The Crystal Ball Hunter - Ramona Hofmeister

Ramona stands at the starting gate, high up on a snow-covered slope. In a few moments, she’ll hurtle down the mountain on her snowboard. One last time, she runs through the course in her head, her eyes closed, her breathing quickening. Then she gets a handful of snow on the back of her neck; the cold spreads quickly and relentlessly. This initial jolt instantly sharpens her senses, finally waking her up and bringing her into the moment. She eagerly awaits the starting gun; next to Ramona, her opponent is getting ready. Then the starting signal sounds. The gates fly past her left and right; fully focused and in the zone, she races down the mountain toward the finish line—it’s a neck-and-neck race. Was it enough for the win? She glances over at her opponent and looks at the scoreboard...

Getting Started on a Snowboard

Thanks to her two older sisters, Ramona was introduced to snowboarding as a toddler. In her hometown in the Berchtesgadener Land, it snows like crazy every winter, and her athletic family heads outdoors almost every day.

“I need nature and I love the fresh air!”

When Ramona’s on her snowboard, she feels free. “For me, there really was—and still is—nothing better than being out in nature and doing sports. I come from a family that’s very passionate about sports. My two older sisters were already snowboarding when they were kids—I was always right there with them and really wanted to give it a try too. I started when I was four and tried to keep up with them (laughs), even though I’d been skiing just a short time before that,” says the four-time overall World Cup champion in alpine snowboarding. Her sister Melanie also once competed in the Snowboard World Cup.

Germany’s Most Successful Female Snowboarder

When Ramona stands at the top of the starting block, a switch automatically flips in her head. She’s a very competitive person and thrives on the head-to-head battles against her opponents. Her dominance in the World Cups over the past few years has been impressive. Ramona has already raised four large crystal globes—symbolizing overall World Cup victory—and six small globes—representing discipline titles—high in the air. She also achieved success at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (bronze) and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing (fifth in the parallel giant slalom).

“In 2018, I competed in the Olympics in Korea for the first time; my family was there too, and I was able to win a medal right away. I’ll never forget those moments—it was very emotional for all of us. Those experiences will last a lifetime.”

More Than Just a Trend Sport

Interest in snowboarding has skyrocketed in recent years. What started as a trend has evolved into six distinct disciplines: snowboard cross, parallel giant slalom, parallel slalom, slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe. The disciplines couldn’t be more different: In the halfpipe, the focus is on difficulty, style, and creativity, while alpine parallel snowboarding and snowboard cross require speed and nerves of steel. The races are held as part of the FIS World Cups, and the freestyle disciplines are also contested on the Snowboard World Tour.

“I really like the vibe and lifestyle surrounding our sport, and I identify with it. In recent years, our sport has been gaining more and more attention and is developing in the right direction.”

The parallel slalom races are incredibly exciting; often, hundredths of a second decide victory or defeat. Everything is optimized to improve and go even faster. “That’s totally normal in our sport, and everyone is constantly working to get even better—it never stops. We’re trying to tailor the setup of the board and equipment even more specifically to each athlete.” Not even gray skies or extreme cold stand in the way of that. For Ramona, it goes without saying that she trains and works on her skills even in bad weather. “That’s part of it, and I enjoy doing it—the sun doesn’t always shine.”

Ups and Downs

During her preparation for the current season, she also suffered a setback due to a minor injury, which caused her to miss a few weeks of training. That was valuable time to test new gear that had been specially optimized and customized for her.

“I missed out on some race training because of that. Now my form is on the rise again.”

Ramona has overcome that minor dip in performance, and there’s hardly a race where the 28-year-old isn’t the favorite.

A Haven at Home

Thanks to her close ties to her family, Ramona doesn’t have to worry that success might go to her head. “I have a very supportive family environment. Here, I can just be myself and don’t have to put on a facade. I’ve never thought that success could change me.” She appreciates being able to share the most successful moments of her career with her family. Like in 2018, when she stood on the podium at the Olympic Games alongside her teammate Selina Jörg. When Ramona thinks back to the exhilarating, euphoric welcome they received afterward at the German House, she gets goosebumps.

To counterbalance the stresses of travel and a hectic schedule, she’s also found her balance off the slopes in the garden. Ramona likes to pitch in. “We girls always helped out at home, and I really enjoy doing handywork or gardening. I don’t really have a green thumb, though—I’ve had to hand over a houseplant or two to my mom to nurse back to health (laughs).”

Learning to Listen to Her Body

Over the years, she has learned a lot about herself and her body. She has also learned that sometimes it’s necessary to take it down a notch, and that skipping a race training session before a competition can actually be helpful.

Recovery is a major focus for Ramona: Over the years in professional sports, she has learned to listen to the signals her body sends. To do this, she also relies on BLACKROLL products.

For warm-ups before training sessions or races, the BLACKROLL LOOP and SUPER BANDS are always part of her routine—and they’re important not just for competitive athletes. After warming up, the risk of injury is lower.

With the help of the COMPRESSION BOOTS and the FASCIA GUN, Ramona can further activate her muscles before her sessions; above all, however, they aid in recovery for her legs after intense strength training sessions at the gym or after training on the slopes.

The RECOVERY PILLOW has also become indispensable to Ramona; she takes it with her everywhere she travels, using it in various hotel beds to ensure she gets the best possible restful sleep. Over the years, taking breaks from training has become increasingly important to give her body the rest it needs.

Training in Two Worlds

“During the summer, I’m basically only in the weight room. Twice a day, I do a lot of athletic training and work on my strength.”

In the past, Ramona was often able to train near her home in the mountains to prepare for the snowboarding season. Over the years, however, it has become increasingly difficult to find optimal training conditions with enough snow. “With the national team, we’re always wherever the weather conditions are good and travel wherever the snow is. We’re often in Italy for that, and at Christmas I can usually train here in the Götschen ski resort, where the World Cups and the season finale also took place.

During the season and the World Cup races, the focus is currently more on speed and agility so that her legs are fast and well-rested for the races.”

Hungry for Titles

At the World Championships, Ramona has so far brought home silver and bronze; the gold medal is set to follow in St. Moritz this year. She’s particularly proud of her four overall World Cup titles. Currently, Ramona is in second place in the overall World Cup standings for both parallel and parallel giant slalom. Ramona has her sights firmly set on the next big Crystal Globe: “These successes motivate me tremendously, and I’m always striving for more. Every victory is special, and those big Crystal Globes sure are beautiful. I can never have enough of them!”