Get inside the mind of a 3 x FWT champion...
“For me, the wins are just a natural consequence of my mindset and the joy I feel while I ski.”
We’re stoked to be welcoming Italian freeride skier Arianna Tricomi to the SunGod Pro Team! Having won the Freeride World Tour for the past 3 years in a row, Ari has solidified her position as one of the most versatile female freeriders in history. To celebrate her joining our growing team of athletes, we caught up with Ari who shares her secrets to success on the world stage from the back of her converted van in her home resort in Austria…
1. How did your love of skiing begin?
My mum put me on skis when I was 3 and I haven’t really stopped since then! I’ve tried every aspect of skiing thanks to my mum who showed me everything you can do on skis. I started telemarking when I was 6, and ski raced for 10 years too. But my favourite times were the days my mum would take me freeriding and we’d ski powder on our telemark skis. I’ve always loved skiing a lot, but I’ve always had a preference for powder, it’s a long love story!
2. Describe your ideal ski day
I think the days that give me the most are the deepest days in the forest, skiing with a bunch of good friends and everyone is whooping because the snow is so deep. I love storm skiing and we had 2 whole weeks of this a few winters ago, when we had a crazy winter in Austria - these were the best weeks of my life! The smiles and the screams, the emotions you feel with your friends on these days are unbelievable. So yeah, stormy days shredding deep powder with the crew – that’s my ideal ski day for sure!
3. When you are old and grey, what will you look back on and be most proud of in your ski career?
When I look back, I think will be proud of the joy I have felt while skiing, and not the success of winning. For me, the wins are just a natural consequence of my mindset and the joy I feel while I ski. Every time I put my skis on, this energy gets stronger and stronger and nothing else in this world gives me this feeling. I really hope this energy I feel is contagious to younger generations. For me it will always be about going out to have fun and not to win!
4. You've won the FWT 3 times now, what will it mean for you to take it for a 4th consecutive year?
I am so very happy to have won 3 times and as with last year, I’m not entering to win, I just love being part of the Tour. It’s super nice to be part of it, to see how it’s progressing and to be with an incredible family. If I win again, this would be awesome but it’s not my aim, I just want to be part of the Tour and part of the family again, after a crazy year we’ve just had!
5. What goes through your head when you're stood in the start gate on the FWT?
It’s a crazy feeling, standing at the start gate for the FWT! It’s strange to have someone giving you a 30 second countdown, telling you when it’s time to send, but it’s pretty special! In my mind I’m feeling so many emotions and when the snow is good there is nothing in the world I wanna do more than ski my line that I’ve been studying for days! It’s a great feeling that I’ll never forget, even when I'm retired.
6. Do you ever get scared? How do you manage that fear?
Fear is an important component in life, it keeps us alive so it’s good to have it! That said, it’s got to be a controlled respectful fear and not a fear that sends you into a panic. When I'm on the Tour I have a lot of time to prepare so I never get too scared, I’m just pumped to ski the line I've been planning. But on the mountain, I have definitely had some moments where I’ve felt uneasy in a situation or something hasn’t felt right or good. I’ll always listen to my gut in these instances which is learning process in itself. I do get scared for sure, and in those moments it’s best to step back, call it a day and come back another time with a different feeling!
7. What is your go-to breakfast before a big ski day?
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day actually, and I can’t start my day without it! As an Italian naturally I love some black coffee and I’ll always be eating eggs. If I have time it’ll be an omelette, but whatever I eat, I eat a lot in the morning and just snack through the day so I don’t have to stop skiing!
8. What is your power song?
So there are a few! The one which leaps to mind straight away is Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. This is a song that I remember putting in my ears hiking to the top of a comp. So yeah, Black Sabbath are my power band!
9. What are you most looking forward to on this years FWT?
Last year's Tour finished really abruptly and unexpectedly due to Covid, and we didn’t really get a chance to say a proper goodbye to one another which was sad! This year I am so excited to see everyone again after the hectic finish last year, and spending good times with good friends on the mountain. It seems simple but in these times, something like this isn’t so simple anymore!
10. What do you love most about freeriding?
When I am freeriding, I feel like a child in a playground! I love that I can look at a face, pick out my line, pick out my jump and do whatever I want! I am super thankful that I have this opportunity to be creative, coming up with new things and to discover the freedom I have. It makes me feel like an artist, getting to draw my own line on the mountain. It’s something I haven’t found In any other ski discipline – it’s cool to be a snow artist!
We're stoked to be working with Ari and her progressive and dynamic attitude towards freeriding. It's unlikely that you'll miss Ari on the Freeride World Tour this year as she chases down her 4th consecutive win!
