Sanna Luedi-Ski Cross

Sanna Luedi

Upcoming Talent Autumn 2019

From a Ballet dancer to a ski-cross professional.

• Sanna was born in February (1986) in Baden Aargau. Her father, Hans, is Swiss and her mother, Pia, is Finnish. She also has a sister named Tia. Sannas skied for the first time when she was one and a half years old. She started dancing ballet when she was four years old and dreamed of becoming a dancer for ten more years. She began figure skating too, but switched to ice hockey after training next to the SC Langenthal ice hockey team. It looked more fun to her. Being one of the fastest on the rink, she was quickly spotted and recruited for the ladies team. However, by then she had already started skiing and decided to give her all to that instead. She got into skiing unintentionally; she was suffering from asthma and her doctor told her parents that the mountain air would help. So they sent her to the local ski club, SC Herzogenbuchsee. She then joined SC Ahorn Eriswil. This all began when she was just eight years old. Since she had started competing relatively late, she had to start at the bottom, but because she was super ambitious she quickly made it to the first group in Switzerland.

When she was 16 years old she decided to attend the Sportsmittelschule Engelberg, where she mastered her Maturität. After graduating, she started studying sports but unfortunately couldn’t carry on doing so because she was travelling all over the world. That’s when she became a pro. She’s being skiing professionally now for over ten years. Sanna has lived in Habsburg, Leimiswil, Engelberg, and Zurich.

Meet Sanna Luedi

1. Sanna, tell us about yourself in the world of Ski Cross?

They called me ‘Paradiesvogel’ back in school and I guess I always had a relatively special personality. I always try to figure out how to do things a little bit differently to others in order to be that extra bit better. I am already the oldest female in the world cup, but my roommate is one of the youngest and we’re actually a perfect match. Even though I’m the oldest, I only have one third of the amount of ‘starts’ other athletes have because I’ve been injured most of my career. Between 2014 and 2018 olympics, I was only able to compete for one year.

2. Apart from physical talent, what are the mental skills needed to become a professional athlete?

Well, in my opinion, the most important factor is the passion for the sport. I have a lot of passion for what I do and it gives me the willpower to be very strict with my everyday routines and training. Routine is another incredibly important asset. The routines you set throughout a year can make you the winner of an event. Focus is also very important. I always know my goal and all the steps I need to take along the way. The will to never give up is another skill. Talent can’t get you anywhere if you don’t have the persistence to go through a difficult situation. I find that to be one of my best qualities. So far, giving up has never been an option for me. Some might even call it the Finnish stubbornness or ‘Sisu’.

3. How is a normal training day for you?

Early in the summer, I get up at 6:00am. I meditate, have breakfast, gather my things for the day, and then drive from Zurich to Liechtenstein. I have my first gym session until noon, have lunch and then a nap. Then I have a second gym session, when I’m done at 5 I get back into the car to go to Zurich. I cook dinner at home, do some recuperation routines, then get to be early so that I can get 8-10 hours of sleep. After all of my injuries I started sleeping more so that my body could recuperate better. Towards the end of the summer, I am in Saas Fee, where I wake up at 4:30 to catch the early gondola, then commute to the glacier. I warmup, then train at either the Giant Slalom, Park or Skicross, until noon. Then I commute down, have lunch between two and three, then nap. In the afternoon I have another dryland session, which consists of video analyses and ski prep. Then I cook my dinner and try to get an early night’s sleep.

4. Name three sports idols?

I grew up without TV and never really knew anybody until I was an athlete myself so idols were never really my thing. If somebody did good in my sport I tried to figure out what they did that made them fast and picked out things I could try to do myself. So I guess I always had somebody I was trying to learn from, but they changed every now and then. Now I’m trying to figure out how Roger Federer can keep going for as long as he does so I can do the same.

5. If you were not a professional skier, what would you be?

Good question. Either a dancer, or possibly something creative. I used to spend hours creating my own jewellery or designing dresses for my barbies. Sometimes I would wander all over the place with my moms ancient minolta, snapping pictures of every plant and animal I could find.

Sanna Luedi. Ski Cross Athlete.

6. One of the weirdest or funniest moments of your career?

The weirdest moment was when I was called up onto the podium at a world cup while already lying on a gurney in the hospital with a broken leg. It was a moment filled with many emotional mixed feelings as I had just won a race which qualified me for the olympics but had also landed on the last jump on a broken leg. I had to ski that way into the finish line where I broke down in a lot of pain and fear that I would miss my biggest goal in the Sochi Olympics in 5 weeks time.

7. A place in Europe you consider paradise?

It would have to be the Atlantic, as I am a very passionate surfer and sometimes there’s nothing better for me than the roadtrip to the Atlantic with its endless beaches filled with surf, dunes and pine trees.

8. Your favourite place in Switzerland?

My favourite place in Switzerland is the lake of Geneva with its vineyards, mountains and every changing colours.

9. What magazines and websites inspire you?

Currently, I have been looking at interior design magazines, as I am currently redecorating my apartment in Thalwil.

10. What item identifies you?

I can’t think of an item but I see myself as a cheetah in skicross. I could also consider a hat, if I’m not training I wear hats all the time and even take fedoras to races. My colleagues mostly describe me as ‘die mit em huet’, meaning ‘the girl with the hat’.

Sanna Luedi. Passion, Routine, Focus and Persistence.

www.sannaluedi.com
Photos copyright by: Sanna Luedi