Nadir Maguet
WHEN THE OPINIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE MATTER
«I am certainly not old now, but back then I was really a little boy… It was an Italian championship in Nevegal, a Cadets Vertical race. I lost one skin at the start and they gave me another one. I did not win, but performed an outstanding recovery. I wonder what Macha saw in me that day…»
Nadir Maguet tells about his first time with La Sportiva, already ten years ago. Macha is Massimo Dondio, an on-site team manager. «In truth, we discussed the salary the following year, at the end of the season, after the Tour du Rutor, in front of a beer.» In truth, Macha had it all mapped out right from the beginning. «I started with a Stratos and then, a year later, they gave me the first Cube, but only at the end of the season: they had provided for top athletes first. And rightly so, for I was only a junior one. I was really glad, however, that, even though I was still competing at a junior level, they did ask for my opinion on the gear. They wanted to hear my views. I immediately felt at ease with the equipment; I could sense an evolution in the models they gave me, but was still too inexperienced to be able to say what could be done or changed to improve the boots. It’s a tough job, after all.
Still, they kept on asking for my impressions and my feedback; saying that everything was fine was certainly not enough. That proved to be really important: even if you are young and still need to learn the ropes on several aspects, you feel that this company wants to hear your views, they want you to thrive. I am not only talking about competitions, but also as a technical advisor. They also know that I love skiing off-piste, which I also consider an additional training, so they asked for my feedback on freeride boots, as well. »
Nadir almost worships Macha, whom he calls the guru. Their relationship was a professional one at first, and then they became friends. «We speak pretty much every day, in the summer, too, since I take part in running races, obviously wearing the La Sportiva shoes. He often visits me in the Aosta Valley and then off we go ski touring.» The La Sportiva Team athletes are a close-knit group, and they don’t mind a party or two. Then, in the morning, some of them swap boots, though this may just be a myth.