Expert Interview: Cato Lægreid
By Hege Bellika Hansen
Our first expert, Cato Lægreid, was born in Odda, Norway and started skiing in Røldal at the age of 4. Cato has 22 years of freeriding experience. He has been a Freeride World tour athlete and judge and was a member of the Norwegian national Ski Cross team. Cato has experienced the power of avalanches firsthand and has great respect for nature and the energy mountains hold. He describes himself as analytic, strong minded, outgoing and welcoming. Some might say he’s headstrong in a good way, others that he’s stubborn in a bad way, nevertheless, it’s his belief that with a strong and robust mindset, anyone can accomplish their goals.
QUICK ANSWERS:
Top 3 trips/mountains
- Chamonix
- Krasnaya Polyana
- Røldal
Where is your favorite backcountry line to ski?
- Aguille d ́Midi — mid station when there is a meter of fresh snow
- Laub in Engelberg — a big and super smooth BC line
- Little AK in Engelberg — a very memorable area
- Røldal — riding the mountains that are skiable from the toplift
- Tamok — can’t forget Tamok
- Prolapsen on East Hattavari — a perfect steep and challenging line that gives me an enormous feeling.
When did you start going off-piste/start skiing?
I started off-piste skiing in 1996/97 season with very skinny racing equipment — way before twin tips and backcountry skies were even on the shelves in the shops around in Norway.
What’s the proudest moment in your career?
Placing 4th in Freeride World Tour after 6 years of pain and serious injuries. I ended up becoming almost 50% medical disabled and 100% sport disabled after my injuries and was told that I would never be able to ski again by a doctor in 2004. When years later I stood on the podium of the most hardcore skiing contest you can participate in, I felt like I just conquered the world. That was a huge personal moment for me.
Have you had any experience with avalanches?
I have a little experience with avalanches. I’ve been caught a couple of times, I have triggered many of them, and I have dug people out of them. So yes, I have seen and felt the strengths of nature firsthand.
Why do you like Sknow?
The reason Sknow is so appealing to me is that it makes everything visual. The simplicity of a digital snow pit is both as intriguing as it is dangerous. The danger being that people could use it as a tool to make mindless decisions without stopping to evaluate themselves. But at the same time, Sknow will give a better foundation of well evaluated information to everyone. This is critical especially for skiers that would never dig a snow pit in the first place. So, this tool, and correct use of it — will put people into a more aware state of mind. It will inform them about the types of snow layers, and therefore dangers, in real time and during trip planning. As a professional I hope to contribute to the accurate use to this data for training and education, so it does truly keep people safe. The value of people having this unit available — when being in the mountain — could be the difference between coming home that evening or not.
Best ski experience you’ve ever had?
I have many great personal experiences, but one that stands out would be the first time I experienced the snow in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. It was the best forest ride I’d encountered so far in my ski career. However, it’s hard to forget Chamonix, with 50 cm fresh snow three times a week, stable cold weather, sunny during the day and snowing during the night for almost 3 months. And then Røldal; My home resort with super steep and good 350 verticals, and only 15 minutes to make a whole round. This place is perfect for building confidence in the backcountry and steep mountains. In 2007 we experienced two continuous weeks in Røldal of perfect ice-cold champagne powder, on the top of an all-ready super stable 2,5/3 meter snowpack. There were no other freerides around during the weekdays and only 3–5 people going off-piste. During weekends when a lot of people went off-piste it was snowing like crazy. Then on Monday it cleared up and was super cold until next Friday — and it kept going like this for two and a half weeks.
How does skiing make you feel?
Skiing makes me feel in contact with myself.
The feeling of mastering the art of balance, strength, physical and psychological challenge is something that makes me grow as a person on many levels. The feeling of being 100% present within yourself and trusting yourself in your decisions at all times is addictive. Your life depends on you having a clear mind, being focused, and handling all challenges at very high speeds; I love that feeling. It makes me feel strong. It gives me answers and questions. It is my lifeline.
What does the outdoors mean to you?
I think I can make this short and not go all philosophic about it:
“It means freedom to express and push my own understanding of my own being and joy”
