Home soil advantage? Mathilde Gremaud reveals Laax game plan

Fabian Bösch: It's a spot that I know well, as it's only two hours from where I grew up in Engelberg. I used to come here for training when I was in the sports school as a teenager. On the one hand, that makes it familiar and easy, as you feel at home. But on the other hand, it also increases the pressure a bit because you want to do well. My friends will be here to watch [the finals] on Sunday, I'll have to make sure and qualify so they can come and watch! It will be nice be in front of a busy home crowd.

Mathilde Gremaud: It's my second time competing here, but I don't think it affects me being in front of a home crowd. I think it's always nice to be on home soil. My dad will come watch, and a lot of friends and family who can't be there will follow the livestream. I think that wherever I am, I know I just have to stay focused. The experience probably hits me more in the aftermath, but in the moment, I don't really get distracted.

Fabian Bösch: It's a good course. I like it, but the conditions have been difficult at times because of the speed. Just like last year, the jumps are on the bigger side, so as soon as there’s fresh snow or a bit of tailwind, you can’t always clear the jumps.

Mathilde Gremaud: It's always good to have something that's well-built but also challenging because I think you can either show your worst ski or your best ski. That's something I appreciate. The thing that's a little bit tricky is that the jumps are pretty big, so the conditions need to be really nice and straight to all work out with the speed.

Fabian Bösch: No, that's the beauty of our sport. Everybody's good friends with each other. You just compete against yourself and the scoreboard, not the people. Since we have the same sponsors, like Red Bull, things are going on like team [photo] shoots, so you get to know everybody well. It's just a nice vibe, and we hang out from time to time.

Mathilde Gremaud: It's sick to have this crossover. I enjoy this snowboarding and skiing mixed contest because there are many more people to hang out with, and we know everyone from the ski scene. When I see something wearing a Red Bull helmet I always say hi. There are moments when I need my own time, but I like hanging out with everyone. Mostly, we just talk about skiing or how we're feeling – not straight-up competition talk.

Fabian Bösch: We’re on the way to getting more exposure on TV, and getting invited for more Swiss TV interviews, for example, but there’s still a big gap to the main sports. But from when I started to where we are now, it's a big, big improvement.

Mathilde Gremaud: It's been progressing, and there are a lot of girls out there who can make it to the finals. There isn't only this one top eight, and you already kind of know who's going to be on the podium. It's not like that anymore. There are way more girls who are capable of making the finals and grabbing a spot on the podium.

Fabian Bösch: Not that much, actually; it was kind of a lucky time to get injured – if there is a lucky time to get injured! It was right in the off-season, so I was back by the time season preparation started. It just took more time than I was expecting, so that was a little bit frustrating. But in the end, everything turned out good, and I'm feeling 100% again.

Fabian Bösch: It depends. I've rarely been injured in my career from a hard trick. So, usually, it's from a small mistake with bigger consequences. Not really from knowing you did something wrong, but from unfortunate circumstances. You can't avoid this, but as long as you don't make a big mistake with your trick, it's easy to get over it. With every injury, it takes time to get confidence back. That's normal. Especially when you have a little bit of pain left – that makes it harder.

Mathilde Gremaud: It depends. For example, I'd been skiing straight for eight days, so the other day, I just needed a little break and took a rest day to take care of my body. If I had my equipment here, I'd go play hockey. With the team, sometimes we go bowling or visit something around the area, but as of right now, I’ve actually been doing some schoolwork as I started an MBA. It’s online, so I can take my time and go at my pace, which is nice. But I don't have much time as my priority is on skiing.

Fabian Bösch: A lot! Mostly sports, but I can't do everything and have fun with it, so when I'm home I try to do some other stuff, not just skiing, because it gives me so much happiness when I can explore and learn. While I'm [in Laax], I'll play some ice hockey, as I like doing a lot of different sports on ice. I'm also currently in education, doing an internship in marketing. It's nice to get a look at how the other side works – the office side!