The Euro based, LAAX cruisin’, rail greasin’, smooth carving sensai of Switzerland has been welcomed with open arms into the LINE Skis pro team. Of course, if you haven’t guessed it by now, the man in question here is Daniel Loosli, AKA doosli. While he might be a new name to some, Daniel is someone you are absolutely going to want to keep an eye on in the future. His skiing is a mesmerizing amalgamation of freshly thought out tweaks and stylish safety grabs merged with the sweetest of carves. After a ruthless knee injury two years ago, Daniel had to re-define his skiing into the free flowing art that it has become. Plainly speaking, he has creatived a mish-mash formula of riding that will have you questioning just exactly how you look at the mountain.
As a photographer, Daniel has a natural intuition for picking apart his preferred canvas. Whether it’s staring down his line of choice, or peering out through the lens to seize a well timed freeze frame of life, he is remarkably talented at displaying the world through his own eyes. The digital portfolio of photography on his website serves as a walk through a life lived with passion and direction. His creations illustrate something that is quite difficult to delineate in words. Anyone can capture an action in focus, but it is a gift to be able to relay the sensation of this action back to the viewer, without over complicating it. This is exactly what Daniel does. He is someone who’s work is full of intention and hard work made to look easy. His pictures pull you into a strange and enjoyable world, a departure from the mundane worries of life. A world where things are precisely as they seem.
This unique perspective directly translates into his skiing. On the hill, doosli is as versatile as a skier can come. Like all those who are so easy to watch, the separation in his riding lies in his uniquely identifiable style. Any action in life can be done in a thousand different ways, but there is something truly admirable in being able to hold a distinct approach in any discipline. Be it cruising through the park or surfing down a groomer, he maintains a captivating poise; one that emphasizes simplicity over extravagance, and trims away the fat. This is rare. In a competitive and saturated market like skiing, athletes are often steered towards attempting the next biggest stunt. You can bet that a “new world first” will get plenty of eyeballs, but a uniquely smooth style doesn’t always garnish praise in a world made up of quick scrolls and short attention spans. This is one of many reasons why Daniel’s free flowing style is so captivating when given the time it deserves. His skiing, as impressive as it is, remains understandable, and relatable. In this case, the beauty of refinement is clear to see. Simply put, it’s fun to watch. Skiers like Daniel are at the core of the artistic freedom that makes this silly sport so worth while. This kind of expression tends to breathe life into an industry that can, at times, seem riddled with profit driven motivations and non-genuine actions.
However, at the end of the day everyone needs to make a living, and Daniel is a prime example of how to put food on the table while holding onto the individuality that makes your passion so worth doing. LINE deserves high praise for supporting an individual who is so actively observing and displaying the world through his own personally unique style. Skiing has been a place where fresh ideas and new takes are welcome with open arms, and companies like LINE are helping it stay that way. We are extremely excited to see what big man Dan gets up to next, and cannot wait for the next inspiring installment of hand dragging, hip laying action shots.
If you’re curious about the nifty Swallowtail skis that are on display in Daniel’s pro team video, check below to watch LINE Skis engineer Peter Brigham breaking down the thought behind the product.
