Mountain sports and freeriding require a great deal of experience. Fabian Lentsch is a real exception here. He is only 18 years old, stood on Mont Blanc at the age of 13, qualified for the final events of the Freeride World Qualifier Tour at the age of just 17 and is considered one of the biggest young talents in the freeride sector. PowderGuide spoke to the "Junior" about his goals and his view of freeriding.
PowderGuide: Most of the PowderGuide readers are much older than you, but I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that you would still outride almost anyone - including the entire PG team - on the mountain and even on steep mountain faces with one leg. How is it that you were able to gain so much experience in the mountains at the age of 18?
Fabian Lentsch: It all started when my father taught me to ski at the age of 3. As far as I can remember, I went powder skiing for the first time at the age of 5 or 6. When I finished my racing career at the age of 11, I only skied off-piste and tried to gain new experiences from day to day. In summer, I was often in the mountains, mostly in Tyrol. When I was 13, I went to the Western Alps for the first time to climb higher mountains.
PG: Keyword Freeride World Tour. The best riders in the world, or at least in Europe, compete here every year to prove their skills and determine the best rider. You were almost qualified for the 2010/2011 season. How come we only saw you at the Rookie Tour last year (which you won, of course)?
Fabi: When I was in New Zealand in the summer of 2010, I was allowed to take part in 2 qualifiers at the age of 17. I came second in a 3-star event and third in a 2-star event. When the current ranking was published, I was in third or fourth place. However, the FWT soon got wind of the fact that I had not yet reached the minimum age of 18 - and I was promptly excluded from the ranking because of my age. Despite the head start, I was not allowed to take part in the contests in Europe. That left only the Junior Tour...
PG: At the age of 18, most winter sports kids are currently wearing ultra-wide clothes with pants that literally sit in the back of their knees. You're more likely to be seen in normal causal clothing. What is it about freeriding that excites you so much that you don't hang out with the homies in the snowpark and smoke one joint after the other?
Fabi: Well, park riding never really interested me from the start. Maybe it was because I wasn't exactly the most talented jibber. It was just a great feeling to be out in the open and explore new areas and lines. You experienced something new every time.
PG: What were your best mountain adventures and why?
Fabi: The Marmolejo in South America was really beautiful. The two of us decided on this mountain with Leo Rauch about two days before we set off and just set off with a tent and everything. Without an altimeter, map or compass. It turned out that we were the only ones in the area for five days. Normally there are whole columns of people there. We only got lost once and we both made it to the southernmost 6000-metre peak in the world.
PG: You've already been on ski trips to New Zealand, Norway, Chile and Argentina. What fascinates you so much about traveling?
Fabi: I've actually loved traveling since I was a child. That's probably because my parents moved around a lot with me. At some point, I came up with the idea of combining traveling with skiing and shortly afterwards I found myself in New Zealand with a few friends. It's just a great opportunity to get to know other cultures and people.
PG: In the PG freeride preparation corner, we see you training with coach Christian Haas. How important are the physical requirements and training for you?
Fabi: Physical fitness plays a very important role in freeriding. You just have to think about how much strain you're exposed to in this sport, especially with drops and falls. In recent years, I've always used the early and late summer for intensive training in order to be prepared for the season. During the season, I also train from time to time to stay fit.
PG: What do your parents actually say when they see what you do in the mountains? Doesn't your mother have a crisis when she sees you jumping down a 15-metre cliff?
Fabi: (laughs) My father came to terms with it much earlier than my mother. But now even she can halfway watch my videos without having a heart attack.
PG: What other projects are you doing?
Fabi: This season I'm part of a film project in Innsbruck, Time-for-the-Whiteroom. You can already get ready for a great movie :) I don't know exactly where my next trips will take me yet. Norway is on the agenda again in spring, as there's also a qualifying event there, and I'll think of something for the summer too.
