All photos courtesy of Ahmet Dadali
Its fair to say that Ahmet Dadali is a controversial figure in freeskiing.
Just in the jungle vibe!
A random connection gave me the opportunity to chat and get Ahmets side of the story.
After all: that segment in Eye Trip is pretty legendary…
_
Hi Ahmet.
Let’s get straight to it: in your own words, why did you stop skiing?
Well, it all started with the Corona stuff.
I didnt want to take the vaccine.
Because I didnt take the vaccine, I couldnt travel and couldnt do anything.
I left Austria in 2020, and it was pretty hard to get back to Europe at the time.
So, I went to Indonesia Id been here for a couple of summers.
Just to get away from the lockdowns, vaccinations, and just be self-sufficient.
I could go fishing and grow whatever I need to eat.
So, I headed over here.
I was still able to surf and was able to do pretty much anything.
It was pretty hard to want to leave when Im seeing Europe and America closing down all their shops.
In France, you guys had the whole ski mountains closed the whole year.
So, Im coming from a place where I have actual freedom over myself.
Were just eating healthy and being outside.
Especially when Im from a place where were fine, were doing good.
I was able to go out that month, and when I got to Europe it was just crazy.
I skied that year, and that was the year the vaccine came out.
Ok, thats understandable from these big corporate points of view.
I put no blame towards Volkl, no blame towards Schinka-whos the man.
From the whole industry.
], Im crazy.
Ive lost my mind, hes a f*cking idiot, bla, bla, bla… How did that make you feel about the industry at the time?
I was just extremely disappointed with what that industry had become.
You kind of held a different point of view to a lot of the normal world lets say!
I just felt that I didnt match it anymore.
A lot of people that dont live by any principle in that industry.
Id rather just go out here and surf and enjoy my life!
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1004339/Ahmet-Dadali---Eye-Trip--2010-
Simpler times!
So that covered that!
That means that its become a sport where the core of freeskiing isnt being supported anymore.
Which is completely different from how we saw it growing up.
Whereas before it was just, you skied to ski.
Jake is probably one of my favourites to watch, for sure.
I dont watch too much anymore.
What those guys have done is awesome, and I love that they were able to do it.
Who are the others that you like to watch, besides Jake?
I still watch the Freeride World Tour, I like that stuff.
Are you excited for Natural Selection Ski?
Oh, I didnt know that.
Theyve put it in everything!
Even surfing, which is weird!
So, I would hope theyd do it with skiing.
I really dont keep up with whats going on, but Ill definitely watch it on YouTube for sure.
Thats cool, I like that kind of stuff.
Youll get people invited, and they didnt necessarily pay to be in that position.
That stuffs super cool.
I didnt see the X Games, but I did see little clips here and there.
Yeah, the 2340.
Holy sh*t man!
I mean, its crazy but when you practice this sh*t on an air bag all day… Of course, its the same age-old argument: Id rather see this!
Bla, bla, bla!
You had to hit a jump and do that trick.
What its taken away is that sense of craziness that you had back then.
It doesnt impress me at all.
I dont want to come off like I dont respect any of the new kids skiing.
Some of them are absolutely crushing it!
Theres some great stuff man!
So, when was the last time you actually clicked into a pair of skis?
I went back home to New York, where I grew up, last year in January.
It was the first time Id been back home in four years.
I clicked into the skis a couple of times over there.
I was able to ski my home resort and it was really fun.
It took a bit of time but jumping was like exactly the same.
Small jumps out there, but I was able to do it.
You get done with the day, you cant get up and down the stairs.
I pinched a nerve in my back the last day!
I felt like an old man!
It was wicked, I skied four or five days.
I even put out a little edit on Instagram with some of the kids around there.
That was the last time I was on skis.
Do you have any plans to get back on skis soon?
Well, moneys always an issue.
To do some guiding or something.
If I could do that, that is exactly what I would love to do.
Then its the off-season here, so I could go for a little ski in Japan.
I would love to jump on skis and do it that way.
What was the highlight of your ski career?
What were you most proud of?
I think I always kept it real with how I skied, what I skied.
I did a lot of tours and stops at different small mountains around the Midwest.
Im very happy that I always took the time to meet and talk with people.
I always gave people some time and not be that pro-skier who was too cool for school.
Did some Euro stuff, my own little adventures around Europe.
I did a lot after where I could just do my own thing.
Partly Cloudy, I was pretty stoked on too.
It had the balance of the jumps and the rails, with a little backcountry stuff.
Haha, Im pretty good!
One of the guys wanted to borrow my speargun.
I do a lot of spearfishing out here.
Ive been living here since 2020, so I would hope Im getting fluent!
If not Im f*cking blowing it!
Did your faith ever affect your life as a pro skier?
Were there times when you were drained, or did you adapt to it?
Yeah, well Ramadan always changes with the moon.
Its a certain moon that comes around.
It moves slightly earlier every year, so its not always in the wintertime.
When it is during the winter, I actually really enjoyed it.
What it does is it teaches you self-discipline.
It keeps you from doing what you want to do the whole time.
Its been tough, but I enjoy pushing it to my limit.
Almost the temptation from the negative side of things.
For me, I believe in god, so I have to be humble before him, Im nothing.
Dont get too full on yourself.
What being humble is what this teaches us.
