Sarah Hoefflin

I’m a freestyle skier. It’s an offshoot of alpine skiing and considered an extreme sport.

I love my job and I never feel like I’m going to work. I travel all the time, I’m doing something I’m passionate about for a living, and I love skiing – it’s as simple as that. It makes me want to wake up in the morning and do my job every day. What motivates me are the competitions, because I like competing, both with myself and with others. I’m also driven by how much the sport is progressing, which makes me always want to push my limits.

My career path. I’ve been skiing my whole life, thanks to my parents who would take me skiing when I was younger. I was at university (2010–2013) when I learnt about freestyle skiing from my friends. When I finished uni, I spent two ski seasons in France, and in my second season, the coach of the Swiss national team noticed me at a competition in Val Thorens (winter 2015). That’s when I began my skiing career. My support system consists of my parents, my boyfriend, my friends, my sponsors and the Swiss national team (the coaches and staff as much as the other athletes).

A downside or obstacle ? The idea of getting hurt. And freestyle skiing is still largely a man’s sport, way more than a girl’s sport. We simply need more female role models who can show young girls that the sport is no more dangerous than alpine skiing, which many more girls do.

I’m proud that I won the Olympic gold medal for Switzerland. I’m proud of my level and of what I’ve been able to add to the sport. I feel like I’m pushing the sport in the right direction by upping the game.