She has been skiing for as long as she can remember. She skied her first races at the age of six. She later turned her back on alpine ski racing. But she remained true to her passion for skiing. As one of the best freeriders in the world, Sonja Lercher competes in the Freeride World Tour (FWT). The 33-year-old appears for an interview at the International Sports Fair in Munich on crutches after a fall. At the tour stop in Chamonix, the Munich native broke her tibia during a competition. A conversation about forced breaks, backflips, avalanches, tattoos and why trees bring independence into her life. Johanna: Were you born with skis?
Sonja: (Laughs) Something like that. My mother was a ski instructor and put me on plastic skis on my first birthday. At the age of three, I could already ski well behind my mom on a ski vacation in Switzerland. Johanna: Did you also ski race?
Sonja: Until I was 18, I was a member of the German C squad and raced a lot. In winter, I trained in Garmisch three times a week after school. Johanna: Sounds like an exhausting childhood and youth.
Sonja: The time was hard, but also beautiful. Even as a teenager, I saw a lot of the world through my travels. However, I missed out on school. I had to repeat 7th and 8th grade. There was a lot of competition within the squad. We were under a lot of pressure to perform. If you had a bad season, you were out of the picture straight away. The pressure took the fun out of skiing. Johanna: Today you're competing again. Is there less pressure among freeriders?
Sonja: On the Freeride World Tour, I'm friends with all my fellow competitors. We are one big family and support each other. Of course, we are also competitors, but only for a few minutes during the competition. We are united by the joy of skiing. Johanna: What happened to Sonja after ski racing?
Sonja: Because I thought it was time to lead a serious life, I swapped my ski gear for a costume and started a hotel management apprenticeship in Vienna. But that didn't last long. Johanna: Why?
Sonja: This nine-to-five life wasn't for me. I earned my money as a bike courier and worked in the pub in the evenings. That's where I met a girl who wanted to emigrate to Australia. I thought that was great and spontaneously accompanied her. We traveled around Australia together for six months. I met my boyfriend on this trip and moved to Canada to live with him. Of course, I put my skis back on there. We went straight into the backcountry. We went freeriding as often as we could. Johanna: To what extent is your past as a ski racer an advantage when freeriding?
Sonja: My clean technique also helps me in the terrain, of course. Johanna: Do you incorporate jumps into your runs?
Sonja: Of course. But in competition, a backflip is still too risky for me. On the Freeride World Tour, we're only allowed to study the faces through binoculars. But if I'm going to incorporate jumps, I want to know exactly what the take-off is like, the landing situation, the snow conditions? Are there any rocks lying around that I could injure myself on? But basically I like jumping. Johanna: How do you actually learn how to do a backflip?
Sonja: In Vienna, I joined a freestyle club and practiced backflips and Lincoln loops on a water ramp.
Johanna: When did you start taking part in freeride competitions?
Sonja: Friends persuaded me to do it. They thought I had a chance. I've been competing in freeride races since 2005. In recent years, I've successfully taken part in the Freeskiing World Tour, the American counterpart to the European Freeride World Tour. Johanna: Successful means?
Sonja: Numerous top five placings, champion in Kirkwood and in the FWT overall rankings I was second in 2009 and fourth in 2012. Johanna: Since this winter there has been a unified World Tour, so the best freeriders from North and South America and the best Europeans compete in a joint series. Do you like this unification?
Sonja: And how! In the past, the two series, the Freeskiing World Tour and the Freeride World Tour, were in competition with each other. Each tour tried to be better than the other. We athletes really enjoy the merger. The starting field is now international. The combined World Tour now also has a bit more budget at its disposal. Of course, we athletes benefit from that. Johanna: In what way?
Sonja: The accommodation and meals during the competitions are provided for us, as are the lift tickets. We only have to cover the travel costs ourselves. Johanna: Now you've broken your tibia at the second tour stop of the FWT in Chamonix after a fall during the competition. How bitter is that? Sonja: Very, very bitter. I was really looking forward to the Tour. But I'm confident about the future. Let's see, maybe I can start at a qualifier competition in Snowbird in mid-April. For the coming season, I'm really hoping to get an injury wildcard for the Freeride World Tour. I will train hard for my comeback. Johanna: As a professional, do you live exclusively from freeriding?
Sonja: There are a few freeriders who live exclusively from the sport, but I can't do that, although I do have some sponsors. I still go tree planting during the summer months. In northern British Columbia, we live in the bush near Smithers for three months at a time. The job is hard but well paid. I stay physically fit and am outside a lot. Johanna: No well-paid advertising shoots, no big sponsorship contracts?
Sonja: Planting trees makes me independent of sponsors. I earn so much money in three months that I don't have to have a permanent job for nine months. I can finance expensive ski and training trips in the fall out of my own pocket. Johanna: Mini apartment or shared flat? How does Sonja Lercher live? Sonja: I have rented a house with several rooms in Whistler. I live there with four friends. Our life is simple, but good. We don't need much.
Johanna: Snow is only frozen water. Can you surf?
Sonja: A few years ago, I lived in Sardinia for several months in the summer and worked in a kite school there. My father is Italian. That's where I learned to kitesurf. Johanna: Your most serious injuries so far?
Sonja: Torn cruciate ligaments twice, both ankle joints broken, shoulder blade shattered, collarbone broken, concussions, various vertebral fractures. Now the tibial plateau. Johanna: So as a freerider, you have to be tough?
Sonja: Injuries are part and parcel of our sport. In this - admittedly ungentle - way, you are forced to take breaks. You shouldn't underestimate all the traveling. Our gypsy life is exciting, but also quite exhausting. Johanna: Party or break? How carefully do you look after your body?
Sonja: The older you get, the less you conform to the image of the cool freerider who is powdering during the day and partying in the evening. I take great care of my body, eat healthily and train a lot. If I wasn't fit, my fall in Chamonix would have had worse consequences. To recharge my batteries, I always take breaks, which I spend at home in Whistler in my familiar surroundings. Last year, I spent two months in a row traveling from one competition to the next. That takes its toll. Morris is also waiting for me at home. Johanna: Your new friend?
Sonja: (Laughs) My eight-year-old Labrador. Johanna: What do your sponsors say about the injury?
Sonja: They support me. I am amazed, thrilled and relieved at the same time at how well they are taking it. Everyone says: "Get well Sonja, take your time and come back when you're fit again!" Johanna: Did you experience the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler?
Sonja: Yes, of course! All hell broke loose in the Village during the Games, but there wasn't a soul up on the mountain. During the day I was freeriding and in the evening I worked in the Austrian House for three weeks. Johanna: Do you think freeriding will become an Olympic sport at some point?
Sonja: Our competitions aren't exactly spectator-friendly. It's not the fastest person who wins. The judges decide who wins and who loses. In this respect, I don't think our sport will ever become an Olympic sport. The Olympic Games mean pressure, commerce, lots of rules and standards. Personally, I can do without that. Johanna: Keyword avalanches. Freeriding is considered a very dangerous sport. Have you already lost friends?
Sonja: Every year we lose friends in avalanches. I am therefore very careful in the mountains. If I don't have a good feeling, I don't go on a run or sometimes stay at home. Johanna: Have you had any experience with avalanches?
Sonja: Yes, but the avalanche didn't bury me. It caught me, but I was able to ride on it. Johanna: How did it feel?
Sonja: I was scared, but I stayed focused. Johanna: Is it true that you built a kind of memorial for dead skiers and snowboarders in the mountains high above Whistler?
Sonja: We built a hut. When it's the anniversary of a friend's death, all our friends meet there. Going up together is a ritual. We scatter rose petals in the snow and our thoughts are with those who are no longer with us. Despite all the sadness, these rituals are also beautiful. They are celebratory. We celebrate life. And death is part of it. Johanna: You have a tattoo on your arm. What does it mean?
Sonja: I have the word "gratitude" tattooed on my right arm. And three snowflakes on my back. One for Jim, one for Chris and one for John. The three of them died in an avalanche a year ago. Johanna: Why are you competing for Canada on the Freeride World Tour?
Sonja: Simply because I've lived in Canada for 12 years. I love this country. But I have a German passport. My mother still lives in Germany and one of my sponsors is also from Europe. I'm toying with the idea of competing for Germany. Preferably in the coming season. After all, I'm German. The interview was conducted by Johanna Stöckl
