ONE LINE, ONE WORLD, ONE PASSION!
The new ski goggle from Julbo
In its SHADOW ONE LINE, Julbo presents a truly special ski goggle. Available only in a limited special edition, the SHADOW is the result of collaboration between Julbo and top athletes Manuela Mandl and Eva Walkner. In this project, the 2 Austrian freeride world champions have contributed far more than their titles. Through this extraordinary design, they recapitulate their path to success while showing us the goals they still have. This model is the expression of what freeriding and the mountains mean to them. It tells of their favorite spots as well as their shared love for nature. Which explains why we see the contour lines of the Hoher Göll, Eva’s “home mountain”, on the strap. A small bee reflects the love they both have for nature and their eco-consciousness. A single uninterrupted line extends through the design – an hommage to the constant ups and downs of life.
Furthermore, the trailblazing unisex ski goggles, which were conceived especially for small and medium-sized faces, feature an ultra-large field of vision, first-class comfort and outstanding performance.
Want to know more about Eva Walkner and Manuela Mandl? Check out this interview with the 2 athletes.
Win a day of freeriding
with Eva Walkner & Manuela Mandl
JULBO and Bründl Sports offer you and a companion a day full of magic moments. Look forward to a day jam-packed with deep-snow runs accompanied by freeride world champions Eva Walkner and Manuela Mandl, along with a state-certified mountain guide.
This prize contest runs from 16.11. - 23.11.2020.
Eva Walkner and Manuela Mandl in an interview with Julbo
“The design of these ski goggles is like a line that extends through our lives.”
Actually, that says almost everything about this new “Family Series” ski goggle! Nonetheless, of course, there are plenty more interesting details to be told! And we definitely don’t want to withhold the charming conversation we had with these two freeride champions (and Julbo athletes), who also made an important personal contribution to the development of the “One Line” which sports their signature. Both come from Austria, one a skier, the other a snowboarder, yet despite that fact, they are both good friends! The friendly banter and quips between the two of them merely add to the positive vibe:
Julbo: Who are you actually? Two girls from the snowy mountains?
Eva: Manuela grew up in Vienna, while I’m from Salzburg. When I met Manuela for the first time, I thought: Oh! She’s from Vienna (laughs). We were on the Dachstein and I was actually expecting a very “easy” day of freeriding, since a girl from Vienna normally doesn’t have much of an idea about snowboarding.
Manuela: Sure, here in Austria there is definitely a bit of a rivalry between the capital city and... umm... the “rustic” parts of Austria. The people from Vienna are and will always be tourists to us! In fact, we sometimes joke: What’s the best car license plate in Austria? The “M”, because it means a Viennese has flipped upside down.
Julbo: What is traditionally “Austrian” about the two of you?
Manuela: I can dance the waltz. And I like to wear a dirndl dress, because it makes me feel like a princess instantly. I adore eating germknödel! And bacon!
Eva: We are both real schnitzels at heart! But please, just for the record, never eat wiener schnitzel with ketchup!
Manuela (in a more serious tone): I believe that Austria, despite its small size, still carries some weight internationally, especially since, because it’s so central in Europe, there’s a constant ebb and flow between cultures.
Julbo: On the headband of “One Line”, you can see the mountain where it all began...
Eva: Yes, I basically grew up on the Hoher Göll. The northeast face, which looks towards Salzburg, is great for skiing ... You absolutely hurtle down that thing (a fact she emphasizes with a swoosh of the hand). And I also wanted to find a place on the goggle for the gondolas of La Grave, because sometimes you just fall in love with somewhere without really knowing why. For me, that place has a true soul, you can get in some really good skiing there, have a good time, and the people are really nice ... It’s basically my “happy place”.
Julbo: Nature also plays an important role in the design graphics.
Eva: Yes, we put a small bee on it! Because the bee is a kind of symbol for everything we have, for the nature we love, for the moments of happiness which nature gives us. And because we need to treat nature and the mountains with care!
Manuela: We love bees. They are fun, they fly around, they are cute and they are totally free.
Eva: The design consists of a single line that runs from left to right, with alternating mountains and trees. Riding through forest areas is great fun. After all, you are right in the middle of nature!
Manuela: Along that line, we wanted to show what’s most important to us, in other words nature and the forest.
Julbo: How do you, as athletes, demonstrate your eco-consciousness?
Eva: For me, the most appealing projects are those that don’t require me to be dropped in by helicopter. I much prefer to go hiking and bivouacking. I think that’s way better than burning up a ton of kerosene.
Manuela: Nowadays I am doing way more splitboarding, I really love getting up at 2 o’clock in the morning in order to go climb a mountain somewhere.
Julbo: How do you see your world today?
Manuela: The yellow of the ski goggle is a soft color tone that’s a little bit reminiscent of the Earth. That’s because we wanted to give some expression to the “One World” theme. In other words, we need to be much more conscious of our environment and understand that we are just a teeny-weeny dot in the bigger picture....
Eva: When you are involved in freeriding, get to travel around the globe and meet nice people everywhere, you quickly realize we are all just one big community and share this one world...
Julbo: Freeriding has been your “family” for a long time ... and you are two of the biggest talents on the World Tour!
Eva: In my very first FWT contest I came in second, since when I have always been in the top 5.
Julbo: Eva, Manuela, which of the two of you is the No. 1 rider?
Eva: I am No. 1, of course, no doubt whatsoever! But number 1 in what? I have to say, snowboarders are a little bit “special”.
Manuela: The fun factor is definitely more important to snowboarders and they certainly get a bigger adrenaline kick out of deep snow than skiers do!
Julbo: Is the line shown on the ski goggles also an expression of your love for steep runs?
Manuela: Yes! You’ll see how the line gets wilder and wilder, turning into steeper and steeper mountains, symbolizing how we have developed as skiers and snowboarders.
Eva: The steeper the better! The freer the run, the more I feel I’m being pushed. On some really extreme runs, you feel like you’re going to pee your pants, because you are well aware that the tiniest mistake might cost you your life!
Manuela: I am a “straight line girl”, I give it everything I’ve got and make a beeline for the bottom (with a broad grin on her face)!
Eva: Even when you’re older, you can always go “riding”. Even when you’re 60!
Manuela: Eva and I, we are strong women!
Eva: When we were discussing the color scheme, we wanted to go with a dark gray so that the goggles would be unisex and would also sell to guys. We didn’t want any girly colors like pink or red.
Julbo: And what does the coffee cup stand for?
Manuela: A warm cup of coffee after a night on the mountain is just about as good as it gets! Coffee also represents relaxed moments spent with nice people, because that’s always when coffee tastes best.
Eva: That’s why I have always loved the FWT! It’s simply a bunch of great people traveling to amazing places to enjoy the best snow conditions and discover new mountains...
Julbo: Is “One Line” a useful tool for riders in the mountains?
Manuela: It has a new lens with a slight reddish tint. The quality of the REACTIV lens and the speed with which it transitions are simply incredible!
Eva: You can use it in dim lighting conditions, but as soon as the sun comes out, it turns darker immediately... Yes, a really great lens for everyday use.
Julbo: The “line” seems to represent a philosophy that you both share...
Eva: A lifeline doesn’t always run in one straight line to success (slicing her hand diagonally upwards), every now and then it’s also going to go “shhhhh...” (her hand zigzags up and down). And you should always bear in mind just how boring life would be if everything always ran smoothly! That’s also the way the mountains are, first you go up, then you come down. That’s the way I like it. If there wasn’t a down, you wouldn’t know what “up” is!
Julbo: But when you’re freeriding, that “down” can sometimes be very painful!
Manuela: Scars aren’t necessarily the best lines to have...
Eva: Though they do remind you that things don’t always go the way you planned.
Manuela: But there are also those moments when everything just jives. I love to believe we are all part of one gigantic system and constantly interconnected. That line also reminds us how simple things can be. If you live your passion and follow your own line, then you’ll have a good life ‘cause that’s precisely how it’s supposed to work! The decoration on ski goggle is like a common thread that runs through our lives. One line, one world, one passion... Showing us that everything is interconnected.
Julbo: And what other secret details would you like to reveal about each other?
Eva: I do believe that Manuela’s snowboard boots are the stinkiest things on the planet! Almost legendary, in fact. And Manuela loves to party. A real party queen, in fact.
Manuela: Eva can get really excited about some things, to the point she almost loses it!
Julbo: And a final comment about your “One Line” ski goggles from Family Series?
Eva: They are the world’s coolest ski goggles!
