Young Ski Talent

Interview with Thijmen Schoenmakers

Name: Manhave Vastgoed
Price range: $

For 13-year-old Thijmen Schoenmakers, September means not only returning to school but also the start of intensive ski training, a passion that began with a trial lesson and now takes him to the Alps every year.

Interview

19 September 2025

By Manhave Vastgoed

September usually means going back to school for most children, but for 13-year-old Thijmen Schoenmakers it also marks the start of training for the ski slopes. What began with a trial lesson at SnowWorld Zoetermeer when he was just three has grown into a passion that now takes him to the Alps every year.

With the support of his family and sponsors, including Manhave Vastgoed, Thijmen works hard to develop his talent. We spoke with Thijmen and his father Marco about how it all began, what a training week looks like, and what skiing means to him.

How did you first get into skiing?
Thijmen: “It was thanks to my grandad. He put me in lessons in Zoetermeer. At first I didn’t like it for the first half hour. Then the instructor gave me a high five and suddenly it was all fine.”

Marco adds: “My father had a chalet in France since 2000, right in the middle of a ski area. Of course the grandchildren had to join in. During that first trial lesson in Zoetermeer there were only tears, but after that high five he was completely hooked.”

What do you enjoy most about skiing?
Thijmen: “The freedom you feel and the speed when you go down the slope. That feeling is the best part.”

What does a normal training day look like?
Alongside his weekly training in the Netherlands, Thijmen spends around 12 weeks a year in Austria, where he is on the slopes almost every day. “He trains five to six days a week there, depending on the schedule,” explains his father Marco. “During school holidays we as parents are often with him, but outside those periods he goes with the team.”

Thijmen describes his routine in Austria: “Up at 7, breakfast, then off to the lift at 8. Training runs from 9 until 2 or 3, with a half-hour or one-hour break in between. After that it’s time for fitness training, homework, sharpening and waxing skis.”

What has been your most exciting race so far?
Thijmen: “One indoors where I managed to overtake someone even though I was behind at first. And at the Indoor Dutch Championships two years ago – it was tense whether I’d qualify for the final, but in the end I came second.”

Where do you hope to be in a few years’ time?
Thijmen: “I mainly want to get the best out of myself, and then I’ll see where it takes me.”

What does sponsorship mean to you?
Thijmen: “A lot. Thanks to sponsorship I can spend extra weeks in Austria. And I need a lot of equipment too: ski boots, helmet, gloves.”

Marco: “Manhave has been contributing for the past three years, which allows Thijmen to spend an extra three to four weeks training in Austria. That really makes a difference, because the more weeks you spend on snow, the better you become.”

Do you have a tip for other children who want to start skiing?
Thijmen: “Start young and try to join a ski team. I had to do two or three try-outs, so it’s important to stick with it.”

Marco: “The most important thing is to enjoy it. Otherwise all those weeks in Austria without your parents won’t be much fun.”