MEET THE ALPINA WATCHES WINTER AMBASSADORS
All Alpina “family” members – the “Alpinists” – are united by a common aim. They seek performance and progress when facing a challenge in extremely demanding environments. They successfully accomplish their missions by applying the “Alpinist” principles:
BE PERSEVERANT
THINK INDEPENDENTLY
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOTS
We only associate with friends and partners that – like us – truly share, live and work according to these principles, and we hope that any person who adheres to them, and wishes to promote them, will one day decide to wear an Alpina watch, thereby becoming an “Alpinist”.
That our Ambassadors are Alpine skiers, snowboarders, free riders, ice-skaters, divers, adventurers, or skipper, they all share our values, care about the Outdoor environment and best represent the Alpinist attitude!
Take a moment to learn more about them and follow them along their different worldwide competitions, events or adventures.
GREG RUHOFF (CH) - SKATEBOARDER
Born in Lausanne, the 23-year-old athlete started skating at the age of 9 and it quickly became clear that skateboarding would change the course of his life forever. At 11 he entered his first competition and during his second, he placed on the podium. His love of competition had only just begun.
As the years went by, his passion for skateboarding grew as he became a regular on podiums all over the country, making him one of the best Swiss bowl skaters. This led to a spot on the Swiss national team and numerous invitations to international competitions such as the Dew Tour and the RedBull Bowl Rippers.
Last but not least, Greg cherishes sharing his passion and the skateboarding culture to future generations. He is currently developing a youth structure to offer skateboarding lessons and sessions throughout Switzerland. A great way to promote the sport he lives for.
In 2024, skateboarding will make its second appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris, and one of his dreams is to represent Switzerland at this legendary competition.
Greg Ruhoff (@gregruhoff) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
MAX PALM (SW) - FREERIDER
Born in 2002, Max Palm is already one of the most decorated skiers, whilst being only twenty years old. With a three time Scandinavian Big Mountain Champion as mother and a mountain guide as father, Max was raised within the ski universe and surrounded by mountains. As a child already, his Swedish parents explained to him how to leverage the typi¬cal Scandinavian hard-charging skiing and combine it with the big mountain knowledge and style known from the alp region.
Now a rising star in the freeride discipline, Max Palm has an impressive track record. In 2019, he won the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championship, becoming the youngest skier to ever win this legendary competition in its 28-year history. In 2020, and for two years in a row, Max was crowned Overall Freeride Junior Tour Champion and World Freeride Junior champ in 2021 (Freeride Junior World Championships). Rising ever higher, in 2022, the freerider left a mark on history as ‘‘Rookie wildcard’’ by winning the first stage of the Freeride World Tour in Baqueira Beret, Spain, with the first ever double backflip. The same year, he ended up runner-up at Kicking Horse, Canada, which was the third stage of the Freeride World Tour, and has secured his spot to participate in the entirety of the Freeride World Tour 2023.
Although Max’s skiing style is in many ways ruthless, Max is nothing but humble and kind. When not skiing, he loves to stay active surfing, biking, and skating. A multi season athlete, Max includes his different sporting activities in his ski projects.
Max Palm (@maxx_palm) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
AELAN VAAST (FR) - SURFER
Aelan Vaast was born and raised on the island of Tahiti in the Pacific. She was raised with her brothers by the lagoon near Teahupo'o and surfing came naturally.
A multiple French Polynesian champion, Aelan decided in 2020 to leave her island to join the Pôle France de Surf in Biarritz in order to reconcile studies and international competitions. Today, member of the French Surf team, Aelan performs in both the turquoise barrels and the Europeans waves. Champion of Aquitaine, Vice-Champion of France, 4th European junior Aelan is one of the hopes of French surfing.
At the age of 17, Aelan wants to continue studying management of the sport while fully entering the world of competition with the focus on the Olympic Games that will take place at her home, in Teahupo'o, in 2024.
Aelan VAAST 🌺 (@aelanvaast) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
PAULINE ADO (FR) - SURFER
Pauline Ado was not born into a surfing family - but she was born of the generation where anything is possible. At the tender age of 8, Pauline asked her parents for a surfboard. She loved the feeling of being in the ocean and the challenge of taking on its ever-shifting moods.
After a successful junior career where she clinched both the ISA world junior and the ASP world junior title, Pauline’s thirst for victory coupled with a flair for tactical surfing, has seen her pierce the Top Ten of the WCT in her rookie season. In 2011 Pauline set another benchmark by qualifying as the first ever European woman for a second year in the prestigious ASP World Tour. In 2013, she finished ranked 9th in the world for the second time in her career.
She clinched the ISA World title that year in her home soil. A title she had been chasing for several years.
In July 2021, one of her childhood dreams came true when she participated in surfing's very first Olympics in Tokyo.
Pauline Ado (@paulineado) • Photos et vidéos Instagram Pauline Ado | Facebook Pauline Ado (@PaulineAdo) / Twitter
LIAM DUNKERBECK (DE) – WINDSURFING
Born on February 11th, 2004, in Gran Canaria, Spain, 18-year-old Liam Dunkerbeck is already a Junior World Champion in windsurfing. He lives in Maspalomas/Gran Canaria, where he goes to school and has the ideal conditions to train his sport, surfing and windsurfing. The son of the 42 times Windsurfing World Champion, Björn Dunkerbeck, the talent was put in the cradle. Already as a young boy he was fascinated by the water and the sea. Liam learned to surf from Björn, who is at the same time father, athlete, role model and coach for him.
Until 2015, surfing was Liam's first priority: he led the Gran Canaria ranking of U13, U14 and U15 Juniors and was among the top five Spanish junior surfers. At the age of 12 he participated for the first time in the PWA Junior (U13) Windsurfing competitions in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria, and made it to the top three places. His interest in windsurfing was piqued. In 2019, at the age of 15, he made his debut in the PWA Windsurfing Wave Overall category in Sylt, Germany. In September 2020, he won the gold medal at the PWA Youth Wave World Cup (U-17s) in Klitmøller, Denmark.
Liam Dunkerbeck (@liamdm11) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
GUILLAUME PIERREL (FR) - MOUNTAIN GUIDE AND ADVENTURER
Originally from the Vosges region of France, Guillaume Pierrel was born on skis. He started Nordic skiing at the age of two and made his first ascent to 2500m (with 1500m of elevation gain) at the age of four. He then went on to ski at a high level and won the title of French Team Vice-Champion in 1997 in Autrans, France. Destined to become one with these white gold-covered peaks, he then took up freestyle and derby skiing in 2003, accumulating race numbers and enjoying the competition, and became a ski instructor in 2008. Today, Guillaume is a mountain guide in the emblematic French resort of Chamonix and has led several ski expeditions abroad, notably solo in Bolivia and Peru, on peaks of over 6000m. Born from a passion for the mountains, Guillaume has dedicated his life to skiing, but also to ultra trail and mountaineering: in 2019, he ran the Sky Running on Lenin Peak, in Tajikistan, the highest race in the world culminating at 7134m. On his return, he completed the UTMB in 27 hours. Thirsty for discovery and adventure, Guillaume left for an expedition to Pakistan in 2021, and made this area his new playground, with its peaks counted among the highest in the world. Putting his skis at more than 8000m, in alpine style and without oxygen was a summit he had ever dreamt to reach, and the consecration of many years of hard work and training.
NILS ALLEGRE (FR) - FIS WORLD CUP ALPINE SKIER
Nils Allègre began skiing at the age of two and a half with his parents at the French resort of Serre Chevalier, and has been part of the France Ski Team since 2011. Having started out as a member of the Young Talent (category C) team, his first European Cup competitions (category B) followed before he joined the Men's World Cup Speed (alpine skiing) team, where he has been progressing for three seasons already. In 2018, Nils was named French Double Champion of Super-G and combined, then in 2019, French Vice Champion of Super-G. He also took 14th place at the Are World Ski Championships (Sweden) in Super-G, as well as 6th place at the Bormio Ski World Cup (Italy) in combined. In 2020, the French skier took 7th place at the Hinterstoder World Cup (Austria) in Super-G and is 13th place in the global ranking for combined and 15th for Super-G. In 2021, Nils took the 7th place in Downhill in the FIS World Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and an impressive 2nd place in Super-G in the French National Championship in Châtel, France. He also took the 4th place in Super-G at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Ski World Cup, in Germany, and holds the 14th place in the global Men’s Super-G World Cup 2021 ranking. In 2021/22, Nils will take part in his fifth season in the Downhill World Cup group.