Caroline is one of the world’s best freeriders. A form of skiing where the athletes will ride down steep mountains without groomed slopes and try to find challenging and pleasant ways down the mountain. At the same time it is important to have a high risk assessment. She combines competing with her own company InspireUs and is also employed by the Chamber of Commerce of Central Sweden.

It sounds like you are really filling your days, how do you manage to get everything together?

When I hear this, it strikes me that I am either catastrophically bad at scheduling, or brutally good, haha. Something I have learned over the years as a skier is to be flexible and not to stress myself unnecessarily. I think it is the calm that allows me to drive on with one thing at a time and then change plans or focus if necessary and accelerate to finish what is to be done. Sometimes it is not only positive to be able to see solutions and opportunities in everything. I think it would benefit me if I saw limitations sometimes too, or on second thought, how fun would that be? ;-)

How did you end up with free riding?

I competed in alpine skiing when I was younger and skiing has always been a big part of my life. When I finished high school I dreamed of going deep powder in Canada and after a couple of years in Åre I made sure to make that dream come true by living two winters in Revelstoke, BC. Freestyle skiing is an incredibly complex experience. It is challenging in so many ways, partly the skiing itself but also everything around. The sport is not under any union so you are always your own boss, coach, project manager and tour guide. Despite being more than ten years in the sport, I still feel that there are things I can develop and learn, which is very cool! The best part is probably all the wonderful people I get to meet and all the cool places I get to visit thanks to skiing.

Do you have any other interests than skiing?

Absolutely! I have played football up to div. 1. I play a lot of golf, which has been an interest since I was 9 years old, and went to an equestrian high school. Unfortunately I have become allergic to horses, but still dream of living on a horse farm when I grow old. During the summer I like to go for long runs in the mountains, biking trail and gravel and I spend many hours in the gym with crossfit-like training too. A bit of everything quite simply ;-)

Tell us about InspireUs!

In 2012 I, Rebecka Harlaut and Anna Karlström were in Canada together and had before the winter talked about that it would be fun to have a project to work on when we were there, to have something to focus on the hours we were not on the mountain. Once we were there, we did not really have that project, but we also did not really have the motivation on the mountain as it was a fairly dry winter. As we started combing the net for inspiration, we were quite shocked at how few women there were to be inspired by and how the girls who actually got to be seen were portrayed. So, from the feeling of wanting to create a place for girls to be seen in a nice way for the athletes they are and without being objectified, the inspiring community grew. Since 2012 an incredible amount has happened in both the ski industry and in the world around these issues. We do still see some worrying trends and hope we can be a part of changing them for the better.

Together with Åre Skidfabrik, Extrem skis and the community we developed a freestyle ski for girls which has been awarded an ISPO award. It is a real dream ski for all women who want to have fun on the mountain and develop in their skiing under safe conditions.

How do you work with recovery to optimize your performance?

Skiing is quite hard on the body. It is both physically heavy and you are not always careful to keep hydrated and replenish energy during long days. I like to alternate skiing with a lot of cross-country skiing during the winter, to activate other muscles. I also do a lot of yoga and during spring, summer and autumn I hold a lot of yoga classes. In winter yoga is my way of landing in the body and creating space among all the thoughts in my head. And since I started with Curam’s massage cups, they are a given part of my yoga routine.

What’s the next milestone in your skiing career?

I have set my sights on qualifying for the freeride world tour, the freestyle world cup. Right now I compete at the level below and need to win my tour to get a place in the higher division. This year I placed 3rd, so it is within reach but not quite there yet. When I get there, of course, the goal is to win and be named world champion!

Do you have a dream ski destination?

I have been dreaming of skiing in Chile and Argentina for many years now. Maybe it’s time to make that dream come true soon!

What is one of your best skiing moments?

There are many, but one that is fresh in the memory is a day in Engelberg, Switzerland last winter when it had been snowing around 40 cm. The sun broke through the clouds and we were only a few in the mountain that day. It made it feet like we had all of the snow for ourselves.

Do you have a role model?

I am incredibly inspired by people who confident, break norms and do not apologize for their existence but at the same time manage to balance it with being kind and giving back to their surroundings. I think Kosovar Asllani is an excellent example of such a person, damn how good and cool she is!

How do you use Curam’s massage cups?

I like to use the dynamic cup to help the recovery of large muscle groups. Especially for the front and back of the thighs after long ski days and heavy workouts. The static cups have been very useful for my neck and shoulders this winter. They easily get stiff and tensed when traveling and after long days in front of the computer. Both the static and dynamic cups are a given in my pack nowadays and it feels like I have found the given gift for many of the people around me as well!