From Innsbruck to World Champion: The Story of Longboarder Anna Pixner

Multi-sport athlete Anna Pixner is one of the fastest women in the world on a longboard; she’s breaking speed records and attempting to set a world record. In the fall of 2026, she’ll not only be competing at the World Skate Games in Paraguay, but she’ll also represent Austria at the World Surfing Games in Peru. Before she heads to South America to prepare, I meet her in her hometown of Innsbruck.

We’re meeting at the Anna Column in the city center, and I’m grateful because Anna has her board with her. “I figured that way you’d recognize me right away,” she says with a contagious laugh, and I immediately find her likable. Her outlook on life and the openness she shares with me during the ensuing two-hour conversation almost blow me away.

Sports have always been essential for Anna, a bundle of energy. Skateboarding offered her the chance to be completely at one with herself and, at the same time, absolutely free. I don’t think anyone on the outside can fully grasp what this four-wheeled board really means to her. And that’s despite the fact that she speaks very openly about it and acts as a true ambassador for her sport. Anna’s enthusiasm is infectious. You can feel how important it is to her to convey her story accurately; her words are thoughtful, precise, and down-to-earth.

But first things first.

Anna grew up in Innsbruck doing mountain sports: she was already on skis at age three , and soon she tried her hand at climbing.“The mountains automatically keep you in shape—that’s a huge advantage. You often train ‘unconsciously’—simply because you’re out in the terrain without really realizing it,” says Anna, summing up what it’s like to grow up in Tyrol quite well. I have to smile—she’s absolutely right, even if that observation seems a bit trite. She goes on to explain that this “automatic” training simply doesn’t exist in other regions of the world due to differences in terrain and must be partially compensated for at the gym. Since she’s traveled extensively around the world over the past ten years, she’s noticed this intensely and become acutely aware of it.

Anna speaks openly about the fears she’s had since she was young, as well as about mental health issues in her family. Although Anna describes herself as having been shy and anxious as a child, she was also ambitious and a perfectionist when it came to sports. But both in the ski club and while rock climbing, the competitive situations, expectations, and the pressure she had put on herself quickly became too much for her.

When she was about 16, she ordered a longboard online to try out skateboarding and do something entirely on her own —far away from any competitive pressure. She rode the board to school and practiced where no one was watching. Skateboarding quickly became her way of being completely at peace with herself. It’s where she felt free.

One day, while riding past Landhausplatz, she unexpectedly ended up at a skate workshop. There, Anna met like-minded people who showed her a lot, taught her a lot, and eventually motivated her to compete. After just one year on the board, Anna was already competing in her first downhill races —even though she had no intention of returning to the competitive scene. But she found the atmosphere at the skate competitions to be different from what she’d experienced as a child:“It’s not about winning, but about the feeling.”

I’m quite surprised when Anna explains to me: “In downhill skating, safety is highest at organized events, since the courses are cordoned off and protective barriers made of hay bales or similar materials are in place.” During training, things look quite different: There are no official training tracks in Tyrol, so the athletes always have to share the mountain roads with traffic. That’s a challenge, of course.

Anna says that timing is important and that she often sets out early in the morning (around 5:00 a.m.) so she can train before the cars start coming. By now, she knows the mountain roads of Tyrol and her training options from May through October extremely well. Winter lasts a long time on the roads here—namely, as long as there’s gravel or de-icing salt on the pavement—and skating is out of the question during that time. Around Innsbruck, there are Kühtai, the Sellrain Valley, in Oberperfuss or in the Axamer Lizumexciting routes.

When Anna is out with her team, they bring walkie-talkies: someone monitors the traffic situation and immediately relays the information to the skateboarders on the road. When she’s skating alone, she repeats specific turns or sections many times to practice slides and braking. During her training runs, Anna encounters a wide range of reactions from the public. Some are curious and show open interest, while others call the police.

I ask about her speeds—after all, Anna is considered Austria’s fastest woman on a longboard. In competitions, she reaches 90 to 100 km/h, she says, but in training, the focus is more on technique, which can also be practiced at lower speeds.

Anna emphasizes the psychological aspects of her sport, which really mean a lot and make perfect sense to me. There are so many distractions these days, and you have to completely free yourself from them while on the board —you have to be fully present. For Anna, this has a healing effect, and it’s helped her overcome her fears. She describes it in a way I can easily understand: “When downhill skating, you have to tell yourself that you’ll make it, even if it scares you every time. You do it anyway, and then you actually make it. That translates very well to life. And it’s important to practice that regularly, especially as you get older.” In this way, Anna was able to build valuable self-confidence and apply her athletic experiences to her everyday life.

She conveys all of this in her videos, but also in person during workshops —which she enjoys leading for children and teenagers. All facets of skating play a role in this: Anna emphasizes that she finds all types appealing, whether it’s downhill, skatepark, mini-ramp, bowl, or in the water— surfing. She tries to get others excited about the versatility of this sport in particular. —Even though I’ve only ever stood on a balance board myself, she manages to do just that—even with me.

When asked whether and to what extent Innsbruck has shaped her, Anna doesn’t hesitate for a second: “Innsbruck has definitely played a big part in why I’m doing such a crazy sport today.” As a child, she was out on the slopes almost every day in the winter Seegrube. “There, you’re constantly seeing people doing extreme things while still looking relaxed —on skis, on a bike, whatever. That skill combined with such ease really inspired me.” Many of these athletes are versatile and, for example, are just as at home on a snowboard as they are on a climbing wall, a bike, or a skateboard. Anna also feels that there’s a great openness in Innsbruck toward unconventional sports, as well as toward lifestyles centered around sports. When she took a break from her nearly completed master’s degree in Gender Culture and Social Change after earning her bachelor’s in education to devote herself entirely to skating, there was a great deal of understanding for her decision in the sports-oriented city of Innsbruck.

Anna is a pro in a niche sport. She describes the small community as very friendly and non-competitive; she’s always felt welcome there. Since the female racers are very close friends, they’re happy for each other’s successes and celebrate one another’s achievements. Prize money, if it exists at all, can’t compete with other disciplines. Women often fare worse than men in this regard. Sponsorship money is also limited; major brands don’t necessarily invest in skating. – In Austria, winter sports are still significantly more heavily promoted and prioritized than summer sports.

And yet: Even while pursuing her bachelor’s degree, Anna felt drawn to explore the world. During the pandemic, she was in Portugal, where she also took up surfing. Since no competitions could be held at the time, she produced videos for her sponsors. The focus was on media, and that’s how she made her breakthrough. Videos are important to her for sharing her experiences and increasing the sport’s reach, but also for showcasing women in extreme sports. This involves a lot of work and dedicated people who repeatedly set out in the middle of the night so they can film at sunrise.

Meanwhile, social media also offers female athletes like her the opportunity to earn at least some money this way. Anna travels a great deal, and since she’s a summer person, she likes to spend her winters in Australia or, at any rate, in warmer regions. Sports and travel allow her to immerse herself in foreign cultures for longer periods, learn from locals, and gain real-world experience with social change. – She closely observes and experiences the topics of her studies in gender culture and social change all over the world.

During our conversation, Anna makes no secret of the fact that the risk of injury in downhill skating is quite high. Your own body is the crumple zone. But she also emphasizes that she trains intensively to keep that risk as low as possible. She says that her surf training helps with this because it really strengthens her upper body. “The most important thing, in any case, is to stay focused —every single second. We’re all aware that we’re doing something where you can easily get hurt as soon as you lose focus.”

When I ask her specifically about injuries, I regret the question the very moment I ask it, because I notice her swallow briefly. But she answers immediately, honestly and openly: “I get scrapes quite often. And once I had a serious accident. With severe injuries.” The scrapes are healing but still visible, and they’re likely a constant companion. The details of the accident —a series of serious injuries and a lengthy hospital stay—are alarming, and, as with many athletes, I’m impressed by Anna’s comeback. Giving up was never an option.

“After the accident, I had to start from scratch mentally and overcome my fears all over again.” I’m briefly taken aback, and I can only tip my hat to her for this tremendous mental strength. How did she manage that? “I wanted to be able to enjoy riding again. That was the goal.” And she succeeded in finding her way back to that “old” feeling. Anna is convinced that this was only possible because it was never about racing again, but about feeling joy once more. There was no pressure.

Now she’s capable of incredible feats. And speaking of heights: The Himalayas, home to the world’s highest mountains, have always held a great fascination for Anna. When she first connected with skaters from India on social media, the Himalayas weren’t even on her radar. But it soon turned out that right there, at 5,800 meters, lies the world’s highest paved road. And so the idea was born to attempt a world record by riding that very road on a longboard and turning it into a comprehensive film project.

Preparing for this massive project was intense: Anna trained by running in the mountains, working out at the gym, and practicing on her board. She also meditated a lot to acclimate to the altitude and keep her stress levels in check. The mental challenge is every bit as demanding as the physical one. You’ll find out by the end of 2026 how Anna fared on this roadUmling La Pass” and how the world record attempt turned out—you’ll find out by the end of 2026. Anna will also be a guest here on the podcast to talk about her projects. The first teaser for the film is spectacular and well worth watching, but I find the very personal portrait of Anna featured in it particularly compelling. I’m looking forward to it because she’s an impressive, remarkable, and inspiring person. Anna doesn’t give too much away, except to say that there will be a premiere tour for the film, during which a fundraising campaign will collect donations for projects that support young people with mental health issues.

Throughout our entire conversation, as well as in her projects and her demeanor, you can tell that skating is a labor of love for Anna—far more than just a sport or a hobby. That makes it all very touching. Incidentally, in two hours, Anna didn’t even mention her victories or achievements once. How modest and charming can a person actually be? For the sake of completeness, let me at least mention it in passing: Anna Pixner is a two-time world champion in the “ Standup-Racing ” at Longboard.

This young woman has already achieved a great deal and shown that it’s possible to overcome major challenges and still reach great heights. She made it clear to me just how important mental strength is in elite sports, and my respect for that is immeasurable. I look forward to her future projects and exciting stories. I wish Anna all the very best and thank her warmly for a deeply inspiring encounter. Thank you.

• Anna Pixner: www.annapixner.com, Instagram, YouTube
• Epic Innsbruck 19-04: Longboarding at Axamer Lizum by Ashley Wiggins (2019)
• French Downhill Skateboarder Breaks World Record Near Innsbruck, blog post by Ashley Wiggins (2022)
• Landhausplatz Open: Skateboarding Competition, blog post by Laura Wunsch (2023)
• Downhill skater Anna Pixner and the question: Is it worth it?, article in STANDARD by Philip Bauer (2024)

Top cover photo: © Rod Soares