What Do You Really Do?
Eric Bobrowicz, technical manager for Rossignol Snowboards.

Eric Bobrowicz, or "Bob" as his friends call him, is the technical manager for Rossignol Snowboards, and oversees production and design. If you’ve ever ridden a Rossi board, you’ve felt his personal touch. In his spare time you can find him snowboarding near his home in France or kayaking one of the many rivers flowing through that country. We caught up with Bob while he was in the States for Rossignol’s national sales meeting and asked him a few questions about himself, his thoughts on snowboard manufacturing, and what he really does at Rossignol.

How long have you been with Rossignol?

Six years—the last four years I have been with snowboards, the two before that were with the ski division.

How did you first get into the snowboard industry?

I started working for Lacroix where they were making both skis and snowboards. I worked on some of the first Look Lamar boards. They had a part of their production done in our factory.

What do you really do for Rossignol?

I am in charge of design and production. I work with the team riders to develop the snowboards.

Is there one board you’ve designed that you’re most proud of?

I think the most important board I’ve done for Rossi was the first Seoane—the green one with the coffee cup. It was something very special—the first cap-construction board for us. It was the first pro model, and we did a good job working with Seoane. With this board, I think Rossi made a good turn—something very important for us.

What types of boards do you prefer to design, Alpine or freeride? It’s so different, you know?

Alpine is so technical—maybe not more difficult—but very technical. You have to adjust more of the board for the rider in a race than for a rider in freestyle or freeride.

Do you think it’s more challenging to make a race board than a freeride board?

No, I don’t think you can say that. The problem is quite different, you know?

What is it about your job that motivates you?

The snow. For me, I like snowboarding. I’m always pressing to go back to my job, because I have new ideas and new things to do. Perhaps I go snowboarding in La Grave and have an idea, then when I will come back on Monday morning in my office I start to see if it’s possible to make something new. That’s what motivates me.

What kind of snowboard do you ride?

I live close to La Grave where there is very deep snow and 2,000 meters of elevation, so you have to have a big board. I ride a 196 swallowtail.

Damn big board!

Yes, big board. It’s not the board for big business—it’s a board for image, and it’s fun.

How many days did you ride last year?

I’m on the snow every weekend and one or two days a week for work, so probably around 100 days total. It’s impossible for me to stay in my office.

Which manufacturer is progressive?

It’s moving quickly everywhere. I have a lot of respect for K2 and Morrow—and Burton. I have a lot of respect for Morrow because they are making something very technical, very special, compared to other companies. Oxygen makes a lot of mistakes for image, but for overall technical performance, you feel a lot of the ski experience.

What do you think about the technology other ski companies like Salomon are bringing to the industry?

Salomon has made some noise for two years now. I’ve been waiting for them, but they’re really strong in marketing, so they make a lot of noise before starting to show something. So, I will wait and see—but I’m not afraid of their technical force. Look at what happened six years ago in the ski industry, when they started to grow stronger. They’re always strong when preparing a new product. So, when I hear that people are waiting for Salomon, I’m surprised, you know? Because they show nothing, and everyone is speaking about them. They are very strong in marketing.

How do you feel binding manufacturing has progressed as opposed to boards?

Nothing up until two years ago has been done with the binding—nothing new has come for a long time. It’s been all the same plastic thing. Now, things are going to move quickly with the step-in bindings. In five years it will be almost even with the number of strap-binding users. I don’t think step-in will be the system for everybody, because young guys don’t care about making the strap on the binding—it’s not a problem for them.

Capped construction or sandwich construction?

For me, it’s evident. I make the same board with our technology in capped and sandwiched. For sure, capped is better. It’s more responsive with cap construction. But, it is more difficult to build caps because you have to make expensive molds to build the board.

Wood or foam?

We use Microcell in Rossi snowboards. One month ago, I made a lot of snow tests between wood and Microcell—they’re different. The wood is more tonic and the Microcell is more comfortable, stable, and handles vibrations. On the snow, it’s really more comfortable with the Microcell. Four years ago it was difficult for us to say that we used something other than wood, because a lot of people think that wood is best. Now we win a lot of snow tests around the world. We are getting good results on our boards. People are understanding that our boards work, and I really think our boards are working. We use our own process with Microcell. It’s different from wood boards, and you can feel it.

What contributions have has Rossignol brought to the snowboard industry?

We are a ski company in the snowboard business. There are a lot of people who think that nothing has happened with technology in the ski industry for a long time, but that’s not true. Ski quality has changed a lot. There’s a big difference from a ski of today and a ski of five years ago. It’s quite an old sport—many people have been working on ski design for a long time. So, my contribution has been to have some ideas from the ski industry and apply them to the snowboarding business.

What’s the best part about your job?

The most pleasant thing is working with the pro riders. I like to discover new solutions and find exactly what the rider wants; it’s the best part of my job—to shape to find new things, to find a new sidecut or flex. It’s thrilling to find solutions, and to work with the riders and find something new to increase the quality of the board. It’s fascinating to me.

How does it make you feel when you see someone riding one of your boards?

It’s something special to see someone riding on a board I’ve built. It’s difficult to say in English for me, but it makes me feel something when I see people riding on Rossi product or buying a Rossi board I’ve designed.

What would you like to accomplish that you haven’t accomplished yet in your job of designing and manufacturing snowboards?

When I started working for Rossi (Snowboards) it was a big challenge, because we had nothing. Now, I think we’re part of the market. The next challenge is to be perhaps not number one, but to be number three or four.

—Chad DiNenna