For the hopeful Rast (24), cycling is much more than just a hobby: “It is hottest when everything is moving.”

To do this you need to know two things. First of all, Rast’s father was a two-time Swiss motorcycle enduro champion. And secondly, Rast even rode her mountain bike in the World Cup a few years ago, and in 2021 she even took 12th place out of 50 starters in Val di Fassa (It). «I love anything that has two wheels. But because the risk of injury is too great and I have virtually no preparation for mountain bike races due to skiing, I now avoid racing.”

Cycling helps her ski

We meet Rast in Chaumont above Neuchâtel. Here you will find a bike park and hiking trails in the forest – exactly to your taste. The giant slalom, in which the Valais will start winter next Saturday, is still a long way away. Your eyes are only focused on your bike. “When you ride a mountain bike, especially downhill, you have to choose a line. Sometimes the path is smooth, sometimes dry, sometimes the stones hold, other times not. A lot of coordination is needed to overcome all obstacles at great speed. Just like with skiing, you have to choose a line early on.”

Rast impressively shows that she has mastered exactly this. Just as confidently as she makes her way through the fences in the snow, she controls her bike just as well: “It’s best when everything is moving. When the mountain bike and I form a unity. Turning, jumping, drifting: it’s the little things that make it.”

As an only child, Rast was independent from an early age

The 2017 world junior slalom champion has had difficult years. She had glandular fever, suffered from depression, tore the cruciate ligament in her right knee and could not handle the new material after switching from Head to Salomon. She is now back at Head and in good spirits. “It would be good if there were fewer construction sites. My goal is to get into the top 15 in the world in both slalom and giant slalom.”

One thing is certain: Rast will do everything in its power if things don’t go well – even in the material coordination that is quite unpopular with many athletes. «I am an only child and I learned early on to look for solutions myself. And I love the subject of technology – in cycling, but also in skiing.”