Ghedina slows down: With Nordic walking I rediscover nature”

“The greatest danger is doing nothing.” It is the motto of Kristian Ghedina, one of the most reckless and loved by the public downhill skiers. That today, 13 years after retiring, he does not disdain other adrenaline-filled activities but at the same time he has embraced let’s say softer disciplines, at least from that point of view. Like Nordic walking.

Kristian, what was the first sport you played?

“The love for the mountains was passed on to me by my mother, the first ski instructor in Italy. But my first real sport was cricket, a contact discipline but also a technical one. In cricket, to win you have to take risks. And I’ve always liked taking risks.”

Do you remember your first madness?

“I risked dying at the age of 12, on a retreat with my ski group. Back then I saw cartoons in which the protagonists were firefighters who climbed everywhere to save people. One day I was in the hotel and I decided to emulate them. I lowered myself from the railing to reach the ground floor. It all happened before the eyes of my ski instructor who spent the whole time shouting at me: “Kristian, what are you doing, go back”. I didn’t listen to him. I survived”.

And what were his follies as an adult?

“The best was my first World Cup victory. I came from a fall in Kitzbuehel, where I suffered a brain injury and a couple of broken ribs. I stopped for two weeks to recover for the Cortina stage. I spent those days arguing with the doctors, telling everyone that I was fine, when in reality it hurt even to breathe. In the end, the president of the medical commission gave me the green light. That race in front of 35 thousand spectators was the most exciting of my life.”

The most unnecessary risk you’ve taken?

“In Canada, in Whistler: there too I risked dying for nothing. Descent canceled due to bad weather, they give us permission to return to the valley via the race track, as long as we go slowly. Naturally we all start like in a Formula 1 GP, one behind the other. At a certain point some of them start doing splits, I can’t hold back and I respond with a somersault. I realize late that there is another downhill skier behind me and if I make a mistake he will overwhelm me. I avoid it but even my colleagues, who are no less crazy than me, blame me for being reckless. And when photographers ask me to do it again, I send everyone to hell.”

Do you still go skiing now?

“Of course, but I have become very cautious. I do it for my children, the most important thing of all. Now I practice Nordic Walking with great pleasure, which allows me to stay in contact with nature without running any risks.”

How did this passion arise?

“It is a sport that I recently discovered, but which I find very exciting, it has made me rediscover wonderful places in my Cortina. Furthermore, it is preparatory to skiing, improving balance and leg strength”.

Would you like to participate in some Nordic Walking competitions?

“Maybe in the future, but I have already organized several with my ski school. They are very interesting because the judges evaluate the style of walking, crossing the finish line first is valid up to a certain point.”