
Some of us learn early on that setbacks can turn into opportunities. Julia Mehner was on her way to becoming a professional skier at a sports academy in Berchtesgaden until an injury stopped her. She was frustrated and broken, but she chose Innsbruck and she chose to go off-piste. Today, she’s one of the best freeriders in the Alps. And definitely not someone who remains patient when winter refuses to deliver fresh snow.
It wasn’t just the Alps missing their dump – Viktor Novák’s homeland, the High Tatras, were ignored, too. “We had a project planned here, and it was frustrating to see nothing but dry slopes, even in February.” Viktor is Julia’s partner, a freerider and a trail builder (and much more) at the Kalnica Bike Park in summertime.