PH_PAUL HEUBERGER
“I know everybody found their way and are enjoying life!“
This guy is the definition of ATV in real life: who could back tail a big ledge, then proper fs air a vert ramp, and in the middle of that, manage some of the biggest names in European Skateboarding, tour all around Europe, win contests, confront visions with the biggest skate shoe brand’s owners, and then organize some of the best contest ever, built concrete DIY with Pontus Alv and skate them like a true pool rider?
Just a couple of that tasks, and you will be satisfied, and exausted for life!
Now, try to do all that stuff with a big smile on your face, a total positive attitude, and a sincere approach to everybody, without ego drama or attitude.
It’s just skateboarding and he’s keepin it simple for you: he built, organize, work, and do tons of stuff that you don’t ever considered so you can skate without a thought in your life.. and anyways, he skates better than you
We need more people like him, we need somebody who can enjoy the ride and life’s in general in our little stressed world
This is his interview, read it, maybe you could learn something
Thank you Oli
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
Hi Oli, how’s life’s goin in wonderful Switzerland?
Hello! Life is good right now. We are in the middle of summer with a couple of projects and a good dose of skateboarding.
For somebody that don’t know u, could U introduce yourself ?
My name is Oli Buergin, I am 51 years old and I have been hopelessly addicted to skateboarding for over 35 years now.
You came from a long way, the first time I’ve heard about you, was in an old Munster Monster Contest’s video… but maybe it wasn’t you, ‘cause the name was Oli Burger.
It was probably me. Munster was my first big contest back in 1995. I even got a trick in 411 Video Magazine from there. They didn’t know my name, so they just put “From Switzerland” in there. A year later, in 1996 I actually won the Munster contest because of the boycott by the American and Brazilian skaters. I was handed a trophy and the title World Champion for winning a contest that was actually a mediocre European Championship at best…
I remember that one !! Well, actually you can put that award on your belt !!! Why americans boycot that event, and how was skatein it without the big names?
The boycott happened because of a series of unfortunate events combined. Quite a few people from the overseas delegation were not happy because the street course was pretty much the same as the year before and the vert ramp was a new portable ramp that felt too small for what most people were used to. Then Titus showed off his new yellow Lamborghini in the hall next to the contest and the icing on the cake was a fight that broke out between some skaters and security who tried to clear the street course on Friday night to close the place. Later on that night some of the skaters got together adn decided that no American or Brazilian skatebaorders would comepete because they felt like Titus didn’t invest enough into the contest and didn’t treat the skaters they deserved to be treated.
I actually went to Munster with no intention to enter the contest. It was Don Brown who during breakfast on Sunday suggested I should enter the contest because I might win some money…! So we asked Titus at noon on Sunday if I could still enter the vert contest. He was happy to have one extra person and I had one of the best vert runs of my life and the rest is history. Skating without the top people felt like a normal European contest…
And they were good, even back then. How was skatein’ with big time pros back than? Now everything is connected, in the 90’s havin’ Koston or Kareem on the same quarterpipe with you, was something that maybe can get you nervous
Hell yes I was nervous! There was way more of a divide back then and it felt like quite a few people were not very open to connect with us Europeans during an event like that.
PH_ALAN MAAG
Feel the same, it was a different time.
Were you good at skateboarding right away, or you’ve to work on your skills?
I feel like I always had to work on my skating. I don’t think I am a natural talent of any kind. But I was obsessed with it and we were lucky enough to be able to build an indoor miniramp in my small hometown. I was skating there all the time and started progressing faster than most of my friends. That’s when entering Swiss contests and eventually getting sponsored started happening for me.
Who were your firsts sponsors? And how was to have a sponsor back then?
Amazing, I come from a family that didn’t have a lot of money so not having to pay for boards and shoes was a blessing! I was lucky enough to connect with Heinz “Subo” Mischler (Who recently passed away. Rest In Peace Subo!) who was the Swiss distributor for Santa Cruz and Etnies. I owe so much to Subo and will be forever grateful to him and Roger who is now running the business.
How was skateboarding in Switzerland in the late 80’s/early 90’s?
It was great, so much to discover and learn. Until I started skating I hadn’t travelled much, so going to Swiss Cup events in Zuerich, Lausanne or Lugano was really exciting.
I was lucky enough to meet a lot of people from all over Switzerland and some of them are really good friends to this day. It was also a time of rapid change in the skateboard industry. Vert skating became less dominant and street skating took over. I always loved all kinds of skateboarding and didn’t care about the trends too much. Back in 1991 there was talk in the Basel skate scene about an American that had showed up at our local plaza spot (Theaterplatz) and skated way better than any of us. I got to meet him a few days later and it turns out that it was Preston Maigetter (now known as P-Stone). His mom had moved to Basel for her job and he spent a good part of his summer vacations there for the next couple of years. We became really good friends and when he moved to San Diego later on I would visit him for a couple of weeks every winter.
You’ve always skate pretty much everything, from vert to street. How You’ve developed an ATV style?
I have always enjoyed all terrains and was lucky enough to have vert and miniramps available as well as some really good street spots in Basel. Maybe because I was so obsessed with skateboarding I had to try everything to fuel my addiction. Nowadays i skate way more transition than street, but i still have fun on certain street spots. People like Mark Gonzales and Danny Way who skated all terrains were always an inspiration.
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
You’ve a pretty long skate history there, from Chany Jeanguenin to Sven Kilchenman (and, for sure, I’ve spelled the name wrong)
The skate scene in Switzerland was always quite strong. In guess average Swiss people had enough money to afford to buy skateboards even when the strong US Dollar made boards pretty expensive. There was also a well organized federation back then that brought everyone together with events. Chany was the first “super talent” that popped up at the end of the 80s and to this day the only Swiss skateboarder who lived in the US for a long career in the skate industry. The guys from Zuerich were always ahead of most other skaters and Guy Kämpfen, and Sven Kilchenmann had pro models on respected companies. The Zuerich videos left quite an impression at the time.
Are you still in contact with them? What are they doing right now?
I see Chany quite often. He judges some of the events I organize and we get to skate together every once in a while. Guy is running a distribution company and they support skate events in Switzerland with the Marshall speaker and headphones brand. Sven still skates his ass off, gives skate lessons and works at Collateral Skateshop in Zuerich.
Best skateboarder ever in Switzerland? And why He’s Martino Cattaneo?
He was raised by Warriors so what do you expect? Out of this world in his own world!
You tell it: skateboarding can be an obsession. When this obsession drive you crazy? Ever feel that skateboarding is a Job and when the fun is not fun anymore?
Sure there’s moments when skateboarding drives me mad and like any job it has it’s downsides, but the well of motivation just doesn’t seem to run dry…
You’re from Basel, that is a beautiful city, and somehow you’ve worked to make it skateable, with big contest, and one of the firsts Pontus Alv DIY skateparks. Is the DIY mentality a prerogative for skaters from the 80’s/90’s ?
The DIY ethos seems to be ingrained in a lot of skaters from that era, mainly because if you wanted something to skate back then you had to build it yourself… As for making Basel skateable, I always felt that Geneva and Zuerich were the only Swiss cities that were “on the map” and wanted help put Basel on there. In the sense of getting to welcome traveling teams, pros and random skateboarders from all over the world… The big contest was in a way just a means to an end. A way to see way more rad skateboarding in Basel than you normally would.
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
Don’t you think that sometimes the last generations are a little bit spoiled? Like, they don’t work or fight to have something to skate.
Do I hear a bitter old man talking there?
YOU’RE RIGHT AHHAHAHAH
I do still see skaters taking initiative to make shit happen. Sometimes there’s an older more experienced person involved, but also projects led by the newer generations. A lot of the skateparks that get built in Switzerland are happening because of local skaters getting organized and lobbying for their cause.
You were a pro skater for Santa Cruz, how that happened?
The Santa Cruz connection came from the Swiss distributor Kitchener Sports (who also hooked me up with the first Etnies shoes I had) and when I did my first trip to California in late 1992 i was able to go skate the Cannery Warehouse miniramp at NHS and get stuff from them.
In 1995 i met Tim Brauch when he came to the Sattel skatepark for a demo.
We had similar styles of skating and instantly clicked. He invited me to come stay with him in San Jose, so that winter I went to San Diego to visit P-Stone for a bit and headed up to NorCal to skate with Tim. Him and his girlfriend Karina were really fun to hang out with. Jason Adams was always in the mix as well. Some of my fondest memories from that era. The promodel came way later. In 2003 the German distributor of Santa Cruz was pushing to get local pro boards for their market and I believe it was Jeff Kendall who suggested that I should get a board as well in that series. So I was a man am until I became a grandpa pro I guess…
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
Well, the curly hairs give you like 10/15 years less than your age, so it was perfectly on time: Do you keep some deck at home?
I still have one of the two pro boards that I got from Santa Cruz and I also have one of the Antiz Guest Boards I got about fifteen years ago.
Everybody says that Tim Brauch was one of the greatest skateboarder ever. Do you ever thought, skatein’ with him, that he was built different?
His motivation was different for sure and his energy level always way up there! Almost like he sensed that he didn’t have that much time so he made every second count. He was one of the original ATVs. He could and would skate anything with a smile on his face!
For sure his energy has influenced the way you look at skateboarding. You’ve had multiple roles in skateboarding, and we’re gonna talk about it, over the “pro thing” what was your first work in skateboarding?
My first job in skateboarding was at the ramp company called Vertical. My friend Paul had started the business a few years ago and offered to hire me once I was done with my apprenticeship. So I got my diploma as Chemical Laboratory Technician and never worked a single day in that profession. at Vertical I was doing everything that needed to be done. A lot of time in the metal workshop as well as in the painters shop to varnish the metal ramp frames. On the weekend we’d often travel all over Switzerland with the portable ramps and do demos at different events.
Do you think that education is important, even if U can back lip a 20 stair rail?
Being open minded and learning is very important! Of course it’s good to learn at school and in universities, but getting practical life lessons can be equally important!
I was always wondering about what some of the people I worked with would do after their skateboarding. But as far as I know everybody found their way and are enjoying life!
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
You were Etnies/Sole Technology team manager in Europe for a long time. How’s that happened?
At one of the Swiss Open contests I met Ruedi Matter, a Freestyle skater that was from the generation before me. He had just started to work for Etnies America which was the licensing company that Pierre Andre used to design, manufacture and distribute etnies shoes (the brand was still owned by the French shoe company that had started etnies in 1986). Ruedis job was to coordinate the distributors in Europe and help them grow the sales of etnies. My first work involvement with etnies was to adapt etnies ads to the local magazine sizes, add distributor contact info and then send them out on CD to the skate mags. Pierre Andre later gave Ruedi the task of creating a contest series that would bring the European scene together and promote etnies at the same time. The series grew and Ruedi started being in touch with a lot of the skaters that were riding etnies on the distributor teams and by 1998 Pierre identified the need to create European Teams for etnies, Emerica and éS. I pitched a “business plan” for it and got hired a few weeks later.
How do you feel about the Nidecker/sole technology situation? A lot of the riders are gone, and how do you feel that skateboarding can “understand” this new ownership and direction?
The sale of the Sole Technology brands to Nidecker came as a surprise, but I knew that there were financial issues, so it all made sense. It sucks that some riders got lost in the transition, but a few longtime team members are still there as well. I feel like the whole thing can be positive for the brands, but it will take a while for skateboarding to see improvements and accept the new status quo.
Have you get a call from Pierre Andre, or Don Brown?
If you mean a heads up or anything like that, no. I am randomly in touch with Pierre and Don, but not on a level where they would inform me about something like that.
Nidecker is from Switzerland? Are you open for a position in the new company?
I am quite happy with my current job, designing and building skateparks and wouldn’t know where I’d fit into a brand puzzle such as Nidecker has going on, but as a longtime “family member” i’d gladly offer my thoughts and insights (especially when it come to the Swiss scene or products that i’d like to see).
What put out of the radar the Sole brands?
There were a couple different things that I think led to the downfall of Sole Technology. Having Nike, Adidas and New Balance grab a big part of the skateshoe pie, changing trends, probably some mismanagement in the company, as well as the 2008 financial crisis.
You’ve managed some of the biggest EU skateboarders for 20 years, from Barney Page, to Axel Cruysberghs, Albert Nyberg, and so on. How you discover talent?
It was a mix of people that were already getting hooked up by our distributors (like Barney and Albert in your example) as well as being at every bigger skate event in Europe and keeping my eyes open. Axel for example showed up as a tiny kid to the Grand Prix of Skateboarding in Rotterdam. I saw him skate the course after the contest and knew right away that he had something quite special. Evelien Bouilliart who was riding for etnies at the time introduced me to Axel and his parents later on and I offered him a spot on the team right away.
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
Who was the best guy to manage, and who was the most difficult to manage?
I am not going to throw people under the bus here, so let’s just say that there were some riders who were organized and always motivated to do stuff and others had distractions in their lives or even mental issues at times. It was my job to help them make the most of their talents on a skateboard and sometimes it was easy and other times it was frustrating or even a bit scary.
We know, skaters are not “saints”. You’ve done tons of tours in the years and You’re a pretty chill dude, really calm and collected . Could you tell us some stories when someone was doin something too hot to handle?
There wasn’t ever an incident where people got way out of hand, but obviously we had to deal with angry hotel managers every once in a while, and there’s two stories that I remember well. One was during one of the first ESC events in Basel and it involves a couple of people who were having fun and a few drinks in the lobby of the official event hotel. Of course it got loud and at some point the night manager got tired of reminding everybody to be quiet and threatened to call the police. Ali Boulala got pissed, stomped his foot through a glass table and promptly spent the night in jail. The other one was Sunday night after a contest in Munich. The phone in my room rang around 03:00 and an angry german receptionist told me that Maxime Genin and Kevin Tshala just got caught trying to steal alcohol bottles from a maids cart. So I go down to the lobby and the guy tells me that I have two options. Either the two of them leave the hotel right away or they are going to get the police involved. I didn’t want to risk that because they were under age and things could have gotten complicated, especially with the Bavarian police. So I got them to pack their bags and drove to the airport where we tried to kill time until the check-in opened for their flights home. Once they were on their way home, i went back to the hotel, got a bit more sleep so I would be ready for the five hour drive to Basel… Oh and I once had to bail a teamrider out of a German jail because he got caught stealing a scarf at a department store.
Who was the best team rider, and who was the worst to manage?
I feel like the “last ones” were the best. I really enjoyed working (and skating) with Axel, Barney and Albert! We did some rad trips, filming for the AB&A video which I believe was a nice step up for all of their careers!
How that video was possible?
The AB&A video was planned to elevate those three to a Global level at etnies and I was given the opportunity to be the main filmer for all the trips we did in Europe and also got to join some trips to the US and even a China mission with the rest of the global team. I had always filmed as a team manager, but AB&A was as close as I ever got to making a full video. Mike Manzoori and Ricki “The Dude” Bedenbaugh worked on it as well. Ricki put everything together really nicely in the edit.
Is it hard to see one of your guys leave the team?
It was always hard, the worst one was when Axel went to New Balance. It caught me unprepared because we had plans for Axel on a global level, but things were moving to slow. Also he had been with etnies for over ten years and felt like it was time to change things up. I was sad, but happy for him at the same time. And now I am really proud of what he’s achieved so far.
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
In the years you’ve witnessed, and filmed, some of the best skaters in the world. Who was the most impressive and why?
Chris Joslin is up there, for the sheer gnarliness of his jumping down stuff. The Bs 360 Kickflip at the Cologne cathedral is unforgettable. Albert was always really fun to watch, film and skate with because of his creativeness and ability to make whacky stuff look good.
Also the Bs Nosebluntslide from Mike Anderson on the tiny banks in Bordeaux. He recently went back there and did it again! And last but not least Stefan Sperka who did a Nosebluntslide on the Ljubljana hospital hubba twenty years ago at the end of a two week tour, after a late dinner with no warm up.
For a lot of years, you were the main guy at the Basel Contest, one of the biggest contest in Europe, where all the young rippers and now skate superstars, where discovered…
As I am writing this we just announced the 2025 edition of ESC Basel, the new version of what was the European Skateboard Championships for ten years straight from 2001 to 2010. The importance of contests has changed, but it’s still nice to have a platform and meeting place for skateboarders from all over Europe.
How was to organize a big contest like that?
For the first seven years I was part of a team at Sole Technology Europe that worked on the contest. My main contributions were on the creative side, designing the skatepark, coming up with ideas for the themes and generally making the contest as comfortable as possible for all skaters. Our main partner was Carhartt and they had a crew that cared about skateboarding as well. At the end of 2007 the Sole Tech Europe setup changed and I had to make the decision to either take on full responsibility of the event or let it die. I rose to the challenge and with a lot of help from my friends the 2008, 2009 and 2010 editions of ESC were amazing experiences.
The city of Basel was supportive with that contest? And what it takes to organize a big contest like that.
The city was always supportive, but back in the day skateboarding wasn’t really on the radar as a proper sport, so the two main partners etnies and Carhartt played a bigger part than the city. The fact that we were able to bring the contest back in 2018 was because the city asked for it. Skateboarding was on its way to the Olympics and that helped with getting more support from Basel.
How’s the new contest compared to the old ones? Bigger? Better? Or you’re workin on it?
The new contest is definitely a bit smaller. We are a group of friends that make it happen with limited ressources which we try to compensate with creativity. But it feels nice to bring the scene together and celebrate skateboarding with people from all over Europe. You should come!
Some of the most memorable moments of that contests?
In 2008 we had a blast with the space theme with our friends, the artist duo Yummy Industries. We built giant robots, a space ship that was hanging over the street course and a crazy out of this world VIP bar.
The Daniel Cardone Kickflip into the big bank from 2005 will forever be burned into my memory.
PH_JO HEMPEL
The Blackcrossbowl nights (2006 to 2010) balanced out the contest seriousness with after dark skating, live music and a lot of beers.
PH_ SWITN
You were always on something, after all these gigs, contest, team managin, ripping, you find yourself promoting and building some DIY parks. How you find the time, and how you manage to built a big DIY in your city?
Our first experience with concrete was when we built the Blackcrossbowl with Pontus Alv. Because of the ESC parties there it became somewhat famous and for six years it was the main skatespot in Basel for quite a few of the older generation. When we were told that it had to be destroyed in 2012 we were lucky enough to find a new spot for our second concrete DIY. We started building Port Land one week after the epic demolition party of the Blackcrossbowl. We went all in, were able to raise enough money to have concrete delivered and even got a pump to do shotcrete. Another once in a lifetime experience! These days I actually build official skateparks for cities and such. When Sole Tech was struggling in 2016, they couldn’t afford to keep me as a team manager, so I started a company called Parallel Universe to plan and build skate infrastructure.
For some time you were also a Carhartt guy, right?
I was never officially sponsored by Carhartt, but close to them because of ESC and always friends with people working there. If anyone at Carhartt reads this, I would be down for a box
😉
We’re down too! Now I’ve seen you workin’ with the LAAX Crew (Laax is one of the best resorts for snowboarding in the world.) how’ s working with Mountain resorts?
The Laax connection actually goes back to 1995 when we brought the portable vert ramp up to 2000 meters above sea level for a demo during a Boardercross contest. In 2019 they wanted to have a temporary skatepark up there, that ended up being used for the Swiss Vans Shop Riot. We built it as a modular system out of wood and weather resistant Skatesmart surface. It was used a few times on the mountain and is now set up at the base. From then on we built something for Laax almost every year and in 2024 we got to build a new bowl for the Freestyle Academy, the Laax indoor skatepark/training facility. It was quite a challenge, felt like a 5000 piece puzzle, but the result is amazing and some of the best skaters from all over Europe had a blast there during Team Trouble 2025.
PH_ERIC ANTOINE
What skateboarding have did for you?
(‘cause you’ve done a lot for skateboarding and skateboarders)
Skateboarding pretty much gave me everything. A creative outlet, a way to meet people from all over the world, a sense of purpose as well as multiple jobs and opportunities I never would have dreamed of in a million years.
What’s your opinion of the current state of skateboarding? At a commercial level, skill level, and SOUL level.
I know skateboarding isn’t in the best place commercially, but I feel like there’s a good amount of participants, it’s especially rad to see way more girls skating than ever before. The skill level is off the charts, it feels like progression is growing exponentially. And the spirit seems better than ever. All sorts of skating are accepted and people are supportive of each other.
Looks like in the 2000’s there was a lot of money in skateboarding, big prizes at contest, pros were payed, magazines and stuff. WHere’ s the money is gone? Looks like everybody is struglin, and skateboarding looks bigger than ever right now.
I think the money is still there, but the gap between the rich and poor has gotten bigger (in skateboarding as well as society in general). Some people are making a good living, but a lot of skaters have to have side jobs to make ends meet.
What’s your take on the olimpics and the big arena contest?
The presence of skateboarding in the Olympics was done much better than I expected. I am glad people like Luca Basilico and Martin Karas were able to help present skateboarding as authentic as it can be in that context. The Olympics seem to have helped getting more skateparks built and getting more kids on board, a lot of them are girls which is rad.
I know it felt different, but ESC was a big stadium contest as well and I have done other big events such as the Red Bull Roller Coaster (2018 & 2019) and recently the Red Bull Pool Drop, both in Munich. It’s rad to be able to do stuff on that scale and work with some of the very best skateboarders on the planet. I feel like there’s room for all of it, as long as it’s well done and the skateboarders are treated well.
Do U ever feel nostalgic?
Sure, but I look forward more than backwards and always remind myself to enjoy the moment to the max.
Lookin’ back: your biggest success, and your biggest regret?
Biggest success: Still feeling good on my skateboard after 35+ years of slams and rolled ankles.
Biggest regret: Not putting down a 540 back when I was skating vert on a somewhat regular basis, spinning them really good and was young enough to take the slams.
PH_GOGO CENTINER
Your current set up.
8.5 Port Land board (made in Switzerland by Word Skateboards), 149 Indys, 54mm OJs, Swiss Bearings & Ashes Grip
What are you doin right now?
It’s July 14 and I am working on ESC organization mostly, a little bit of post production stuff for the Munich MASH skate event, such as getting people paid and collecting debrief feedback. There’s a couple of skatepark projects in the pipeline. For the main one I need to create the construction documents for the contractor that does all the earthworks before we come in to cover it with concrete.
You still skate a lot.
I usually skate about two times per week, depending on how much work i have on my plate and how my body feels. I am lucky that my better half, Claudia is more of a skate rat than I am. So she drags me out of the house even when I am too lazy to get off my ass.
What’s next for you? Because I know that you can’t chill.
Right now ESC, some skating and because it’s the middle of summer, actually some relaxing by the Rhine or one of the many lakes here in Switzerland.
Fav etnies,es and emerica model ever.
For etnies it’s the classic Rap in Navy with the all White sole. Talk about early nineties nostalgia… With éS I will always remember how good the SLB shoe with the sock liner felt on my feet. And I really liked the way the Koston 2 was for skating. I didn’t wear a lot of Emerica shoes back then, but the Johnson 1 and 2 were the ones that I remember liking a lot.
What’s your most regret outfit into skateboarding?
Pick one 😉
PH_ESC
Is it still relevant to this day have something that identify you like a skateboarder?
You mean as far as how I dress? I still run around in skate Tees, Carhartt pants and still have etnies on my feet…
Most relevant european skateboarder and why?
Probably the one and only Tom Penny, he’s the unicorn.
Best european skatemag cover and why?
Tom Penny again, the kickflip off the roof into the bank. It’s right by my house and the photo was shot by my good friend Eric Antoine.
Worst european company ever?
There’s been a few questionable ones over the years. I’d say it’s a tie between Platinum and Cream… Maybe they were decent and i just didn’t understand…?
