Last Thursday, April 4, it was one year since the Catalan rider Núria Castán (Almoster, 1997) was born again. That day, she and another teammate were buried under a fierce avalanche 250 meters long when they were preparing to approach the start of the women’s race.freeride‘on the slopes of the Swiss town of Verbier. “It was a fear I had always had and it came true,” the rider said then.
Núria was buried approximately 10 minutes face down, the time it took to arrive emergency servicesand in addition to the freezing of two fingers, suffered intense psychological consequences which dragged almost until last March 22, when on the same track, crowned runner-up in the world of the Freeride World Tour (FWT). “I have conquered my fears,” she says, now the first Spanish athlete, both man and woman, to achieve this distinction.
It has been more than 13 years since he started competing, but this year he has lived your most special season. “After the accident I didn’t even think I would compete again, it was difficult for me to make the decision to return, but this year it has exceeded all my expectations,” Castán acknowledges. Although this year he has closed the season with a very good taste in his mouth, he has a thorn in his side for what is to come. “I have managed to be runner-up in the world, now I want to be champion,” says the Catalan. “I’m already a little better than when I started,” she jokes, assuring that she never thought she would get this far.
“Restore confidence”
For the first time, he says, he did not go out on the court looking to achieve a result. “My idea was to regain confidence, break the mental barriers that I had established with my fears and overcome my trauma. I just wanted to regain intrinsic motivation for what she did,” says the rider after obtaining the best results of her career. “Now I’m stronger,” she tells herself and claims that she chose to lean on the psychological therapy to “process and accept” instead of “punish myself and think about why it was my turn.”
Núria Castán after becoming runner-up in the Freeride world champion. / The newspaper
Part of the immense challenge I faced this year was returning to the place where it all happened. “I had already been in January of this same year to prepare myself mentally. I knew that if I qualified I would have to return to Verbier and I would surely have to descend the same track where the avalanche caught me,” explains Castán. That week of introspection, together with her friends, helped her make peace with what happened and give yourself permission to close the wound. Thus, on the same mountain where she was dragged down the slope about 400 meters, she lost consciousness and She came to assume that if she was not treated quickly she would also lose her life.he regained his love for what he likes most.
“Being on the board is therapy for me. It always has been, especially during adolescence, when I used it to escape from my problems,” says Castán. “Although as a child I was not very aware, I am grateful that my parents, my biggest sponsors, shared their love for the snow with me,” explains Castán. From the age of 3, she learned to ski with her parents and at 8 she dove into the universe of snowboarding.
Growing discipline
“Since I tried it I have never let go of the board again and when I was 13 I started competing. I have lived the growth of this sport and I feel proud to have been part of its development,” says the rider. “When I started I always had to go far to compete, now There are competitions in the Pyrenees and It is much more economically acceptable. Furthermore, this year, the discipline has been integrated into the Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (RFEDI) and that means we have a team structure behind us like we have never had before,” says the athlete.
In Spain, unlike other countries, winter sports, in general, are not yet part of popular sports culture. Successful figures like Núria contribute to more and more people learning about the discipline. “I have a great luck what it means to have him sponsor support Without whom my career would not have been the same. Still, without the help from my parents “Nothing would have been possible,” explains the world runner-up. Today she professionally combines her two passions, freeride and graphic design, and she hopes that the coming seasons will continue to allow her to experience triumphs that will forever inscribe her in the history of freeride.
2024-04-13 06:00:32
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