Here's what Leeper, Dadali and Hamilton had to say about being named "The Undiscovered"

Earlier this winter, Poor Boyz Productions set out to find some of the best up-and-coming skiers the United States had to offer. After receiving dozens of 90-second video entries, the public was tasked with voting for their favorites. Those votes were combined with the scores of an esteemed judging panel that included FREESKIER’s editor-in-chief Henrik Lampert. When all was said and done, Owen Leeper, Giray Dadali and Ian Hamilton were named “The Undiscovered.”

In addition to each winning $5,000, the trio will be flown to Chile for an all-expenses-paid film shoot with Poor Boyz and FREESKIER magazine. We caught up with the winners to get their thoughts on their victories.

The Winners

Giray Dadali
Age: 25
Home Mountain: His father’s homemade rail park in New York
Favorite Trick: Wibbity Wabs ollying gapers

Giray Dadali grew up in western New York before making his way to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2008. A crash in March of 2013 nearly ended his ski career, but thanks to the High Fives Foundation, Giray has made a full comeback and now has his own “bro model” with his ski sponsor, J Skis. A veteran in both the park and the pow, Giray’s video impressed the judges with its mix of storytelling and action footage. “He was number one on my list,” said PBP founder Johnny Decesare. High praise, indeed.

Ian Hamilton
Age: 23
Home Mountain: Montana Snowbowl
Favorite Trick: Double Misty 1260

Ian Hamilton grew up in Missoula, Montana and has been making his way up the ranks of the slopestyle contest scene from his current home in Salt Lake City. However, lately Hamilton has been focusing more of his energy into the backcountry and is looking forward to testing his skills in Chile. FREESKIER editor-in-chief Henrik Lampert praised Hamilton’s trick selection in his submission video, giving high marks for the double misty into a pow landing and the switch right dub 10 in the park.

Owen Leeper
Age: 29
Home Mountain: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Favorite Trick: Flatspin

The most big mountain-focused athletes of the group, Owen Leeper hails from Jackson Hole by way of Aspen, Colorado. He’s made a name for himself over the last few years through a variety of hard-charging web edits that have racked up thousands of views on freeskier.com. Leeper is also the founder of the startup pole company Bold Poles. Of Leeper’s video, FREESKIER editor-in-chief Henrik Lampert remarked, “I’m already envisioning Owen sending it down south.”

The Q&A

FREESKIER: Hey fellas. Congrats on the win. Well deserved. What was your favorite trick in your edit?

Giray: It was either the first 360 over the double stager or the flat spin tree tap. The flat spin tap was just so well filmed and there were trees immediately after that would have rocked my dome if I fell, so I was stoked to ride away from it.

Owen: One of my favorite days of the year was when I got the shots on the backcountry kicker. That’s the day I learned the double flatspin.

Ian: That’s a hard question because I liked a lot of the shots in my edit. I would say top three were the dub misty 1080 into pow, because it was my first double ever into pow. The switch rightside double rodeo 1080 was also a highlight, because I just learned it this season after lots of hard work. And lastly, the double stager pillow shot because it was in Montana on a super deep powder day skinning with some of my best friends.

FREESKIER: How does it feel to take the win?

Giray: It doesn’t feel real. I’ve been in zillions of contests growing up and would never even win a damned raffle. There were so many talented skiers that had entered, and other people had way more public votes…honestly I just gave up hope for my submission. When I heard that I won I got goosebumps.

Owen: I thought the judging could go either way, but knew I had a chance. It makes all the time and effort of filming worth it.

Ian: I am blown away; there are so many good skiers out there, so it is always daunting to enter a big video contest. It kind of seems like a shot in the dark most times. I am still in a bit of shock because it has always been a dream to film with Poor Boyz, travel the world and heli-ski. So, getting to do all three of those things at the same time this summer is going to be epic.

FREESKIER: What did you think of the other entries?

Giray: I think you could take 15 of those guys, give them budgets, filmers and a few sleds and you’d have a hell of a movie. Just call the whole movie The Undiscovered. [Laughs] Shout outs to Bernie Rosow, Sander Hadley, Pat Goodnough, Josh Barilar and Steve Stunt—and his delicious “Chile.” They’re all great skiers and guys who I would have been more than happy to see win this.

Owen: There were a lot of really great edits. A lot of them had a lot of park jumps and jibs, so i thought I had a pretty good chance to win.

Ian: The other entries were insane. So many unique styles and approaches to skiing. I don’t envy the judges; it must have been really tough to choose the winners. People were definitely doing things that would scare the crap out of me. I come from the slopestyle side of the sport, so I was impressed with people dropping huge cliffs and gnarly lines. I am really stoked to test my mettle on some big mountains down south.

FREESKIER: What are your thoughts on the contest format?

Giray: It worked out for me, so of course I thought it was great. But I think it’s an incredible format and that is why I entered. I’ve never seen a contest before where the prize is not only a film trip to shoot with a company but also money too. It’s an investment that says, “We didn’t just pick you, we are investing in you. We want to give you a chance and see what you can do.”

Ian: I think it was a great format. There isn’t really anything else like it. My favorite part was its focus on diversity and all-mountain skiing. It was able to appeal to all sorts of skiers, from crazy cliff-huckers to urban killers. I think the reason I did well is because I enjoy skiing backcountry and park, so I had lots of footage from both.

FREESKIER: Do you know the other guys? How do you feel about shredding with them?

Giray: I’ve never met them, but I’ve seen their skiing over the years. We have different styles that I hope will push each other and provide for a sick segment to give viewers everything they want.

Ian: Giray is gnarly. He is similar to me in the fact that we both were pretty heavy into park and then transitioned those skills into the mountains. I love his style—hopefully he will give me a tip or two when we are down in Chile. [Laughs] I haven’t met Owen, but I was pretty sure he would be chosen right when I watched his edit. He is just a ripper. I was super impressed by his skills on big lines and in the air and I can’t wait to see him ski on some big Chilean peaks.

FREESKIER: What are you going to do with your $5,000 prize?

Giray: I blew out my shoulder this winter, so I’ll use some of it to pay my doctors bills. But I’m not going to get surgery—if I get it I can’t go on the trip. I have tons of bills from last year when I was filming for the LAFA movie and I have student loans, but I don’t want to use this money for any of it. I want to use it only for skiing and filming next year.

Owen: I have been waiting for the right time to upgrade my snowmobile, so I think I’m going to go for it now.

Ian: I’m mainly going to invest it back into skiing and paying off my student loans. I just graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a degree in International Business and a French minor, so I have to start paying that back. I have some big plans for next ski season too; the cash will probably be split pretty equally between those two things.

FREESKIER: What makes you excited to shoot with Poor Boyz?

Giray: I bought Propoganda back in 2001 and watched it countless times. The VHS is burned out because [my brother] Ahmet and I watched it so damn much. Getting to shoot with a name like [Poor Boyz Productions] is a childhood dream. Long before the Olympics ever thought of coming into our sport, Poor Boyz was there and that was the ski dream.

Owen: I grew up watching Poor Boyz movies, and always dreamed of being flown to remote locations to film. Now, I get that chance.

Ian: So many things. [Laughs] I mean, all of my ski idols filmed with Poor Boyz. Tanner [Hall] was always the skier I wanted to emulate, because he was also from Montana, and I did the same kind of transition from moguls to park to backcountry. I am just stoked to follow in the footsteps of the amazing skiers that came before me and be an all-around powerful skier in all aspects of the sport. Heli-skiing with Poor Boyz is probably the best way to go about doing that.

FREESKIER: Any other thoughts?

Giray: I just want to say thanks to all the sponsors of the contest that made this happen and to Poor Boyz for providing it. Also, to everyone who helped me film and Tim Jones for editing it, since I don’t even have a computer that can view HD footage without crashing. Lastly, I’d like to thank my sponsors for continuing to give me products year after year.

Ian: I can’t give enough thanks to everyone who voted for me and supported me. I hate pestering people to take the time to vote, so I am really thankful for the response my video received. Also, a huge thanks to my parents for supporting me in following my dream both athletically and scholastically. Thanks to my sponsors for keeping me outfitted in the gear I need to perform at my best. And last but not least, thanks to my girlfriend Carleigh and all my amazing friends for filling my life with such great company and experiences.

FREESKIER will be on-site in Chile this summer for the Undiscovered shoot. Stay tuned to freeskier.com for updates.