PowderPeople | Lena Kohler x Timm Schröder

Innsbruck is repeatedly labelled as the Alpine capital by various media, and PowderGuide in the form of our reporter Johannes also picked up the term "Freeride City" from Innsbruck's city marketing and published it in an article from 2018. Certainly, speaking from personal experience, both the quantity and quality of powder enthusiasts is very high. Nevertheless, of course, no objective evidence can be found for all this self-publicised adulation. But we can certainly speak of new evidence, as more and more freeride athletes based in Innsbruck are performing at a very high level and are regularly on the podium. In addition to Valentin Rainer, who already became Freeride World Tour World Champion in the men's skiing category in 2023, Timm Schröder is also competing in the men's snowboarding category for the second time and Lena Kohler is a rookie in the women's skiing category on the big tour.

We, that's Nikolas, Julian and Merlyn, met Lena Kohler and Timm Schröder in the Riders Lounge shortly before the FWT contest in Val Thorens. In a relaxed atmosphere, we got a personal insight into the lives of the two athletes. An interview about what happens away from the contests, mental hurdles and the cohesion within the crew. In order to have a good comparison, we asked both of them the same questions:

Timm Schröder: I've always been off-piste, initially with my dad and my Peeps. When I saw the Freeride World Tour, I knew I wanted to do that too. It started with the Junior Tour and my first contest in Fieberbrunn was an immediate highlight  - powder, new people and lots of like-minded people my age.

The competitions became the door to this world for me. It was a lot of effort at first, often long journeys, but I really wanted to be there. There was never any pressure for me to take part in the competitions because I really enjoyed it. The only pressure was to assert myself at home so that I was allowed to take part. I just really wanted to be there and did everything I could to get the chance.

Niko Burger: You live in Innsbruck, which is known as the capital of freeriding and where the competition scene is also present. How would you describe the atmosphere and the freeride scene there? 

Lena Kohler: I only really started freeriding in Innsbruck. I'd hardly tried it before - once in Japan after graduating from school, but never really. Innsbruck really got me into it because everyone freerides here. You can't avoid it, and that's the great thing about it: you always have people to ride with, everyone pushes each other, and I've learnt a lot from my friends - without any coaches, just through the community.

Of course, there are also challenges. Sometimes inexperienced people simply follow others without having the right equipment or safety knowledge. And there is this subtle pressure: when everyone is jumping, you sometimes feel pressurised to join in. It feels like everyone here can do a backflip - so you think you have to be able to do it too. But in the end, it's about finding your own way of dealing with it. If you use it mentally in the right way, you can benefit incredibly because the scene here is extremely supportive.

Merlyn Binder: Are you a full-time freerider or do you have other tasks in Innsbruck besides freeriding?

Timm Schröder: Until last season, when I was on the tour for the first time, freeriding hardly brought in anything, at most freeboards or a bit of money here and there. Now, in preparation for the second season, things are going better. I think a lot of sponsors wanted to see if I would stay in the FWT before they supported me.

I started working as a freelance film maker and editor when I was 16. I'm currently mainly doing that in the summer. It's a good combination with freeriding because I can also realise my own projects without having to pay someone to do it. That saves budget, which I can then use for other things. But it's definitely stressful to juggle everything.

Lena Kohler: Full-time freerider sounds kind of wild. My focus is currently on skiing and freeriding, but I'm also studying civil engineering. In the first few years, I studied more, but now I focus more on skiing in winter, whether it's freeriding, park or touring.

Of course skiing is my priority, but I wouldn't call myself a full professional yet. Everything is just developing. And that's exactly what I'm enjoying: savouring the winter to the full, doing a few small jobs on the side and seeing where the journey takes me.

Timm Schröder: Freeriding used to be more relaxed and with the involvement of the FIS, you can tell that the vibe is slowly changing. The organisers probably want to make the sport more professional and structured, away from the image that it's just wild girls and boys throwing themselves down a mountain.

However, I hardly notice this in my category. I love competition and think it's generally cool - whether on tour or on the road with friends like Lena or Valle, where we turn every opportunity into small, spontaneous competitions. It's always relaxed and fun, and we enjoy each other's company.

This is particularly important in freeriding: the community takes centre stage. It's not a sport that's all about winning. Instead, you're happy when everyone arrives at the bottom in one piece, and that creates a special bond.

Merlyn Binder: How do you deal with the pressure of competition and the challenges of extreme sports?

Timm Schröder: I do a lot of things at the same time - from jobs to commitments at home and that's often a challenge. For me, it's important to take myself completely out of the contest and concentrate on what really counts: finding the focus and staying calm in order to put on a good performance.

When I was 18, I went through a difficult phase in which I was under a lot of pressure to qualify. With the help of Flo Orley, I came to see a psychologist who gave me the tools I needed to find my inner balance. Since then, I have been working with breathing techniques and rituals, such as the psychological anchor, which helps me to be fully present at the right moment. I use certain movements that remind me of moments when I felt strong and in flow. These moments "electrify" me and bring me completely back into the moment. It helps me to block out everything around me and focus fully on the run. The worst mistake is to think about something at the start, then I know I'm not in the flow.

I have been using these rituals for years now and keep adapting them to keep them effective. It's fascinating how much they can achieve. Even when things aren't going perfectly, they help me to get back on track - both mentally and physically.

Niko Burger: Have you developed any methods and strategies for your mental preparation?

Lena Kohler: Absolutely! Last year, I worked with a friend who works in sports psychology and mental coaching. I don't have a set ritual that I use every time, but a few things help me in particular: taking a step back, breathing calmly and realising what I can do. I often watch videos of key moments from my runs to recall the right feeling.

When negative thoughts come up, I allow them for a moment and then consciously push them away. I concentrate on what I enjoy - not on the pressure of having to perform. At the end of the day, it's just skiing, whether in competition or freeriding.

Nervousness is part of it, but as soon as I'm in the start gate, it's gone. Then I'm fully in the moment, I know exactly where I have to go, what my first hit is and then I just get going.

Merlyn Binder: We now come to the event in Val Thorens: Due to unclear snow and weather conditions, two possible faces were considered at the Riders Meeting on Saturday evening. The question of which day the event should take place was also not clarified until today, as safety has top priority at the contests. What do you think of the fact that Lac Noir was chosen instead of the very exposed Cime Caron Face?

Lena Kohler: I think it's much better that the Lac Noir face was chosen instead of the steep and rocky Cime de Caron face. The original terrain is exciting to ski, but with the current snow conditions in combination with the strong wind, it wouldn't have been a good choice for a contest. In better conditions, it could certainly be a great competition face, but at the moment it just doesn't fit.

The new terrain is definitely more suitable at the moment. The original face is cliff, cliff, cliff, very close together, which makes it rather narrow and technically demanding. With the current snow conditions, I prefer it when the terrain is a bit more open and allows for more fluid, playful lines. 

Timm Schröder: I already knew a few days ago that the choice would fall on this face. With such strong winds and the extremely steep terrain, it was simply too risky - as soon as someone skis into the pressed-in drift snow, everything could go. So the slightly flatter face was the more likely choice.

I looked at both options anyway, as you have to be prepared for anything. I'm happy with my choice, even though I would also have found the Cime Caron Face exciting if the conditions had been good. They are simply two completely different approaches. I think it's really cool, something really steep - triples in a row without tricks and just going full throttle to make sure you don't hit the rocks. But I also like faces that offer more space for tricks, like Lac Noir. It feels more like a playground and I'm looking forward to that.

Niko Burger: What we as freeriders are also very interested in is how you keep your bearings in technical terrain? How do you choose your lines and how do you make sure you don't get lost between the rocks?

Lena Kohler: I usually take a look at the whole area and think about which cliffs appeal to me directly. From there, I then build my line around them. As a rule, I quickly know which elements I enjoy the most - and these are often the ones I ride best. This time, however, I had so many variations in my head that I found it difficult to decide.

In terms of orientation, it is definitely a challenge. But the drone footage from the World Tour gives you a good overview. Prominent rocks, trees or shadows can also help. Nevertheless, it can happen that you get lost - especially at the beginning. I got completely lost twice in the qualifier contests, but you develop a better feel for it over time.

During the facecheck, I often exchange ideas with close friends like Valle or Timmy. Of course you also talk to other riders, but in the end everyone makes their own decision - often spontaneously and depending on the conditions. Despite all the strategic considerations, the freeride character is always retained.

Timm Schröder: I'll just give you a rundown of how I do my face check. I first look at which lines or elements immediately catch my eye and mark them on photos. Then I check what can be combined well and sort out what doesn't work. I analyse the face from different angles - from the ground, with drone shots and using landmarks such as stones, bushes or contours in the terrain.

I plan every little detail, every turn: speed, jumps, tricks and how the elements fit together. As I can't test anything because nobody is allowed to enter the face, everything has to be thought through in advance. I often end up intuitively coming back to the line I chose at the beginning.

When I finally see the Forerunner, I can assess the snow even better and adjust the final details. The result is a well thought-out line that is also fun.