks like Erik Leon's Relapse promodel to the park and maybe Clovis to the powder.

T: I will try Cadence in the park, and Clovis with a beautiful design in the powder.

What about splitboarding? What do you ride and what do you enjoy most about splitboarding and your equipment?

O: I have an Arbor pro the model of the legend Brian Iguchi, which is in itself a guarantee of quality. Check out YouTube and his hikes and beautiful lines at home in Wyoming, which he does for, example, with Travis Rice and a bunch of other masters.

Otherwise, splitboarding in general is of course beautiful… freedom to go anywhere, hiking, breathing, staring around, discovering new spots… super freedom feeling.

T: Splitboarding is love. I have an Arbor Swoon splitboard and a Burton binding. Compared to the previous split, this one is lighter, which as a woman I will appreciate not only when going uphill, but also when driving downhill. It is playful and easy to use, so 200% satisfied.