Dadi - A snowboarding legend!

More than two months have passed since Davorin Šmarčan (Dadi), a mountain collegue, mentor and friend, was killed while snowboarding from Veliki ozebnik (2480m). Even though he boarded a very difficult alpinistic route (V, S6-), I am completely sure he did not make a wrong move. It is more probable that the top layer of snow, which was not completely frozen after a warm night, slipped under his weight, throwing him off the balance. On such a steep slope (50+ degrees), which strongly gravitates towards a few hundred meter precipice, every fall can result in death.

Dadi was for sure one of the best and most experienced alpinistic snowboarders in Slovenia. He made more than a hundred descents with difficulty V or higher. What is even more important, he was extremely careful in planning and executing his descents, never leaving room for coincidence. The problem was that he brought the game to such a high level, where objective danger becomes more and more critical. I have to admit, this is certainly the dirty side of mountains. No matter how good and experienced you are, how well you prepare, how good the weather is... there is always objective danger for which you can never prepare.

Even though Dadi was one of the best alpinistic snowboarders in Slovenia, he was also a very modest and quite guy, who liked to keep a low profile. That is why very little people knew about him. Of course there was a lot more behind Dadi, then just snowboarding. His short life was everything but easy, however, he was always an optimist. His moral values were extremely high, and he had a very keen feeling for right and wrong. A few years ago he married with Doris, and they decided to move to the hills, build a house and slowly start a biological farm (besides regular jobs and sports). Taking into consideration they were both from the city, this is completely a revolutionary step, which many people only dream about but never take. They were joyfull, hardwrking, ready for a big family... and very much in love. It is shocking how quickly everything falls apart.

Dadi, I will never forget a single day that I spent with you!