SkiboardPlanet.com has never had the chance to meet Martins Miculis, owner of ALLZ Skiboards and skiboards.lv. But from what we here from others in the industry this guy has contagious stoke!!!

When we ask, we continually get the same response about Martins from people inside the industry, "Martins is super dedicated to skiboarding, a lot of fun to be around..."

So, we contacted Martins as he was in the middle of a trip to the US to do some filming with Revel8 and SBOL. We wanted the goods on the history of Martins, ALLZ, and skiboards.lv.

SkiboardPlanet: Hey Martins, how's everything going?

Martins: I hate to start on a bad note, but I`m bummed! It`s not snowing! Snow is a big problem here in my country (Latvia). I`m sad that global warming has been affecting our season here for the last 2 years. But on a positive vibe – all good man, all good, waiting for new shit, new stuff. Trying to think now more globally. You know!

SkiboardPlanet: We want to start from the beginning, and look at your personal history in the sport. When did you start skiboarding and what lead you there?

Martins: That can be found around year 2000 or 2001. I saw skiboards on a German TV show – surprisingly they actually used the word SKIBOARDS. So after joining winter sports in 2001 on skis I started to think more and more about what I saw on TV (some jumps and rails and fakie riding – all that was a big influence on me). I wasnt using poles at that time so it was natural for me to start my search for skiboards. I found Salomon Snowblades and then upgraded to real skiboards after contacting Canon in 2004. Naturally I made my way to SBOL and the forums; shake an hourglass and here we are.

SkiboardPlanet: Where did you ride when you first began?

Martins: You will not believe me – my first BIG trip to real mountains was in Romania. Haha, it`s funny now, after being there for my third time this year I do NOT want to go there anymore. It is just my opinion but I know that it`s because of certain people and not the country or the mountains, which are beautiful! I prefer Austria/Italy and hope to try out more places besides our resorts in Eastern Europe. I want to find REAL snow, but with global warming, its hard to find!

As posted on the WSA site, a look at the big air competition from the Skiboard World Cup 2008 - Dubai

The Skiboard World Cup kicked off on Thursday, with competitors from all over the planet aiming to win their categories and take home top prizes. With such a variety of events, the World Cup proved to be immense entertainment for all who went along and a great first for Ski Dubai.reat organisation, good side events and ample coverage by the media made sure those who watched had a lot of fun and those who competed did so in first class conditions and were able to promote the relatively new sport which they hold so dear. City Times managed to grab a few words with some of the skiboarders on the opening day of the tournament.



Shuichi Ichihashi has been practising the sport of skiboarding for 7 years. A native of Japan, he competed in the first Skiboard World Cup in Romania last year. He entered this championship as defending Fakie Downhill champion and managed to pick up the gold medal again this year. “Having the World Cup indoors is really unique,” he told us. “We never thought it could be done but here it is and it is great. It is really different because the conditions are constant. Outdoors they change all the time but here you can rely on what's coming up.” Shuichi went on to say, “Although I have not seen the rest of Dubai very much everyone seems really nice and it is great of them to have taken the time and come and support us.” Asked where he sees the future of the sport Shuichi replied, “It is only going to get more popular. It is incredibly new at the moment, most people still have not heard about it, but it so easy to do that when people see it they will want to try it.” Coming up next for Shuichi is the Japanese Ski Contest in the winter.

Next up was fellow Japanese and world renowned skiboarder Shinji Osada. Having 24 sponsors Shinji finds competing in these championships easier than most because of the financial support. “Even if I did not have the support of Red Bull, for example, I would still buy all the equipment and travel myself. I adore this sport and I do it for the love. It is great that I don't have financial worries though as I can focus on competing.” Shinji is a great ambassador for the sport as his main goal is drum up as much support as possible so the tournaments can get bigger and attract more quality. “I love that the World Cup has come to Dubai. I want many, many people to see the World Cup and that is how sport grows. Fans grow the sport. It feels strange competing indoors in the desert but it is brilliant. It is easier for the audience to see because they don't have to be up a mountain. What I want after this tournament is for Ski Dubai to offer skiboard rentals. That way people can practise what they have seen.” Shinji has been a skiboarder for nine years with the Big Air event being his favourite category. “Since I started I wanted to be a Big Air champion. Last year I won three medals and this year I want to win more. However my ultimate goal is to get more people interested in the sport.”

The following skiboarder we managed to get hold of in the middle of the competition was Perkovic Nino. A student from Macedonia, skiboarding is his passion and with no sponsorship getting from tournament to tournament is a struggle. He excels in the cross races as he was an avid skier for five years previous to taking up this sport. “This is a lot better than skiing,” Perkovic stated. “It's more practical as there are no poles and the boards are shorter than skis so they are a lot easier to use.” Like Shinji he expressed his positive sentiments to holding the World Cup in Dubai and bringing the sport to a new audience. “We must continue like this and grow the sport to bring in the masses.” Perkovic also wanted to convey the camaraderie in the world of skiboarding. “I know all sports say this but here we really are all friends. We all do this because it is fun and we love the sport. Sometimes we try and get together and do jam sessions and video them. Once people feel the magic of this sport they will be addicted.” Perkovic was also asked by the board to judge this year's freestyle event which was a huge honour for him. “I am very proud to be judging this year.

The World Cup is the biggest event and now I am a further part of it.”This World Cup was Dragan Sonja's first but you wouldn't be able to tell this female skiboarder was a novice. Having been a professional skier most of her adult life this 22 year old Romanian took up skiboarding just a few weeks before her first championships, the Romanian Open. There she won a staggering five medals such is the ease that people can cross over from other sports. “I love all the events but especially the races as it is what I am used to with speed skiing. This year's World Cup is the best yet as it is so well organised and everyone here is so devoted to making it a success. It is strange being indoors mainly for me with the dry air but it is wonderful. Indoor skiboarding means that people can practise for twelve months a year so I think it will become more popular.” Dragan went on to add, “The categories are going very well because the snow here is very compacted and people can go faster. There are no bumps which also makes it safer. I love all impact sports but safety is important and here it is very safe which is good.”

All the competitors in this year's Skiboard World Cup were excited to be in Dubai and using the indoor facility. The completion went extremely well and we can only hope that this is the beginning of a new illustrious chapter for Ski Dubai.

The local Middle East ticket sales organization Box Office ME now has tickets to the Skiboard World Cup 2008 at Ski-Dubai on sale;

New Europe Vacations in conjunction with the WSA is offering a 6 day stay in a 5 star hotel, with guided tours and tickets to the Skiboard World Cup 2008 Dubai.

Follow this link to read about the details....

New Europe Vacations - Skiboard World Cup 2008

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