#SnowStories: Raised in the desert, defined by the mountains – Alex Astridge puts UAE on the Alpine map

A mentorship that forged a career

For many young skiers, their coaches or mentors are found from within their family unit. Parents will often take up that role across the formative years, helping them grow both personally and professionally.

For Alex, his mentorship came under the guidance of Mohamed Moulay, who has channeled his own love of snow sports into shaping the next generation.

An instructor in the early days of Ski Dubai, Mohamed has worked his way to the role of Head Coach, both he and Alex sharing their journey side-by-side and growing together.

Not only was he the Alpine skier’s first coach when he joined at three, he remains his mentor to this day as the two embark on a historic outing at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

“When I was a kid, it was a coach-athlete relationship, but as I’ve grown up I see it more as a friendship,” Alex explained.

“He is someone I can speak to and someone who understands me, understands that when I’m angry or screaming it’s not who I am, it’s just frustration.”

On the biggest lesson that Mohamed has taught him, Alex adds: “To not give up, to understand that even when things are difficult, I just have to keep going.

“He was with me through my biggest injury where I had people telling me I wouldn’t ski again… he was there in the hospital every day and we were back on skis within five months.”

Despite the teacher-student dynamic, sharing wisdom is very much a two-way street between this pair.

The teenager has passed on the value of finding joy in what he does and, even in the face of career-threatening injuries, simply enjoying the journey.

“It’s something that everyone can learn from him,” Mohamed said.

“You’re not going to see him upset or overwhelmed about something, he is enjoying the moment and going with the flow.”