Zen and the Art of Skiing

Zen and the Art of Skiing 

A compilation of observations and experience by my son Denali Schmidt when he was a teenager in New Zealand.  

Denali illustrates Zen and the Art of Skiing with words, original drawings and his personal insights on his struggle to achieve a seemingly impossible goal.

"How do you clear your mind so that you are still enough to be completely focused with no fears and no distractions?"
Denali Schmidt asked this question when he was 17 years old. He was a natural athlete but strove for excellence in extreme sports, especially freeride and backcountry skiing. He decided to dedicate himself to the inner discipline of meditation.

 
Denali's intention was to streamline his energy and concentration to unblock his mind, visualize the feats he wanted to accomplish and succeed in performing them without injury. He uses his emerging skills as an artist and writer to record and share his steps on this journey.

This book was created after Denali's death (he died with his father Marty Schmidt somewhere on the mountain K2 in Pakistan); at the suggestion of his mother Joanne (Jo Patti Munisteri). It is a three generation project of Denali (1988-2013) his maternal grandmother Theresa Grasso Munisteri (1930-2022), and his mother Joanne Patti Munisteri.

Denali's sister and Jo's daughter, Sequoia Patti Schmidt published this book through her independent publishing company Di Angelo publications.  

The forward is by one of Denali's specialist tutors in meditation, TCM doctor Peter Larking of New Zealand. The illustrations and photos are by and of Denali Schmidt.