Meet Sami Ortlieb

Interview by Evan Williams

This past season was a huge year for Sämi. He filmed a banger segment with Meathead Films and was featured in various Traveling Circus episodes. Sämi’s unique image translates to his skiing. The Line Skis athlete has become one of my favorite skiers to watch over the past couple of years. Look out for this kid in the future. I give you one of Switzerland’s finest… Sämi Ortlieb.

Evan Williams Photo

How’s it going S
























ämi? Give us a brief introduction and tell us about yourself!

Pretty good! I'm on vacation right now.

Well in a nutshell, I'm the kind of guy who likes to hunt squirrels and puts all his food into wraps. I'm also the kind of guy who likes to hunt squirrels... oh wait, I already said that... I'm also a weirdo. My name is Sämi.

Where are you currently living? What is your home mountain?

I live in Schwanden [Switzerland] where I was born and raised. My home mountain is Braunwald, which is about 10 minutes from Schwanden.

How was your season this past winter? Any highlights?

I probably had the best season so far. There were lots of highlights: the trip with the Traveling Circus crew, then a trip with my homies to Romania, the Switzerland trip with Meathead Films, and finally my trip in the springtime to Salt Lake City was a perfect season ender.

How was shooting with Meathead Films this season? Highlights?

The trip with Meatheads was a lot of fun. I have been a big fan of their movies for a long time so it was a dream come true when I got an e-mail from Geoff asking that I shoot with them. I was really stoked that Shane McFalls joined the trip as a filmer too. I had an awesome time with the whole crew. 

Hmm, one of the best/funniest moments was when we were at a bar next town over [from Schwanden], someone in the crew ended up making out with a "punk" girl who already has two kids, and that happened just after he puked. haha

So you also filmed a bunch with Traveling Circus this past season. How was that experience?

Filming with TC crew was really cool. Their main goal while filming is to have fun. Who doesn't like that? It was an awesome time. Thanks to the weather the trip was amazing, it was probably the deepest pow I've ever skied.

Screenshots from Traveling Circus 4.4

Aside from skiing you’re an awesome filmer and editor. Do you have any plans to do anything with that artistic skill of yours?

I'm going to put out a short movie about the season featuring my friends and I. It's called Birds. 

I'm also going to be Kai Mahler’s personal filmer next season and we'll put out some episodes. My main goal is to try to create something different than all the other pro skiers show out there. I think it's going to be pretty trashy.

Who do you ski with on a day-to-day basis?

Most of the time I ski with my brother and the other Swiss skiers like Kai Mahler and Till Matti. I'm also shredding with my homies from my home valley who are pretty much all snowboarders.

What is the Swiss Freeski Team?

The Swiss Freeski Team is organized by Swiss Ski (The Swiss Ski Federation) and it should be pushing the Freeski scene in Switzerland.

Any aspirations / trips planned for this winter?

I don't really have plans yet for the winter. I'm going to be filming Kai [Mahler] and planning to graduate the "Matura" (it's like college). So I hope to also find some time to go skiing. I would be stoked to go film again with the TC crew and Meatheads.

Some rapid-fire questions (first thing that comes to mind…) GO!

Best food (in USA and Switz):

US: Betos Burrito

Switzerland: Raclette

Best drink (in USA and Switzerland):

US: Beer

Switzerland: Beer

Best music:

Killer Pizza

What I’m doing when I’m not skiing:

Skateboarding and drawing

Powder or park:

POW

Influenced most by:

Erik Olson, Mark Gonzales, Chris Benchetler, Silvan Zweifel

Shout-outs?

ZAI DEL MUNDO

A few edits Sämi put out last season: