Mathilde invited us to her village of La Roche, in Switzerland to share an “off-season” day on the hill, this time on dirt rather than snow. After showing us her local tracks in La Berra bikepark and her favorite gravel routes, we took the time to talk about what she does in-between seasons, and what the bike brings her as a ski athlete.

Mathilde, how long is your typical ski season, and how does it feel when it reaches its end?

It depends a little bit on the weather and snow conditions, but if everything is aligned, we start in August and we stop end of April. At the end of the season, I’m usually happy to stop, even more when the season went well. Not happy to stop skiing, but glad to be able to rest. A ski season is very intense physically but also mentally: always being on snow, concentrated, taking impacts etc… The further we are in the season, the more concentration and energy you need to not make any mistakes. So, at the end I’m happy to rest and to enjoy summer. These few months at home help me to get ready for a new season, and after it I’m excited and motivated more than ever to start skiing and competing again.

Does the bike help you in your career as freestyle skier?

It’s true that I don’t do the same tricks on my bike than on my skis…(yet!) But what I’ve noticed, is when I’m biking, I always want to progress, to learn new things, to be better and it’s the same goal on my skis! During summers I like to go pedaling and to challenge myself, to try to get a better rhythm, a better cardio, to be faster etc… On downhill parts I try to practice on my turn skills or to be more confident on jumps for example. Freestyle is a sport for which coordination is very important, so I believe it's important to vary the sports you practice like I do with the bike. For example, on bikes you also need a good balance and on some trails a fall is not allowed, and that’s what I also find on skis when I’m sliding rails. I think it’s all these kinds of details that I’m working on with bikes which will make a difference during wintertime on skis. And of course, it’s more fun to be able to practice and to progress on those elements while having fun on a bike rather than at the gym. So, it’s nice between two ski seasons to have an activity where I can be challenged, where I want to progress. It’s very much like a summer version of what I do during winter on skis.

On the mental side as well it’s important to do a clear break after a season of skiing and being outside on my bike clearly helps me to think about something else and to do another sport while still being challenged and be able to work on a needed skill-set but in another way. Biking for me is having fun while getting ready for the next winter season.

When did you start biking?

My story with bikes is quite funny. Like everyone else I started with small bikes, but it was a passion for me. When I was young, I was so passionate that I could not wait for my sister to try her new bike: I just took her bike in the garage and went riding with it the village. When I came back my parents were clearly not happy… I was always on a bike, to go to school, to go out. All the time, I was playing outside trying to make jumps, to try new things on my bike. After that I really got back on my bike at 16-17 years old. At that time, they had just finished building the mountain bike tracks in La Berrawhich is the ski resort right behind my home. As I was already spending a lot of time on skis it wasquite natural to do another sport during summer which was close from it.

Could you describe your perfect day on a bike?

Well as soon as I’m on my bike I can already say it’s a perfect day :). For me a perfect day would be to go to La Berra’s bike park to do some laps. As it is right next to my home it’s easy to access. I also enjoy taking my gravel bike to go on more easy or calm and flat trails. I see mountain biking as a more active and intense activity whereas gravel is nice to end the day or to calm down and to discover new roads.

Can you tell us a little bit more about La Berra?

La Berra is the ski resort right next to La Roche where I grew up in Switzerland. In the bike park they have created two trails which are super cool and quite different. The blue one is perfect if you want a chill or easy lap. But if you’re feeling good and you want to send it a little bit more the red one is perfect. In La Berra you can also access other parts of the mountain by going up on the other side. It’s great to watch sunrise from this side.