“Sure, the risk has a certain appeal,” Lorraine Huber says. The passionate freerider likes to race down the steepest of slopes in the open terrain and has been doing so professionally for more than 10 years. She was born to the snow as the daughter of a ski instructor in Lech. That she would one day become one of the world’s top freeriders was not really apparent, though – that’s because she spent 10 years living in Australia and the profession of ‘full-time freerider’ had yet to be invented.

“The Arlberg,” says Lorraine, who feels deeply rooted here for all her love of the new, “is one of the best regions in the world for skiing. It’s the perfect terrain with a sophisticated system of lifts – and plenty of snow.” And freeriding to her means freedom: “You’re in it, you don’t think of anything else and you’re closer to nature than on groomed slopes.” In the process, you learn to deal with the alpine risks: “Today I can say ‘No’ even to a beautiful slope with deep snow and simply turn back if it’s too risky for me.”