Cover photo: Life in a lens feat.
Columbia’sDust On Crust Anorak
Sarah Hoefflin is far from your typical pro skier.
Shes an avid monoskier, panache drinker, and road biker.
It was during University that she first took a run through a terrain park.
I thought I was a good skier, but I really wasnt.
I was just a total uni-skier, who thought she was really good.
I genuinely couldnt tell that English wasnt actually her first language when I first met her.
Its a busy life at the top.
This year the first comp is in October, which makes things even busier.
We usually have two or three contests before Christmas.
Weve definitely had a bit more of a lenient time than regular people for entering countries and moving around.
We havent been able to do everything.
Almost all of her traveling is done with the Swiss freeski team.
We dont take ourselves too seriously so its a really fun team to be with.
Switzerland has four official languages, so those celebrations could be hard to follow, from the outside.
Apparently, its predominantly Swiss-German thats spoken.
But, to avoid confusion, sometimes they just speak English.
Sarah also speaks French to her coach and Mathilde Gremaud.
The other thing that makes it possible?
They look at your social media; how active and interesting you are.
Its definitely not always easy though.
Just a few emails or phone calls back and forth.
But it also depends, it took a while for me to find the brands I work with now.
I wear it for everything.
On and off the mountain.
Obviously, I wear it for skiing, primarily, but they have some really cool urban/street pieces.
Around Chamonix, the Alps, and neighboring Switzerland, people definitely know who she is.
That probably comes largely as a result of that bit of metal hanging in her bathroom.
Its not really something I ever strive for.
Its actually something Ive actively avoided.
But what the Olympics did do was it really opened a lot of doors for me.
Things that are so important to me.
That was all positive.
Talk of the positives, naturally led to wondering if there were any negatives?
and people taking pictures of her, with her, etc.
I was a bit shy at first, but I got used to it.
She still isnt a natural self-promoter.
Of course, the comp scene will be the major focus again this season.
This article was produced in partnership withColumbia Sportswear
