Ari reveals the true meaning behind her new film, Na Vita De Nëi….
‘The only thing I know for sure is that I will forever be a skier. And that’s love…’
SunGod Pro Athlete Ari Tricomi needs no introduction. As one of the world’s greatest pro skiers - and 3x Freeride World Tour champion - she’s used to life in the limelight. But in 2020, Ari took a different approach. After the struggles of Covid, and the horror of an avalanche rescue, she took a step back from the pressure and hype of the global circuit, and reflected on what really mattered.
The poignant product of this reflection time was Ari's new movie Na Vita de Nëi, or 'A Snow Life'. If you haven't seen it yet, scroll on down to the bottom of this page to watch it.
To celebrate the launch of this labour of love, we caught up with Ari to talk through the creative process behind the movie. She walks us through the project, explaining how it was an opportunity to cut through the noise, and reflect on the simple things that we can all relate to - the love, pain, joy and friendships that make up a lifelong love affair with skiing...
The inspiration? A pandemic and an avalanche...
In 2020, we all pressed pause on our day-to-day lives, and Ari was no exception. ‘I think everybody had a struggle in some way. I had mine, with the pandemic and also with the avalanche I was involved in. That really touched me deeply’, she says. Suffering from both the effects of the pandemic, and the impact of being caught up in a fatal avalanche rescue, Ari was struggling; she was feeling ‘a bit lost, and not motivated’. When the FWT re-started, Ari caught up with fellow riders and realised she wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Seeing how others shared her difficulties inspired Ari to ‘bring these emotions into a movie’ - a movie with meaning. Ari wanted to create something that she could share, that people ‘could relate to’, and Na Vita de Nëi was born.
How it all started: The power of poetry
Na Vita de Nëi isn’t your typical ski film, filled with adrenaline-fuelled cliff-hucking and huge sends. Instead, it encourages us to reflect on what really matters, drawing on the struggles of Covid, the power - and danger - of the mountains, and the simple pleasure of strapping on two skis with friends. In lockdown, Ari put pen to paper and wrote a poem - something that could really bring her emotions into words, that could ‘speak, but still remain abstract’, she says. Ari’s poem narrates Na Vita de Nëi, and it describes her process of coming to terms with the fact that life is pretty simple. All it takes is the mountains, snow and good friends - ‘I don’t need much more than this to be happy’, she says.
Stripping back the ski world hype: Incredible skiing doesn’t always mean high risk
Of course, Na Vita de Nëi is a ski movie, and Ari’s poem can’t stand alone - it needs the footage to match. Unlike so many ski movies today, Na Vita de Nëi is ‘not gnarly, not crazy, not right on the edge’, Ari explains - it’s about ‘beautiful skiing in a simple way’, made accessible for everyone. ‘Social media is already so fake, and just talks about the hype, and the sick things’ - the huge drops, the crazy lines, pushing the boundaries of what skiers can do. After being involved in an avalanche rescue last season, Ari wanted her movie to strip it back to what’s real, and what really matters. ‘I thought, it's really important to show the downside of things, because it's real’. Ultimately, Na Vita de Nëi is about what’s left, when you strip back all the hype. ‘It’s pretty simple - it’s friends, and snow’.
"The only thing I know for sure is that I will forever be a skier. And that’s love."
After the frustration of the pandemic, and the pain of the avalanche, Ari still came back to the mountains, and to skiing. It’s a lifelong love affair: ‘No matter how much pain you go through, you always go back. And that, for me, is the real expression of love’. The mountains are her calling. ‘When I'm sad, I go to the mountains. Even if I'm sad because of something that happened in the mountains, I still go there to find my peace, you know. Which is crazy. And I know some people will never understand that, and they’ll never understand why we keep on doing what we do. But it's just too strong to be put into words, I think. It's just something very, very, very powerful inside ourselves.’
Na Vita de Nëi is a tribute to Ari’s lifelong love affair with skiing, and there’s no question that it tugs on the heartstrings. When we hear Ari talk about the joy, love and friendships that make up her relationship with skiing, and pull her back to the mountains no matter what, we just get it - and after watching Na Vita de Nëi, we know you will too. Tune in to watch Na Vita de Nëi here:
