Anna Orlova – first in freeride

We dedicate today’s entire day to strong, athletic and motivating girls. One of them is Anna Orlova, the only snowboarder at the Freeride World Championships from Russia and winner of many freeride competitions. We talked to Anna to find out how a fragile girl feels in such a serious and dangerous sport.

Brief background:
Anna Orlova
Discipline: snowboarding
Achievements: multiple winner of international freeride competitions, rider for Roxy Russia, CEP, BCA and Abom teams. Participant of the Freeride World Tour 2018 Freeride World Championship.

Professional path of Anna Orlova

– Anya, when did your path in freeride begin?
– I used to do skiing as a child. But a family friend of ours was a snowboard instructor, and watching him, I really wanted to try the board. In 2002-2003, I tried going off-piste and jumping on skis, but they were too narrow. At the same time, I saw how nimble it all was on a snowboard and dreamed of changing gear.

The first time I tried snowboarding off-piste was in 2007 in Priiskovoye when I was 17 years old. It was the first and most real experience for me: we went on foot in the wild mountains, naturally, without elevators. This adventure was unforgettable! After that I started to ski more in the mountains, and after a few months I practically abandoned the institute. I started working in a sports store and spent all my money only on skiing.

– Why freeride? There are many other directions in snowboarding.
– I’ve tried almost every direction in snowboarding, but freeride is like no other. It’s much more interesting and every day is unique! It’s not enough to be a trained athlete in this sport – you need to be able to analyze snow conditions, weather and constantly look for new routes to ride.

I love freeride because there are no boundaries, no limits. Your line is your self-expression.

– What professional achievement are you most proud of?
– Last year I won the FWQ4* (4-star) stage in Japan and Austria, this year I made it to the Freeride World Tour and then came second at the Freeride World Championships in Canada.

Freeride World Championships

– How did you manage to get a wild card to qualify for the World Championships?
– I tried to win the Freeride World Qualifier series three years in a row, but I was only second. My results increased every year, but it wasn’t enough. I competed in Europe, Asia, North and South America and won or was on the podium in almost all of them.

Wild Card – a special invitation to a competition for an athlete who did not pass general qualification

– Why are you now the only representative from Russia who has received a Wild Card on the World Tour?
– “Wild Card” is given not on the basis of country, but for sporting achievements. As soon as other athletes from Russia start winning FWQ qualification series events with the highest rating of 4 stars, which I won 4 times, 5 times I was second and 4 times I was third, maybe they will be paid attention too. So far our riders are not rated enough to perform in such starts and are fighting for 2 star points. Last time the FWT gave a “wild card” to Russian rider Ivan Malakhov just for his impressive performances in the qualification series in 2014.

– Your main dream?
– To become world freeride champion! But my immediate goal is to win stages in Andorra and Austria and get a foothold in the tour.

How do you start freeriding?

– What tips can you give to beginners?
– Freeride should only be taken up by confident skiers and snowboarders who have fully mastered their skiing technique and have a lot of experience on red and black runs. Ideally, it is better to enroll in a freeride school where beginners will be taught how to use the mandatory avalanche equipment and the basics of avalanche safety will be explained. Off-piste skiing should be done in the company of a mountain guide.

– What is the difference between freeride and regular snowboarding equipment?
– In freeride there is mandatory avalanche equipment – avalanche gauge, feeler gauge, shovel. A longer board is also recommended, depending on riding conditions – -10 or -15 cm from the height. Stiffness is also selected for specific conditions: for those who ride more often in the woods, it is better to take a soft board, which will be wobbly and easy to control. If you are going to ride in high mountains, you should take a hard board, which will keep the arc at high speeds and blown slope.

Clothing should also be chosen more carefully, because freeride is often associated with walking. When you sweat a lot, it’s important that moisture evaporates through the layers of thermal underwear and jacket membrane. In addition, riding often takes place in harsh conditions – heavy snowfall and wind, so membrane performance from 15k and above or Gore-tex is recommended.

Personally, I have been riding in Roxy snowboarding gear for years. This season I chose the Torah Bright Stormfall model. The 15K membrane jacket is made with the support of Roxy team rider Torah Bright. She added helpful nuances that only those who ride know.

– How to protect yourself while freeriding?
– It is necessary to realistically assess your capabilities, it is not as easy as it seems. You should not ride if you feel tired (physically or psychologically), in freeride it is very important to have a fresh head.

Being able to read the terrain and assess snow conditions is an important part of freeride. If there is no possibility to look at the slope from the side, you can evaluate the route on the map, evaluate the snow by driving on a similar exposure. In any case, on each new route you should ride slowly, exploring it gradually.

Off-piste skiing cannot be safe. No guide or the most first-class athlete can guarantee one hundred percent that there will be no avalanche. We can only reduce the risk of getting caught in an avalanche by drawing on our experience and the experience of the avalanche services, which provide avalanche reports: they assess the conditions on the piste every day by analyzing the sun, the wind and the slopes around us. By improving our level of skiing, we increase our chances of being rescued from an avalanche.

My favorite place to ski is Courmayeur. It is the Italian side of Mont Blanc, where I have been training for five years, and it is on these slopes that I managed to raise my level to the world championship. In Russia, I love Sheregesh – in November it is the best place to roll out before the season.