Interview: Rachel Pechholz
Erik, hi! How are you doing after six days in Sölden at the Swatch Nines?
It was a mega great time. We rode almost every day, there was only one rainy day on Wednesday, which was a good idea after the long Greenhill weekend - we rode full throttle then too. I'm pretty exhausted, but we had some really great days at the Nines!
The Nines are usually without an audience, but here in Sölden there were two public sessions with an audience. What's the difference?
Exactly, we don't have an audience at all during the week, which can also be quite cool because you can concentrate better. But you also have to say that the audience pushes you and you're just a bit more keen to broadcast. Like today - there were people there to watch and you were simply more motivated to keep going non-stop. That's a lot of fun!
Who motivates more: the other riders or the spectators?
Hmmm, I would say the spectators motivate a bit more.
What is the difference between Crankworx and the Nines for you?
The difference is that we simply have to deliver at Crankworx. We only have a certain number of training days there, which don't always go perfectly. Wind and weather are always factors that can throw a spanner in the works. Accordingly, we simply feel more pressure there - also from outside. All the sponsors are there, you want to deliver, you want to look good for the sponsors.
And at the Nines, we have the freedom to do what we want. If you want to skate, you go to the skate park. If you want to go freeriding, you ride the freeride line. And if you want to send the slopestyle line and do tricks, you do that. So the biggest difference is that we don't have any external pressure here and everyone has the freedom to do what they want - to pursue their own mission and have fun.
You just said it yourself: here in Sölden, slopestyle, freeride, BMX and skate are together in one area in the Dirt District. What's it like to ride with so many people from the different disciplines?
Yes, it's super cool that all the sports are brought together here. I mean, at the end of the day we all live a very similar lifestyle, and bringing it all together in one location here in Sölden, where we have the skate park, a freeride line and the slopestyle park, is just a mega cool vibe. There was also a great jam session on Friday at the Public Night Session, where everyone just rode everything. And it's fun to get to know people from other sports and party with them.
On Friday, you drove in the dark on a floodlit course for the first time. How was the night shoot? What was the difference compared to during the day?
Everything is a bit more dangerous in the night shoot. It's really very dark, even though they've lit everything up really well here. But it's just really weird for your eyes - you're travelling super fast towards the jump, you jump up and when you do a backflip, you can't see anything for a brief moment because you're just looking up at the black sky. Then you land and everything is super blurry. So it's really different, but it was a lot of fun and once you've ridden it a few times, you get used to it.
We've also just spoken to Johanna, who is quite new to the scene. What do you think of her and the good girls here?
Yeah, I have to say, Alma really killed it, and Johanna really surprised everyone with her line today. Top to bottom with a step down truckdriver in the first big jump, backflip in the middle and then a suicide no hander to barspin at the end - and a few barspins and a few no hands in between. Johanna is only 16 years old and already really good on the bike. She's mega humble, a mega cool girl, and I'm excited to see what happens next with her. She's already been invited to the Joyride and next year she'll probably be at the start of the whole Crankworx season. She's definitely up and coming in the girls' slopestyle scene. I think Alma can dress warmly.
Slopestyle is very male-dominated, but the girls are getting stronger and stronger. How is the scene developing overall with the girls?
You notice through platforms like the Swatch Nines that the girls simply improvise and get better every year. You saw it at Crankworx - the slopestyle runs that Alma did there were runs that we used to do. It's going in the right direction, there are more and more new and young riders competing, just like Johanna. She just came out of nowhere and did backflip barspin combos and 360 barspin combos here. It's really cool to see how this is developing. I also think that more and more new girls who are super young and motivated will join us over the next few years.
You say you only rode the slopestyle line and didn't sit on the big bike. Is there a reason for that?
Yes, I had a mission for this week: to ride down a line. Accordingly, I felt more comfortable on the slopestyle bike, although the freeride line also appealed to me. But I felt so good on the slopestyle bike that I just wanted to keep riding and training. The off-season is also all about training, which is why I stayed on the small bike.
How do you like it in Sölden?
Sölden is awesome, we had a really cool time here. Unfortunately we didn't get to ride in the bike park, but I saw videos of a few other guys - Pilgrim, Reynolds, Matt Jones, Lukas Knopf and others - and they had fun. I want to come back and ride the bike park in the future - it's definitely on my bucket list.
The Swatch Nines will be here in Sölden again next year, and spectators will also be able to take part in the so-called "Public Days" next year. Why do you have to experience it?
Yes, they absolutely have to be here! You saw today how mega cool the vibe is here and how awesome the tricks are - the world needs to see it live! And, as I said, it would also be very motivating for the riders, I think.
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