Kasete-Naufahu Skeen, professional skier from the Royal Tonga Ski Federation and Joachim Kraftmayer, CEO of Clyso GmbH and Kasete’s sponsoring partner, talking about Skiing and Open Source Software and passion.
-- Kasete, you have an impressive life story: born in London, with roots in Tonga, you now live and train in Sweden and have been competing in alpine skiing for Tonga since 2017. What inspired you to follow this path?
Kasete Skeen: It started with the idea of crossing borders. Skiing is not the first thing you think of when you think of Tonga, but I wanted to show that it is possible to be so successful in a sport from an unusual situation to represent a nation at international level. It was the wish of our late King Tupou IV, who sadly passed away in 2006, that the Kingdom of Tonga would take part in the Olympic Games in alpine skiing. I am working to fulfill this dream. The connection to my roots in Tonga has always been important to me and it is a great honour to represent my father's homeland on the international stage.
-- Joachim, Clyso is well known for the further development of the open source software Ceph, as well as being experts in IaaS, PaaS, Openstack and Kubernetes. What made you decide to support Kasete Skeen and the Royal Tonga Ski Team?
Joachim Kraftmayer: Kasete's story is a perfect metaphor for what we stand for at Clyso: Believing in yourself, pushing through the resistance and breaking new ground to make innovation accessible. With offices in the USA and Canada, we are a global leader in the advancement of Ceph, a software-defined storage solution for large volumes of data. Our customers range from mid-sized companies to universities, supercomputing centres and Fortune 500 companies. Like Kasete, we show that you can achieve great things with the right tools and a clear vision.
-- Kasete, you live in Sweden, where you moved because of your love and passion for skiing. You quit your job as manager of an opera festival in London and started all over again as a bartender in a new country. For the last few years you have been working as an English teacher at a secondary school while training and looking after your family. How do you manage this balancing act?
Kasete Skeen: It's a challenge, but it's also enriching. My job as a teacher gives me stability, and at the same time I can give something back by supporting others. I've been teaching music again since this year, so I can combine my two great passions, skiing and music. Sweden is ideal for my training, and my family gives me the support I need. It takes planning, but it's worth it because I can follow my passion.
-- Kasete, you are now taking part in the 2025 SkiChampionships in Saalbach (Austria) in February. It will be your fourth participation at World Championships. After your first attempt in 2018 in St. Moritz, where you failed to qualify for the final races, 120th place in Are and most recently 89th place in Courchevel in 2023, your results curve is pointing upwards. What do you think is possible for you in Saalbach this year?
Kasete Skeen: First of all, I'm incredibly grateful to be competing at a World Championships again. It's always an honour to compete with the best athletes in the world. The positive development of my results in recent years shows that my hard work, perseverance and dedication are bearing fruit.
I see the World Championships in Saalbach as an important milestone on my personal ‘Road to Milan’. Taking part in the 2026 Olympic Games is my ultimate goal, and every competition until then is another step towards preparing and improving. I want to improve again in Saalbach and aim to finish in the top 60. That would be an important step in my development. At the same time, I want to enjoy the moment, give my best and do everything I can to ski as well as possible. The motivation is great and I'm looking forward to continuing this journey.’
Joachim Kraftmayer: ‘That is exactly the spirit we want to support. Having a vision, working hard and showing what is possible. Who would have believed 20 years ago that Ceph would become the most important open source software for data storage in the petabyte to exabyte segment? To have a vision that others see as impossible. to tread new paths, work hard and create something new. With Kasete as an ambassador, we want to take this idea further.
-- Joachim, what idea are you referring to?
Joachim Kraftmayer: That open source and the associated community can create great things, independently of international corporations, solely through the power of the community. This independence is important for minimising risk, creating transparency and greater innovation and a faster time to market. Diversity brings many advantages here.
-- Kasete, what would you like to pass on to young people, in Tonga and beyond?
Kasete Skeen: I would like to tell them that they should not be afraid to dream big. It doesn't matter where you come from - with hard work and the support of the right partners, you can cross borders. My story is an example of how anything is possible if you believe in yourself.
-- Joachim, how does the Clyso slogan ‘Yes, I really mean it’ reflect this partnership?
Joachim Kraftmayer: Our slogan is a promise, not just empty words. Whether we're supporting Fortune 500 companies or universities, or working with Kasete as we are here, it's always about creating real added value. We mean it when we say that technology and innovation should be accessible to all and we help here with our expertise and experience. As a constant partner for our customers.
-- Finally, what is your common message?
Kasete Skeen: Borders only exist in our minds. With courage and determination, you can achieve almost anything.
Joachim Kraftmayer: And I would add that open source technology is a tool that can open up these worlds. Being open does not exclude proprietary software, but uses, integrates or replaces it in the right place. The right software for the right application. At Clyso, we make sure that everyone has access to it - from SMEs to global players.
-- Thank you very much, Kasete and Joachim, for this inspiring interview. It shows how sport, technology and passion can work together to create great things! And for you Kasete, all the best for the Ski World Championships 2025 in Saalbach!
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