FROM THE MAG: Meet Manfred
Words: Thomas Stöckli
Photographs: Thomas Stöckli
Camera & DOP: Beat Hösli
When I first encountered him on the slopes, wearing his eye-catching, oversized orange Bogner jacket, this sprightly retiree was stringing together clean turns on his K2 Eldorado. One after the other. Close behind him were several children and teenagers of varying sizes, so to speak. I will never forget that moment!
The zest for life and joy that radiated from him, and how his bright eyes outshone even his jacket, was contagious. “This guy must be 70 years old!” I thought. I was quite astonished when he told me his actual age after I spoke to him: he was 86 years old that day. I couldn't believe it! Manfred became my secret personal hero that day, someone I often talked about to those around me and whom I encountered again and again in the winters that followed. In the spring of 2021, Beat Hösli and I accompanied Manfred for a day with our cameras, and the resulting footage has now, 4 1/2 years later, been edited, colorized, and set to music. “Finally!” I said to Beat. However, the rough cut of our film reached Manfred in his hospital bed just a few days before he passed away. Despite his weakness, “Meet Manfred” still managed to conjure up a smile or two on Manfred's face.
This article was reason enough to find out a little more about the late Manfred. To mark the occasion, I met up with his family for a barbecue on the beautiful Lake Constance. The group included Manfred's wife, Heidrun, her sister, Birgit, her daughter, Doro, her husband, Marc, three of their four children, Salome, Simon, and Tobia, and me, Thomas Stöckli, as interviewer and photographer.
What kind of person was your dear Manfred, and what made him special?
Marc: Manfred was generous, philanthropic, open-minded, inspiring to others, curious, sociable, and he never seemed to run out of energy. He always had a new project. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a warm smile, was interested in life, and was at peace with himself and the world. That was Manfred.
1-2 quirks and eccentricities, or simply idiosyncrasies that made Manfred who he was?
Tobia: He loved dipping crispy fries in his McSundae! And as a former engineer, crafting and tinkering were always high on his list of priorities. Even in his old age, he constructed a cable pull that automatically put on and took off his support stockings.
Marc: So he was very handy, he fixed everything except the edges of his snowboard and the base, which he only had maintained by professionals. Oh, and he once became European vice-champion in senior delta gliding.
Manfred started snowboarding in 1990, at the age of 58. That means he spent over 30 years riding sideways down the slopes. What did snowboarding mean to him?
Marc: He was a passionate grandfather, and his greatest pride was teaching his four grandchildren how to snowboard. We have countless videotapes with clips of Manfred filming and coaching the children.
Doro: He loved freedom, and snowboarding was the epitome of freedom for him, “like flying.” As a child, he often dreamed of flying, and this dream stayed with him long into adulthood. Whether it was hang gliding, model flying, windsurfing, or snowboarding.
Marc: His wife Heidrun always had his back, always packing his bag for flying or snowboarding in an exemplary manner. Without her, he would probably have often found himself on the mountain without the right equipment.
Heidrun: Yes, I kept him on a long leash!
[She says, and the whole table laughs]
How did Manfred, and your family in general, get into snowboarding? How did that happen exactly?
Marc: Back then, in the late 1980s, I was pretty much the only snowboarder on the lift in Amden, this small family ski resort. With my pink Burton Cruzer and my long hair, I was something of an oddity. It just so happened that I rode up the ski lift with a nice lady from Germany. Suddenly, I told her that I would have to abruptly turn off here because I had to follow this pretty blonde girl!
Heidrun: So I said to him, “Do you mean my daughter?”
[Everyone laughs.]
Doro: Yes, that's how it was, and after about a year, Marc and I became a couple. Marc then gave my father his Burton board. And from that day on, he put his skis in a corner in the basement and never took them out again.
I can well imagine that Manfred was something of a minor celebrity on the slopes during your trips to the mountains together. What was that like?
Doro: He was never the star when we were out and about with him; that would have made him uncomfortable. But he definitely stood out, yes.
Marc: He approached people, was a magnet, and drew attention to himself. But he was very humble and grateful for his life, and he enjoyed being able to still snowboard with his grandchildren at an advanced age without making a big deal out of it. Every now and then, other winter sports enthusiasts would ask him about his age, and he would always smile mischievously, because no one had guessed his real age.
And how did Manfred actually get his legendary orange Bogner jacket? It must be well over 20 years old by now.
Doro: He bought the jacket back then for his first lesson at snowboard school. That means my father has never worn any other jacket for snowboarding for more than three decades.
Could Manfred's unstoppable curiosity, his open nature and zest for life, and his inner child have been the secret to why he reached such a proud age?
Tobia: He bought his first drone at the age of 90 and got on surprisingly well with it. Every now and then I had to show him a few things via video call, and he diligently took notes which he then attached to his controller. He was very interested in everything new, and if we had told him about Instagram, for example, he would have become the next big influencer.
[Everyone at the table smiles.]
Doro: Until his retirement, he had his own company with up to 90 employees, and at times he was on site almost day and night to solve problems. He always wanted to understand everything, see connections, learn techniques, and acquire knowledge.
Marc: And even until the end, he was very alert and had excellent reflexes, for example when driving. His general motto was: don't give up, keep going, stick with it, and do all this with enthusiasm—his life was his calling, and he never seemed to run out of energy. And yes, he took very good care of his inner child until the end.
Most people Manfred's age no longer do sports that require as much balance as snowboarding. Mainly because their bodies are no longer up to it, but also, I think, because society no longer considers it “age appropriate.” Snowboarding is usually portrayed as a youth phenomenon, and snowboarders over the age of 60 are an absolute rarity. Did it bother him that his friends of the same age might not be able to keep up with him, that they had other interests? Or did he tend to have younger friends anyway?
Marc: Yes, all his friends were much younger than him; no one his age could keep up with him. But that wasn't a problem for him; he wasn't looking for snowboarding buddies. He had us, his family, who all enjoyed windsurfing and snowboarding.
Doro: And we as a family let him do his own thing throughout his life, because his freedom was extremely important to him. Even in his old age. We said to ourselves, “We'd rather have Dad be happy and continue to pursue his passions, even if it could lead to a tragic accident, than have him sit at home on the sofa feeling depressed!”
I think Manfred inspires many people through this film and the images to preserve their inner child and have fun, even in old age. What did Manfred personally give you, how did he inspire you?
Simon: What inspired me about my grandfather was that he was so grateful for what he had, and how he treated people and loved them.
Salome: He always looked for a solution to everything—and found it. One of his sayings that has stayed with me to this day was: “People must know how to help themselves!”
Doro: He had an incredible ability to marvel at things, to get excited, and I am grateful that I inherited a little bit of that from him. It's also important to me that my own children take this on board and discover the world with gratitude and enthusiasm.
Snowboarding is always portrayed in the media as a youth phenomenon, and there are hardly any people over the age of sixty who still shred. Manfred is the antithesis of this, proving that it is still possible even in old age, and he has been a source of inspiration to those around him throughout his life. Of course, his genes help, but nurturing his inner child and always remaining curious and life-affirming have also contributed greatly.
This article was originally published in Pleasure #156. For the complete reading experience, with more photos and the unmatched feel of a print magazine, order your copy of the magazine below or, even better, support print by becoming a subscriber!
