Sofie Gidlund

What you are doing when you have some down time:
I love to move my body in all kind of ways, preferably out in the nature. Biking, climbing, hiking, yoga, cross-fit, creativity, reading and writing poetry. I also love to gather new knowledge and have a big interest for environmental science.

Tell us about your background:
25 years old, born and raised in Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden. My parents put a pair of skis on my feet when I was 2 years old. During my childhood we spent a lot of time outside, especially in the surroundings close to our apartment in Vassijaure, located approximately 7 kilometers from Riksgränsen. I started to compete in Alpine Skiing at the age of 10 and moved to Gällivare and the alpine elite high-school. When I was 20 years old I wanted to try something new, and freeride it was. The last 4 winters I´ve been living in the alps, competing at the FWQ-circuit with the goal to qualify for FWT. My first season went really well with podiums in 7 out off 11 competitions. This season however I´ve decided to retire from competitive skiing, basically because I don´t feel the need to win or push myself in that way anymore. Instead I want to focus on spreading love, joy, inspiration and happiness through creativity, skiing and the outdoors. The outdoors is for everyone. At the same time as my competitive career I studied and finished a bachelor degree in environmental science and are currently working with sustainable development as a consultant. We only have one planet and a big dream of mine is to continue contribute in my best way to help and save our beautiful nature.

What was your craziest adventure or experience so far:
Maybe this adventure isn’t that crazy but it’s definitely one that I´ll always remember. It was late May and my friends and I decided to travel to Lyngen, Norway for a couple of days to ski-tour and camp. The first night we started touring at 11 PM, the fjord was as bright as a mirror and the midnight sun shone in our faces. We reached the summit at 3 AM and skied down in perfect spring slush. Ended the day watching the sun slowly rise back up over the horizon and finally feel asleep in our tents listening to waves from the fjord. Happiness, being truly present, surrounded by good friends, that’s a crazy adventure for me.