At her first Freeride World Tour participation, German snowboarder Aline Bock surprisingly climbed to the second step of the podium. Shortly before the start of the FWT 2010, PowderGuide spoke to the runner-up freeride world champion about her attitude to freeriding and her personal risk management.
PowderGuide: Last year, you took second place on the podium at your first FWT participation. What does last year's success at the Freeride World Tour mean to you?
Aline Bock: First of all: it was great fun for me to compete with the "world's best" riders. The fact that I finished second overall is of course phenomenal. I would never have expected that.
PG: You were more or less an unknown at the FWT and made it straight to the front row of the top female athletes. When did you start freeriding?
Aline: I actually only started freeriding around 4 to 5 years ago, before that I was mainly out in the park. Back then, I used to go to the Arlberg or the Nordkette when there was a lot of fresh snow, just to have fun in the powder. But I've always been passionate about the backcountry and the outdoors.
PG: How did you get into your first contests after this experience?
Aline: I spent a lot of time freeriding with my friends around Innsbruck in the following years. At some point, a friend simply took me with her to the World Tour Qualifier in Schruns. The perfect conditions there with beautiful powder, sunshine and steep slopes gave me so much pleasure that I haven't been able to get away from contest riding since (editor's note: Aline won the contest in Schruns and thus secured a wildcard for the FWT).
PG: Powder, sunshine and nice slopes are certainly the main ingredients for great freeride days - but what was it about contest riding that got you so excited?
Aline: Personally, I particularly liked the aspect of being able to compete with other riders. Where you stand compared to other "good" female riders. But also knowing that the slope is "safe", that you can get help quickly in case of doubt and that a completely different style of skiing is possible, is certainly part of the appeal of contest skiing. But also the fact that you are the center of attention for a brief moment is certainly an important point.
Aline's winning run in Sochi '09
PG: There's now a lot of money to be made at the big freeride contests. What does the monetary factor mean to you?
Aline: The fact that you can also earn a living with freeriding, the best leisure activity in the world, is the greatest thing that can happen to you. Sure, you don't get rich, but you get support for pursuing your greatest passion, traveling the world and getting to know the best freeride areas. That's brilliant!
PG: What makes you stand out as a freerider at contests, or to put it another way: What do you think are the reasons why you are currently so successful?
Aline: I think I bring a slightly different style to freeride contests. Thanks to my many years of park experience, I've always been used to jumping a lot and doing tricks. From surfing and freeriding in the forest with friends, I got used to a playful way of riding the terrain. It's not so important to me to ride the steepest and most dangerous lines, I just try to have fun on the mountain and like to incorporate a few jumps or play with the terrain. I think that's probably what sets me apart from a lot of female riders.
PG: What does your fitness preparation look like? Can you be seen in the gym every day?
Aline: As a sports student, I know that I'm not the model high-performance athlete. Of course I go to the gym in the fall, go cycling, jogging etc.. I get most of my energy, mentally and certainly physically, from surfing in the summer; this summer I spent a total of three months by the sea. Paddling all day, swimming and trying to surf waves is also pretty exhausting. Of course, I also have to do targeted muscle-building training, especially in my legs and to protect my joints, purely as a preventative measure. But I try to combine my enjoyment of the sport with my preparation. If I ever get seriously injured, I could well imagine spending more time in the gym. Fortunately, I've been spared any serious injuries so far.
PG: Do you practise mental training?
Aline: I just try to have fun. If I focus too much on one thing, I get too nervous and put too much pressure on myself. If I put too much pressure on myself, I lose the fun of it. Of course, the evening before a contest, I take a close look at the pictures of the competition slope and try to visualize my exact line.
PG: How do you feel when you're finally standing at the top of the competition slope and there are only a few minutes left until your start? But then, about 30-60 seconds before my start, the excitement kicks in. My heart starts beating strongly and the adrenaline shoots through my body. However, this excitement is nothing specific to freeriding, but more like before a typical exam situation, e.g. at university. As soon as I put the first turn into the slope, the excitement is blown away.
PG: When contest riding, as an athlete you always ride a certain slope that has been assessed by all kinds of safety experts beforehand. Doesn't that make you feel deprived of the freedom of freeriding?
Aline: No, absolutely not. I think it's great that we as athletes, especially at the FWT, have many experts who observe the slopes weeks in advance and decide whether it's possible or not. Many of the more experienced riders also give their input here. Of course it's not the limitless freedom of a backcountry trip with my friends.
But for me as a relative "beginner" when it comes to safety management, I enjoy being able to ski really challenging terrain that pushes me to my physical limit, even with the best possible safety precautions. When freeriding with friends, you always have to ride with the handbrake on. The difference between competing in a freeride contest and riding with friends is pretty big. Both have their own appeal. I think it's great to have both options.
PG: But both are still risky?
Aline: Yes, of course. Both types are dangerous in their own way and require a completely different approach. When freeriding with friends, I have to rely on them completely, but I have the freedom to make my own decisions or to help decide.