You may recognize Olya Smeshlivaya from a previous article we wrote – Model (and Snowboarder) Spotlight with Olya Smeshlivaya. After we published that piece, we immediately reached out to Olya for our Otter Ten Interview series – we had to learn more about her.
To get you up to speed and to complement what we have already covered, Olya has been snowboarding since 2005 and competing since 2010. She has won the Half-Pipe Russian Championship in 2011, the Big-Air Russian Championship in 2012 and got first place at the Europe Cup in 2013, among other wins and notable finishes.
Before we continue, here’s a clip of Olya in action.
And, between all of this, she also models!
Below is a snap of her modeling for Rip Curl.
Now, let’s hear from Olya…
MalenDyer: What do you love most about snowboarding?
Olya Smeshlivaya: Snowboarding makes me happy. The feelings – nothing can compare to being up on the mountain, to feel this energy of the nature view and feel free on my snowboard.
MD: Where is the one place that no matter when you go, you always have great snow and nice runs?
OS: Every year I go to the Colorado mountains in the USA – they have one of the best snowboard parks and it’s always fun to ride with the friends.
MD: If you aren’t snowboarding, what do we find you doing?
OS: If I have a chance, I always go on the ocean and do surfing. I just love to spend time in the water under the sun and to catch some waves.
MD: Switching from snowboarding – as you are so often traveling, how do you prepare for a long flight?
OS: If my flight is in the morning, I usually pack my luggage in the night and try to get super tired to cut down [time] during the flight.
MD: What’s your must-visit place, if you only had one holiday to plan?
OS: I wasn’t yet in South America – planning to go there one day for a trip around.
MD: What’s your favorite animal?
OS: I love dogs. They are the best friends of the human.
MD: What’s your go-to fashion brand?
OS: Rip Curl and Vans are totally my style of brands. I love everything they do and keep wearing them every day.
MD: What’s your must-have beauty product?
OS: Mascara – I wear it every day. I like it when my eyes looks more expressive.
MD: As you also model for various brands, what does modeling offer you?
OS: I do modeling not really often. I prefer to do the photos during the real life for different brands that are sponsoring me – lifestyle photos are good.
MD: You mentioned surfing, when you get to the sea, what do we find in your beach bag?
OS: Sunglasses for sure, iPod – my music is everywhere with me, iPhone – to stay connected, sun cream – to not get burned and a bottle of water – always good to have.
MD: Bonus Question: What are you reading or listening to right now?
OS: In my iPod, it’s lots of different music – mostly it is hip hop. These days I’m reading the Shantaram book, very interesting story about the man who ran away from the prison in Australia and survived in India.
And that concludes this installment of the Otter Ten.
We know – we can’t believe it’s over already either!
On that note, be sure to follow Olya on Instagram @smeshlivaya to stay current on all of her adventures.
Until next time…
P.S. The featured image includes a snowboard from Völkl Snowboards.
