Alena Ehrenbold

Year : 1983

Occupation : high school teacher, film director, surfer

Hometown : Lucerne

Hobbies : sleeping, reading

Stance : Regular

Boardsports : Ocean Surfing / River Surfing

Homespot : Lucerne, Switzerland

Favorite Destinations : Indonesia

Surfboards : Elements

Love : barrels, chueche, it froggy azognigs bed

Hate : grab, lunischi Lüüt

Contests : Ocean Ranking SSA, 1st place

Sponsors : Corona, Swox, Xcel, Josea swimwear, stina's lifestyle, bobbi brown

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Interview with Alena Ehrenbold

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

i am alena When I was 21, I took a two week beginner surf course in Portugal. And from then on it happened to me. 
Whenever I had enough money and time during my business studies at the University of Zurich, I traveled to the sea to surf. After graduating, I worked for six years at a high school in Lucerne as an economics and law teacher until I decided to make a living from surfing and producing surf films.

What fascinates you about surfing?

Surfing is more than just a sport. It is a passion, playing with the forces of nature, a never-ending challenge, an absolute feeling of happiness - it is difficult to describe exactly what makes it so fascinating.

You only get to choose one place to surf for the rest of your life. Which place would that be and why?

Indonesia- too perfect to be true.

Which boards do you prefer for surfing?

I've become an all-rounder: I wouldn't give up my Twinfin Retrofish and my Singlefin Longboard from Robin Goffinet (ROBsurfboards) for anything. 
But I also love to pull tight curves with the sleek shortboards by Nick Uricchio (Sementesurfboads)! When it gets big, I pull out my 6'2 minigun. And in very special moments my 6'6 gun is used - unfortunately the case far too rarely!

How does it feel to be a Surfari team rider?

JUST SUPER STOKED!!!

Can one speak of a surf scene in Switzerland? 

Yes of course!! And how… Since we shot «I Wanna Surf» in 2014 I'm definitely aware of that.

If so, are you active or passive in a club? 

I have been surfing in the Swiss national surfing team, which is provided by the Swiss Surfing Association (SSA), for 10 years. 
In 2018 I helped set up the first junior team and send it to the Junior World Championships. It certainly won't be the last time!
In 2019 the first Swiss Surf Film Festival, just founded, will take place: www.swisssurffilmfestival.ch. Something's up in Switzerland!

What has been your biggest challenge in surfing so far?

Getting better... With a permanent job in Switzerland and without a coach or teammates, it was pretty difficult to make progress. I often went out alone because I didn't know many other surfers back then who wanted to come with me to places like South Africa, the Canary Islands, Hawaii or Indonesia.

Is there a surf culture for you? If yes, how would you describe them?

Yes, the original Hawaiian surf culture: surfing, especially on points and on reefs, has a lot to do with respect. 
If a Hawaiian isn't 100% sure he's making the take off and there are other well-placed surfers who might be surfing the wave, then he's leaving the wave for the other surfers. 
In Europe it is often "catch as catch can..." which means something like: "You catch as you can catch them..."
In Hawaii, women are just as respected in the water as men. Unfortunately, the same cannot often be said of other places...