I had the pleasure and the honor of meeting Max in a very relaxed atmosphere, namely on a sofa in the hotel corridor, in the shadow of the big stage of the Freeride Worldtour, and was able to ask him about his still young freerider life story.
Timo Macvan:Servus Max, first the classic question: Why the German flag on your jersey? The German and Austrian media always like to claim your successes for themselves.
Max Hitzig: I was born and raised in Austria. I was born in Bludenz and grew up in Montafon, in Vorarlberg. The German flag and therefore my citizenship comes from my mom, who is German and met my dad on vacation in Austria. But I feel more like an Austrian.
The Montafon is known for skiing and freeriding. How did you get into the sport?
I first got on skis when I was two years old. My dad is a ski instructor and mountain guide - so I had no other choice. Besides, you don't fight back as a child. I also have a brother who is three years older. Of course, you always wanted to ski with him and be there, compete and try to be better than him.
How did you get into off-road riding and how did you get the idea that you wanted to do it professionally?
As I said, it was mainly through my brother, who always pulled me along and motivated me. When I was 13-14 years old, I realized that I was pretty good at what I do because you could see what was out there on YouTube. I was able to compare myself quite well. I started making my first videos with my cell phone camera. It was clear to me then that I wanted to do it professionally at some point. But then I started an apprenticeship when I was 15 and went to work for five days and went skiing for two days. After I finished the apprenticeship, I immediately quit and just went skiing.
Very cool! So your dream has come true - how do you train for your sport? Do you travel all over the world as a competitive athlete? Do you have a coach or do you get support from other sources? For example, from national or international federations, which are becoming increasingly important in the FWT?
We athletes and I don't think the whole sport has experienced any major changes or support from the FIS in terms of sport. I just really enjoy doing sport and have no problem preparing for the winter in summer and staying fit. Basically, there is no better training for me than skiing. I ski all day at the beginning of the season to get my legs used to it again. But I don't have a real plan that I follow.
Competitive freeriding has several elements. One of them is freestyle tricks - how do you train that?
I think there are different approaches. When it comes to training the backflip, for example, some people just try it out. But I'm always concerned about my health and have done it on the trampoline or in the water beforehand. Then I picked a good day with plenty of deep snow and gave it a go.
