2023-10-13 08:16:55
By Simon Welebil
For years, Dennis Ranalter from Tyrol’s Stubaital has identified himself primarily through his favorite sport, as a freeskier with a unique style, full of power and precision, just as at home on large jumps as in the backcountry. But somehow he always knew that there was something else. Lots of questions bothered him: “Am I different? Why am I here and am Black? Are people watching because it’s a problem for them, or is it interesting for them?”
For a long time he felt too young to find answers to these questions and in the relatively white world of skiing, he didn’t really have anyone he might ask. He wanted to work this out for himself. Only a call from his sponsor to submit ideas for the slogan “Never stop exploring” changed that and Dennis Ranalter began to explore his origins and thus a different part of his identity.
His initial thoughts, which he wrote down in a notebook, became a pitch to his long-time media partner, the Innsbruck “Legs of Steel” crew, to whom he really opened up for the first time and not only gave them a perspective on the skier Dennis, but also on the “Black Dennis, who lives in the Stubai Valley”.
From slogan to film
“Descendance” is the name of the film project that Dennis Ranalter implemented with Legs of Steel and for which they got support: Phil Young, who is for more diversity in outdoor sports started, asked the deep questions behind the camera, the Afro-Austrian historian and journalist Vanessa Spanbauer provided the background on black people in Austria and underlined how important representation and role models are.
This support was immensely important for Dennis because he was, in a sense, entering unfamiliar territory. The doubts as to whether his story was really relevant enough were dispelled, as was the fear of ending up as a target for negative reactions.
Legs of Steel / Daniel Schiessl
“Where are you really from?”
Dennis Ranalter has already had to endure enough negative reactions in his life because of his skin color. Starting with the all too familiar, perhaps naive and not meant in a bad way, but always hurtful, “Where do you really come from” (Nenda can do that sing a song) to tough racist sayings. Someone once told him that he should rather play football because he would get too cold on the mountain anyway, or whether his favorite food was bananas.
“Narrow-minded” is what Dennis calls this everyday racism, which he dealt with through skiing. “I was always the most liberated on the mountain and didn’t have to think regarding anything else.” He channeled his anger over bad experiences into new tricks. “Skiing is my therapy,” says Dennis Ranalter.
A journey to yourself
“Descendance” premieres on October 13th. at the Legs of Steel Movienight Premiere at the Metropol cinema in Innsbruck, but just under a week later the film will also be available on YouTube.
In “Descendance,” however, Dennis takes a different approach. For the first time ever, he takes a trip to Ghana, where he meets his father and the other part of his family for the first time in years. It becomes more than clear that this journey is also a journey to oneself. “Before, I was Austrian. Now I’m half Austrian, half Ghanian. “That’s pretty cool,” it says in the film. “I think I’ve grown up,” says Dennis Ranalter in an interview, “I think I’m not looking anymore.”
Legs of Steel / Pally Learmond
Now that the project is finished, Dennis feels relieved. A big stone has fallen from him, he says, and he can now be proud of the African part of his identity. Even though he is still nervous when he thinks regarding how the freeski scene will react to his open and personal film, he is sure that he did the right thing and that he is serving as a role model for many young people:
If this helps just one person in the entire world, then it’s already 100,000% worth it.
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