All the following insights come straight from Eliska:
Crew Bonding
Our crew is honestly amazing. We spend a ton of time together, mostly in the park, since lately, we’re up on the mountain until dark and then just completely wiped out afterward. But we always make sure to have at least one bigger crew hangout per week. It’s pretty cool seeing shapers not just as coworkers but as real friends. We actually remind each other pretty often how lucky we got with this season’s team.
Barbecue Sessions
We actually don’t have a fixed schedule for BBQs, but they usually happen on Saturdays when the mountain is quieter. It’s a super chill, unofficial get-together where locals and the shaper crew ride together, bring their own food, and just have a good time. It’s basically a shred & barbecue situation – good vibes, music, and last time, even some DJs who work as ski instructors here in the mountains showed up.
Speaking of events, March 22nd we’re hosting the Huckleberry Jam: goodies for tricks, a BBQ and some sick music. We’re all super hyped for it!
Fun moments?
Morning gondola rides are top-tier entertainment. We always try to hunt down our own gondola so we can chat and mess around. Half the crew is usually half-dead from the morning, so the other half takes it upon themselves to create chaos.
Build-ups are another fun one – sometimes it's so cold that we have to keep moving, talking about random stuff, or just doing funny things to keep ourselves entertained. Even during the hardest times, we all end up laughing (most of the time :D).
Parties? Yeah... let’s just say I haven’t seen another work crew in Sölden as loud as ours when heading home after a night out.
Also, making videos for the IG reels is always funny. Usually while opening, I pick someone, and we film something. Gotta say, the guys are actually getting into it.
Work vibes
Right now, it’s a lot because we’re building every day, but we survive. The real hard work? Working after five hours of riding. But honestly, the team is such a good mix of funny and supportive people that the vibes stay strong. We help each other out, back each other up, and at the end of the day, we’re in the mountains – can’t complain. Plus, the sunsets after a hard day’s work? Unreal. Also, we are quite good at covering shifts if someone needs a day off, which makes life easier for everyone.
Being a shaper in Sölden is actually pretty sick!
The people here are super nice – when I’m doing a (especially midday) reshape, I hear "Thank you for your work, you guys are awesome!" all the time. Some people even stop to chat or drop off little gifts like chocolate or Red Bull (which is just sooo nice).
Park reputation?
People keep telling us that this year’s park is really amazing, which honestly feels great. I wasn’t here last season but hearing this makes me really happy. Also, there’s always at least half the crew riding, so we’re kind of always around, hanging by the container, chatting with people. We also have a good relationship with the bully drivers (and the lifties), which makes everything run more smoothly.
Eliska's insights truly bring the experience to life – so why not head to the park yourself? You’re bound to run into a part of the crew, and who knows, maybe even catch them in action shaping the next obstacle!