THE UNSATIABLE THIRST FOR NATURE

It took her first accident for Nadine Wallner to find her way into freeriding. It took another to find her way into climbing. Striking new paths is what drives the two-time freeride world champion – but not only when it comes to skiing.

Nadine Wallners thrives on simply being in the here and now. To get into this space quickly, what works best for her is the great outdoors, nature and fresh air.

Preferably somewhere in the mountains. “It is then that the moment becomes timeless,’’ Nadine tells Art of Snow, “when the mind stops racing.” She grew up in the Austrian village of Lech am Arlberg, an exclusive ski resort, her father a ski and mountain guide and plenty of mountains surrounding her – her silent but excellent teachers. From an early age she learned to appreciate the beauty of the mountains and the thrill one derives from skiing down unspoilt powder. She learned about the constant longing for the perfect day with perfect snow. She even learned about the weather and how to calculate risks. Thanks to her father she soon knew what the terrain had to look like, what she had to look out for and when the odds were up in the air begging the question: Is that really safe? Through play she familiarised herself with what to do in the case of an emergency. She recounts how much fun it was to use the avalanche transceiver equipment to find the remaining devices that her father had buried in the garden. In time and with experience common sense and instinct would take over when it came to making decisions in nature. She describes herself as someone who thinks before she acts, averse to risk-taking.

Nadine Wallners is a two-time freeride world champion; even so the plan was actually very different at the outset having initially focussed on ski racing. But then came the accident, it happened on New Year’s Day in 2004. And suddenly the 15-year-old no longer had the gumption – and her knees refused her the descent. “Don’t give up,” she kept telling herself. “Don’t give up,” was not something she said in defiance but showed her resourcefulness in seeing things how they are and not how she would like to see them. Making the most of situations that could not be changed. Armed with this kind of determination that defines her, Nadine signed up for the training to become a ski guide – then switched to freeriding. It came to her easily. So much so that in 2013 she clinched the title of World Champion at the Freeride World Tour as the youngest athlete ever to be awarded it. In 2014, a gold medal was hers again once more.

A phenomenal success story but as Nadine already knew all too well from her past experience, accidents can happen. Whilst filming in Alaska she incurred shin fractures in the fibula and tibia at the age of 24. But the setback only served to ignite her determination and she still braved the mountains only to realise that it would not happen. It was then that she began climbing. It was her salvation giving her life a new lease on life, the more controlled, slower and static moves making for a more relaxed flow – nevertheless as before always still looking out for the perfect day in nature.

WWW.MAMMUT.COM

5703 SEON | SWITZERLAND