I learned that hes a keen painter and photographer, and applies his artists eye to spot selection.
More than anything, hes a dedicated student of the sport.
He knows skiing inside out and loves the tiniest details of this niche passion we all know and love.
But he also has a strong vision for the future.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
_
Hey Dennis, I hope you’re doing well.
Welcome to this modern-day interview.
It sounds like you’re not skiing yet this season because youre carrying a little injury.
Do you want to tell us what’s happened and how you’re healing up?
Hey Twig, I hope you’re doing well, man.
Yeah, that’s pretty funny.
Modern life at its best.
Yeah, Ive had a cartilage injury for maybe 10 years now and its playing up.
It has always come and gone.
It started with a knee injury, an ACL that luckily wasn’t fully torn.
In the same slam, I also injured my cartilage and MCL.
The rest is pretty fine now, but the cartilage issue comes and goes.
This season its feeling kinda rough, signs that I’m getting older maybe.
But then there were a couple of seasons I pushed through.
Im with Atomic Skis, Dragon, The North Face, Absolute Park, GoPro & Stance Socks.
I wouldn’t say that it’s a status or something, but it took time to get here.
And it feels amazing to have such a good relationship with the brands I work with.
We try and think of some cool things we can do together and work in the same direction.
I think its super important that the relationship is authentic and no one gets pushed into things.
Dennis' new pro goggle, designed by the man himself.
you’re free to get a free pairhere.
But what is it that brands generally ask of you?
Ultimately you ski for a brand for a reason.
I think the brands support that too.
I’m very interested in art in general and in being involved in product design.
Oh, and Im working on a graphic for Atomic too.
That allows you to grow together, and make cool stuff happen together.
I think companies recognize that riders know certain things because they are doing it day-in-day-out.
How a ski should work, how a jacket should fit etc.
Now, on to more of a… challenging question.
Weve all watched Descendence and seen that your journey hasnt always been the easiest one.
Youre one of the very few skiers of color and probably THE best-known freeskier.
Putting the irony of me asking this aside, does it make you feel singled out by the industry?
Does it make it feel like you have more pressure than the other skiers around you?
Or do you feel it’s a positive chance to get to raise awareness?
Yoo, thanks for the question, I think it’s super cool.
I think it’s very important to be out there, mostly for the next generation.
When you’re a kid you kind of have role models and people you look up to.
Usually way more so than you do as an adult.
I think in snowboarding and skiing it’s very very rare to see much diversity.
And I find that super motivating.
Growing up, I didnt have that example.
Its hard to imagine yourself skiing or snowboarding or whatever.
When youre growing up, things hurt way more too.
Im older now and its still hard.
Youre aware that you look different and are being treated differently, and it hurts.
And to include everybody and make something positive out of it.
I know that in Austria’s recent election, there was a huge far-right vote.
Austria as a country, even more than most places, seems to be becoming less ‘welcoming’.
Is that something you feel when you are at home?
Or does the reality feel more positive than that?
Thank you, right back at you!
Very cool interview, and very cool questions.
This is a hard one because I dont feel super qualified to talk politics.
But of course, in my opinion, it’s very sad to see the way things are going.
Especially with the past Austria has… people know what happened, that awful things have taken place.
I don’t know what drives some people to vote for very, very right-wing parties.
One promise from a party appeals to them and they kind of… forget all the rest.
Thats where it gets very dangerous because you gotta see the bigger picture.
And a lot of people just aren’t tolerant, are they?
Thats hard to fix.
Saying things like, its not YOU but all these other people.
I feel even more sorry for the young.
Its so very, very uncomfortable to be somewhere and know you arent welcome.
But now its almost like its acceptable to be more racist again.
I’m lucky to be free enough to escape the worst of it.
But not everybody has that chance.
Nobody should be scared because of the color of their skin, their gender, or whatever.
I think that should be the last thing that a person is made to feel uncomfortable about.
I can imagine how hard it is for the younger generation to feel not welcome.
Its a horrible feeling.
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1101259/DennisMinute-mp4
One hot minute with Dennis.
My next question is on a more positive but related note.
InDescendance,you get to go back home to Ghana and meet more of your family.
Going to Ghana changed my life in some ways, in a very positive way.
Especially reconnecting with my dad.
Unfortunately, I havent made it back to Ghana yet.
We chat a lot now.
He’s living in England with his wife and my half-sister.
His new family and I have a really good relationship too and we’re all in close contact.
I go over there and meet up with them and we have a great time together which is amazing.
We all get on so well, so that has been an amazing addition to my life!
Anyway, after a long detour, I guess we should bring this back to skiing.
You kind of started as a park skier, and even did a few comps.
But in recent years you’ve been moving more towards backcountry skiing and skiing pow.
Where do you see the next few years of your skiing going?
Oh nice, that’s really cool.
I love London, it’s very, very different from out here.
I did some competitions back in the day but it was never really something I enjoyed doing much.
As for the future, I really enjoy side-country and backcountry freestyle.
For me, its always kind of about going with the flow, I dont plan too much.
For me, the skiing is always, and has always been, more important to me.
I simply like skiing the things I enjoy the most.
I like being creative and looking at what I can do differently.
The beautiful thing is that it doesn’t always have to be the craziest trick.
When you look at it, it’s just the spot itself.
I think its often highlighted better in snowboarding.
There are some riders where you’re free to see that the spot IQ is really high.
Thats something that speaks to me a lot.
Anyway, you’ve done pro goggles, youre working on more pro lines right now.
But is there anything specific within skiing that you haven’t already?
And what would you want your skiing legacy to be when you’re retired?
Oh wow, that’s a hard question.
I think that might be impossible but thats kind of the beautiful thing.
Thats what keeps me hungry for more.
The thought that my perfect shot, my perfect part is out there.
And I do want to try and make a change in skiing.
You know opening it up for more people, making a positive change in skiing itself.
That would be a very beautiful thing.
Ultimately, I hope that when it’s all over I was able to inspire some people.
I grew up watching ski movies over and over.
I guess you probably did too.
Poor Boyz, MSP, Level 1… they just left such a big mark.
I still listen to the songs from those movies and Im transported back to that pure stoke.
I think that would be my perfect legacy.
That would make me the most happy I guess.
