Lara Sibinović, snowboarding instructor, reveals the extraordinary beauty of this extreme sport that unites skill and intuition, danger and thrill. Snowboarding is an extreme sport that requires a love for adrenalin adventures and sports as such. Lara Sibinović fell in love with it from her early childhood and learned how to enjoy it properly. Today, she passes on her skill and knowledge to extreme sports fans of various generations.
How did you fall in love with this sport?
Thanks to my family, from early childhood – actually, I was two years old when I took my first steps on skis. I wasn’t even aware what sort of beauty laid in store for me. Later, when I was watching boys who were a little older than me snowboarding and performing tricks on the track and outside of it, I felt the desire to be a part of that. From that day, I have loved the sport a little more each day.
In snowboarding, how important is the skill and how important is the love of adrenaline adventures?
Balance is very important on a snowboard, but you can achieve anything if you have the desire and the will. Adrenalin is only as present as you will let it. In my case, it is almost always set on high.
What techniques are key to mastering the sport?
As I said, balance is of essence; for quicker and easier control of the board, motor skills are also important. Anyway, even more important is having a feel for it, from walking in show-shoes to the figures you learn in training.
Is snowboarding risky?
Snowboarding is classified among extreme winter sports. Adrenalin and risk are only as present as you let them. Naturally, different situations can occur even on flats, not to mention steeper slopes or freerides. The highest risk lies in freestyle and freeride, which are chosen only by those who are very confident of their boarding skills and ready to defy gravity. Even the best make mistakes.
How popular is snowboard in our region and which generations are most represented among your clients?
Sadly, skiing is still dominant here, which is what we boarders are striving to change. In Europe, however, the situation is different and I hope it will change in our country soon, too. As for ages, there are no rules – you can learn to board when you’re seven or seventy-seven; in my case, I usually teach teenagers, from 10-12 to 18-20 years of age – and mostly male.