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I f youwant to take photos like
SwedeMattias Fredriksson,
you’d be advised to get some
ski practice infirst. The
photographer is a freeride skiing
veteran, who cut his teeth in the
original scene in the 1990s,
photographing his friends in
action. His pictures nowgrace the
pages of top international skiing
magazines andPRcampaigns for
brands like Salomon. They’re also
partly responsible for bringing
the sport into the public eye. His
job has taken himto some pretty
perilous places, including remote
mountain ranges and near-
vertical slopes. But for
Fredriksson, a bit of danger goes
with the territory. Freeride is an
extreme sport, after all.
But that now looks set to
change. Inmuch the same way as
snowboarding was elevated from
an underground trend to an
Olympic sport in the late 90s,
freeride has undergone a surge
in popularity and is now
becoming accessible to ordinary
mortals. Partly, it’s broader skis,
partly better training and
facilities, all of which are
available in the excellent skiing
territory around Salzburg.
Freeride is a combinationof
of-piste skiing and touring. As in
thedays before ski-lifts, skiers
walkup themountain in their
boots or pack furs under their skis
(which stops the snowmelting so
THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE
If you’re an experienced skier looking for a new challenge, freeride
skiing in the Salzburg countryside could be the most fun you’ve ever had
S K I
they cangain traction) andhead
into thebackcountry.Once the
climb is over, it’s time towhizz
down throughpowdery virgin
snow. It’s a verydiferent sensation
fromthat of piste skiingon
compressed snow. The gliding
motion fromdeeppowder is abit
like surfing andproduces a similar
exhilaratingbuzz. And freeriders
want toget to that buzz inahurry.
“Regular tourersweremore
interested in the ascent but
freeride skiing is all about the
descent,” says Klaus Polzer, one of
the first freeriders fromthe
GermanAlps and noweditor of
freeridemagazine Downdays.
“That’swhy freeriders prefer
taking the lift up themountain,
then continuing upwards for
another 30 to 90minutes. This
way, they can ski down several
times in a day and not spend lots
of time going back up. Touring is
part of thewhole outdoor
experience, but freeride skiing is
all about the feeling of skiing on
deep powder snow.
“You used to have to be a
pretty good skier to be able to ski
of-piste,” he continues, “but the
equipment has changed a lot.
Nowadays most skis aremuch
wider, whichmakes skiing on
deep snow a lot easier. The
standard ski is an all-rounder,
good for skiing on- and of-piste.”
You might think that the
better gear means that skiers
Das Tiefschneeskifahren kann
berauschende Wirkung haben
It’s not unusual for
freeriders to tackle near-
vertical slopes
Johan Jonsson on the
Kitzsteinhorn, Austria
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