Meet Eli, the 7-year old snowboarding beagle that’s happiest on the ski slopes. Eli has been snowboarding in Kopaonik and Old Monutain in Serbia alongside her owners Katarina and Uros.
Katarina and Uros adopted Eli when she was just a baby pup and they couldn’t bear to leave her alone while they were skiing.
Eli loves racing down the piste, pulling her loving owners with her lead and they ride behind her. When Eli gets tired, Uros carries her in his backpack and they go hiking the mountains together.
“One of Eli’s favourite things in the world is definitely the snow, she loves running in deep powder and diving headlong into it – and this idea of doing snowboarding together happened accidentally. We decided to bring her with us and see if she would run with us in the slopes and hopefully not get distracted by other skiers. We also brought the backpack in case she gets tired, to bring her down easily. The excitement and happiness she showed was something unbelievable and she kept chasing us. I believe it’s possibly her strong wish to spend most of the time with us that makes her go out of her comfort zones and do snowboarding,” explains Uros.
The trio’s first snow day went amazing and now they constantly take weekend trips together.
“Sometimes she barks at other skiers or goes off the slope to jump into deeper snow. She prefers to run with us than to stay in the backpack, but takes it as an option when those short legs get tired of chasing. When we see that she gets cold or not interested for these activities anymore, we bring her home to rest while we finish our day ride,” says Uros.
Katarina and Uros love spending time outdoors and have travelled the world. They often take Eli with them.
“Eli is a very devoted and a friendly dog. Sometimes she seems almost human, the way she understands and communicates with you. Snowboarding is just one of the activities she does with us. In spring we go mountain biking together trekking in the mountains, and in summer sometimes she comes kayaking or stand-up paddling with us,” says Uros.
Now that Eli has mastered skiing, Katarina and Uros are planning to visit the Alps.
