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Mani Cooper
Nordic combined. The discipline that blends the endurance and elegance of nordic skiing in all its gravity-defying glory. Where fitness meets flight and speed and power embrace.
It goes without saying that the event is one of the most technical and physically demanding sports in the world. And yet it remains mysteriously misunderstood, a relict Scandinavian past-time of yesteryear.
For starters, the sport remains the only senior Olympic event exclusively competed in by men. The IOC’s cancellation of the women’s debut at the 2022 Winter Olympics added yet another major setback to the sport.
And yet, despite all the odds, 19 year-old Mani Cooper has already represented Great Britain at the highest level.
Based in Austria - the country she moved to as a child - Mani holds the national-record in Ski Jump and became Britain’s first female Olympic ski jumper when she placed 19th at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland.
We sat down with her recently to talk about her sport, her adventures in snow rugby, and the wildlife in Austria.
First thing’s first Mani, many readers back home in England will be very familiar with rugby. But not many will have heard about snow rugby! How much fun is it and how did you get into playing it?
Snow rugby is amazing! Anybody who doesn’t find it tiring isn’t trying hard enough. Playing rugby in snow is so much fun but alot more tiring than on grass. Running in snow over ankle height is not easy.
How does snow rugby work you might ask? The teams are made up of 5 ‘in-field’ players, 5 replacements are admitted at interchangeable times during the match without any need to call for the referee’s permission, although the interchange must take place only during a standstill of play. Snow rugby is very intense but great fun. We played this year in Tarvisio, Italy (we got to the finals and came second) and in Innsbruck, Austria, on top of the mountain Patscherkofel at an altitude of 2,246m.
"Snow rugby is amazing. Anybody who doesn’t find it tiring isn’t trying hard enough. Running in snow over ankle height is not easy."
Nordic combined is such a unique sport within winter athletics, requiring an incredible combination of endurance, balance, power and mental strength. And yet it is perhaps somewhat unfairly still one of the least understood snowsports in the UK. What is your favourite thing about the sport and how did you get into it?
Nordic Combined is very special. I remember watching the Four Hills tournament with my dad and telling him I wanted to try it. He showed me videos of crashes and asked if I was really sure that’s what I wanted, but I did and I started when I was 10. I then added cross-country about two years later and began competing in Nordic Combined.
Combining two completely different sports together is a great challenge. It takes years to build the endurance and strength for cross country skiing. Ski jumping is also a gradually built-up sport; starting on a small hill (hill size 10) and working up to the bigger ski jumps (hill size 130). One day ski jumping could be amazing but then the next day awful. It’s very challenging to find the balance between the two sports.
"My dad showed me videos of crashes and asked if I was really sure that’s what I wanted, but I did and I started when I was 10.
I then added cross-country about two years later and began competing in Nordic Combined."
At the top of Bergisel ski jump, the mountains of Innsbruck in the background.
Having competed at the highest level in Nordic Combined, how special is it for you to just ski ‘normally’ with friends and family, away from the competitive and training environment?
Being able to represent Great Britain in 2020 Youth Olympic Games was incredible and it was an amazing experience. Although competing and working hard to get the results I want is great, it’s also amazing to go cross country skiing with family and friends. Being able to switch off and do sport activities with family its a great way to free the mind.
Moving onto the wildlife in Austria. Around 100 years after the last British wolf was killed, the last wolves of Austria were also extirpated in the 1800’s. Fast forward to today, growing wolf numbers in Italy, Switzerland and Slovenia are moving into Austria, which is now home to an estimated 50 wolves. As someone who is often exploring the forests and mountains of Austria, how important is it to have these animals back in their historic range?
I have to say I have a lot of respect for the wild animals we have here in Austria. The animals feel safe and are at home in the mountains. I try not to disturb them. The wildlife in Austria is amazing. Seeing mountain chamois out on a run or a family of deer is beautiful.
Wolves on the other hand are a big topic in Austria. A lot of farmers don't want them in the Alps, due to the fact that they kill and sometimes eat their sheep. I have only seen a wolf once and that was in Italy. I am pretty scared of wolves and hope I never come face to face with one out on my runs or bikes in the mountains. People say they won’t do anything to people but we have all just seen the tragic news from Trentiono in Northern Italy of the bear killing a jogger.
The reintroduction of Eurasian wolves is a controversial topic across mainland Europe.
And lastly Mani, alongside wolves, Austria is also home to a number of less-controversial species such as the elusive lynx and the iconic eurasian beaver - both of which are native to the UK. Have you had any encounters with beavers and lynx during your time in Austria, or heard any stories about these animals in the country?
I have actually never seen a beaver or a lynx in Austria as they are pretty hard to find. Although I have seen chamois, groundhogs and eagles. These are amazing animals and seeing them for the first time in the mountains was breathtaking. They are a beautiful species.
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