AMBASSADORS

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.

 

Alpina_Ambasasdor_Greg_Ruhoff 

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.

 


JIM DE PAOLI (CH) - ICE CROSS DOWNHILL ATHLETE

Born and raised in Geneva in Switzerland. After completing his studies, Jim consecrated the great majority of his time practicing his sport, hundreds of hours of training spent in sports halls or ice rinks. He participated in 59 races and he’s more than motivated to repeat for a new season. The Ice Cross Downhill sport made its debut in January 2001 in Stockholm. With their ice skates, the athletes hurtle down the icy slopes, strewn with obstacles of all kinds, with the only goal being to be first on the finish line. This sport is a symbiosis between Skicross and ice skating. The races are held throughout Europe and North America.

In 2021, Jim finished second in the Invitational World Final 2020/2021 in Moscow, Russia, thus taking the second place of the 2021 Ice Cross Downhill Championship ranking. In the overall World Ranking Men, Jim holds the 8th place.

jimdepaoli / @jimdepaoli

 


JULIETTE WILLMANN (FR) - FREERIDER

24-year-old Juliette hails from the Vallée de l’Ubaye in the southern Alps region, and is now based in Chamonix. Having learnt to ski at an incredibly young age, she always knew she wanted to become a professional skier, and initially focused on downhill skiing. After a good few years competing, she found herself drawn to freeriding. She kick-started her first real season as a freeriding competitor in 2016, and much to her surprise and delight, she came second in the European rankings. With her head spinning from her success, the following year she aimed higher than ever before – only to find herself held back by a misfortune double injury that put her out of action for a year.

In 2018, she was back – this time stronger than ever before. She came first in the Freeride World Qualifier, snagging herself a ticket to 2019’s Freeride World Tour. At her first FWT season, she glided in to a respectable seventh place in the overall rankings. She ended the 2021 FWT season holding the 4th place in the overall ranking.



 

JEAN-FRÉDÉRIC CHAPUIS (FR) - FIS WORLD CUP SKI CROSS SKIER

Born in the Belleville Valley in 1989, this young man has Ski Cross in his blood. This is the story of a skier, born into a Franco-Swiss family with a strong background in skiing. “As a child, he was already a leader with a strong character. He was sensitive, gifted and a bit cheeky at school” according to one of his trainers from Val Thorens. “We knew he would become a great skier, although at the time we thought it would be in Alpine skiing”.  In 2009, at the age of 20, he switched from Alpine skiing to Ski Cross, and in no time was a convert.

Winner of the 2013 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships and Gold medalist at the Olympic Games in Sotchi (Russia) the same year, Jean-Fred won three consecutive Crystal Globes by discipline in 2015, 2016 and 2017 before finishing second at the World Ski Cross Championship in 2019. In 2021, he finished at the 11th place of the overall ranking and ended the season with an impressive second place in the Red Bull race taking place in Andermatt, Switzerland.

www.jeanfred-chapuis.fr / ChapuisJF / jfchapuis

 


TRISTAN DUGERDIL (FR)- ICE DOWNHILL ATHLETE

Coming from Morzine-France, Tristan started the sport by practicing ice hockey and skiing in competition until the age of 14. Then, he devoted himself entirely to the Hockey by evolving in the Junior Team of Geneva-Servette. He practices in parallel various sports such as mountain biking, freestyle skiing, skateboarding…His Ice Cross Downhill career began in Lausanne in 2013 after achieving the best time in Swiss national selections. With a degree in Mechanical Design in his pocket, he now devotes himself entirely to his athletic career to win in the world’s skating elite. In 2021, Tristan holds the 20st place of the World Championship ranking.

 

TristanDugerdil / @tristandugerdil

 


ENAK GAVAGGIO (FR)- FREESTYLE SKIER

Born on May 4th, 1976, French alpine skier, skier-cross, snowboarder, freerider, base jumper and surfer, Enak Gavaggio simply loves anything which enables him to slide. Enak started to ski at 8 years old and his career’s hit list could make most people blush: 7 skier-cross medals at the X-Games, 5x skier-cross WORLD CUP WINNER, 5 medals at the World Championship, and a 4th and 5th place at the Freeride World Tour Championship. His professional career as athlete ended in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Since 2014, Enak has played the well-known role of “Rancho”, a staggered vintage character in a skiing universe themed web show. Now President of Les Arcs Freeski Academy, Enak is known and appreciated both by his peers – for his carrier results and strong personality. A famous and influent face in the French Mountain Industry, he is the only one who is so admired by any kind of winter sports athlete.


enakgavaggio / @enakgavaggio


NELLY MOENNE-LOCCOZ

Nelly was introduced to the world of alpine skiing at the age of 3, by her father, a ski instructor. She quickly grew a passion for snowboarding and swapped her skis for a snowboard. Nelly practiced her sport rigorously within the French National Team, in an atmosphere she calls “funformance”, in her words, a happy medium between fun and performance. Her innate physical and tactical qualities quickly propelled her to the top of the rankings, integrating the top world female elite of snowboard cross. Three times Olympic Games participant in 2010, 2014 and 2018, vice-world Champion in 2011 and 2015, Nelly
made a sensational season in 2015 by claiming the famous crystal globe in her discipline. In the 2017-2018 season, Nelly finished #3 in the FIS Worldcup Snowboardcross ranking. In 2020, Nelly stepped-out from competing and dedicated herself to film production as an independent but also for the French Ski Federation. In 2021, she became the official coach of the Snowboard Cross World Cup team for the 2021/2022 season.

moenneloccoz.nelly / @NMoenneloccoz / nellymoenneloccoz

 


VICTOR DE LE RUE (FR) - SNOWBOARDER & FREERIDE WORLD TOUR CHAMPION

French athlete Victor made his snowboarding competition début early on, kicking off with boardercross and freestyle. Passionate and committed, Victor emerged as the French Junior Champion in boardercross, slopestyle and halfpipe. At the tender age of eighteen, he was ranked fourth in the World Cup. Despite these successes, he found himself torn by another dream: to make films. He soon decided to follow his heart and turned his attentions to filming. Thanks to his new-found medium Victor thrived and began expressing his passion for freestyle and adventure. He was voted Best French Rider in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and named Rider of the Year 2015 by Snowboarder magazine.

In 2019, he set himself a fresh challenge: to take part in the Freeride World Tour for the very first time. Victor came top of the overall rankings at the FWT, securing the World Champion title in his category in 2019 and 2021. Victor is also a multi-faceted athlete who also loves freestyle snowboarding, rock-climbing and paragliding – sometimes all at the same time!

 


VICTOR MUFFAT-JEANDET (FR) - FIS WORLD CUP ALPINE SKIER

Victor Muffat-Jeandet (born 5 March 1989) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie in France, Muffat-Jeandet made his World Cup debut in February 2009 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Rigorous, perseverant and perfectionist, he likes the work well done. He is highly demanding with himself and these requirements are bearing fruits season after season. He achieved his first podium in 2015, a runner-up finish in a super combined at Wengen, Switzerland. He also participated at the 2013 World Championships and 2015 World Championships.

2018 offered him his first participation to the Olympic Games in PyeongChang, where he earned his first medal, a Bronze, in the Alpine combined. He also made his first place in World Cup’s combined in Wengen. In 2020, Victor made two World Cup podiums, earning the third place in both Combined and Giant Slalom at Wengen and Adelboden, Switzerland. In 2021, Victor won the 2nd place in World Cup Slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and was crowned French Champion in Slalom, Super-G and Combined, and holds the 10th place in the World Cup Slalom men ranking. 

www.victormuffatjeandet.com / victor.muffatjeandet1 / @vmuffatjeandet / vmuffatjeandet


NASTASIA NOENS (FR) - FIS WORLD CUP ALPINE SKIER

Nastasia Noens, born September 12, 1988 in Nice, is a French alpine skier, specialized in the slalom discipline. Bronze medalist in slalom at the 2008 World Junior Championships, she took part in the Olympic Games in 2010. The only French rider to have achieved this performance since 2010, she has climbed twice on a World Cup slalom podium with a 3rd place in 2011 in Flachau, Austria, and in 2014 in Bormio, Italy. The year 2018 welcomed Nastasia in the Olympic Games in PyeongChang, China, and in 2019, she ranked 9th place in World Cup Slalom in Flachau and 10th place in Grandvalira Soldeu, Andorra, before winning the French National Championships in Slalom in Auron.

In 2021, Nastasia took the 10th place in World Cup Slalom in Lenzerheide, Switzeland, and finished the season holding the 23rd place in the World Cup Slalom women ranking. Having won the French National Championships in Les Gets, Nastasia was crowned French Champion in Slalom for 2021. Nastasia evolves almost permanently in the Top 30 World Cup global ranking in Slalom discipline and aims for the Top 10.

nastasianoens / @nastasianoens / nastasianoens


MARKUS EDER (IT) - FREESTYLER, FREERIDE WORLD TOUR CHAMPION

Considered a role model in the universe of freeride, Markus Eder is a 29-year-old skier from South Tyrol, Italy. Having made his debut as a ski racer, he was bound to be attracted by the creativity and fun freestyle skiing had to offer and began to focus on this discipline in 2005. As a park skier, Markus Eder won the Nine Knights in 2010, in the SFR Freestyle Tour in 2011 and competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia (15th in qualifications).
In 2011, Markus Eder took part in a backcountry competition for the first time. His vision to stand out among his freeride competitors was based on the reinterpretation of steep lines using his freestyle background as an advantage. Markus won the World Heli Challenge in 2012 and took second overall in 2018 Freeride World Tour before being crowned Freeride World Tour Champion in 2019, the most prestigious title a big-mountain rider could earn.
Markus Eder starring in five Matchstick Productions (MSP Films) films from 2014 to 2018 became another turning point in his career, giving him the opportunity to demonstrate his technical prowess on the Far North steep lines. In 2020, Markus decided to step back from competitive skiing to focus on a personal project.

 

 

SEBASTIEN VARLET (FR) - FREESKIER & FILM MAKER

Sébastien started skiing at five years old in a tiny ski resort close to Lake Geneva on the French side. For 12 years he skied and trained in ski racing all the way to the FIS circuit. Understanding he could not reach the top level in Alpine skiing, he decided to focus on sharing his passion through teaching. Sébastien gradually became more and more attracted to exploring new and steep mountains with challenging terrains. At 22 years old he went skiing in New Zealand and started competing in the Freeride World Qualifier. Today, Sébastien is a passionate Freerider splitting his winter between competing and filming movies during ski trips.

Sébastien has finished top 5 in the European rankings for 3 years, twice placing 4th and once 5th (only the top 3 qualify). Sébastien keeps on trying hard to qualify for the Freeride World Tour alongside sharing good experiences with friends and discovering new places to ski. In 2021, Sébastien holds the 11th place in the European FWQ ranking. 

 

 

UGO TROUBAT (FR) - FREERIDER

Ugo Troubat, born on May 31st, 2000, and from the ski resort of Les Arcs, France, is a 21-year-old French freerider. Ugo started skiing at the age of two and integrated the alpine ski club of Les Arcs until the age of 15. Then, having decided to take-up freeride / backcountry skiing, he then joined the Freeski Academy in Les Arcs. Ugo started competing on the Freeride Junior Tour in 2016 and achieved his first podium with a 2nd place in Nendaz, Switzerland. Building on this momentum, the freerider qualified for both the Junior World Championships 2017 and 2018 – 2017 in Andorra and 2018 in Kappl, Austria.

He then reached several podiums on the junior circuit, including a 2nd place at the Verbier Freeride Week Juniors 2* and two first places at the Freeride World Qualifier 2* in Chamonix in 2020, on the last stage of the season. Ugo is now competing on the Freeride World Qualifier 4* circuit, with the aim of finishing in the top 3, in order to qualify for the Freeride World Tour. In 2021, Ugo holds the 8th place in the European FWQ ranking, and 3rd in the French FWQ ranking.

 

 

 

KADITANE GOMIS (FR) - FREESKIER

Kaditane Gomis is a young 18-year-old French freeskier licensed by the Club des Sports de La Clusaz, in France. Kaditane started skiing at the age of two under the guidance of his father, a ski instructor. Having started with alpine skiing, he could not help but jump over the moguls on the edge of the slopes. It was then natural for him to turn to freestyle (slopestyle and big air) at the age of eleven. Kaditane evolved on the podiums of the young criteriums before he started competing in the French Cup and taking part in international races. In 2017, Kaditane won a 4th and 3rd place at the SFR Freestyle Tour in La Clusaz.

Since 2018, Kaditane has achieved multiple podiums in FIS competitions, and even climbed into the top 10 in the European Cup in 2019. In the same year, Kaditane also took a 6th place at the World Rookie Tour in Seiser Alm, Italy, and won the French overall classification of the season. At only 18 years old, Kaditane is already one of the best freestyle skiers and is considered a young prodigy in the discipline. In fact, he took part in the Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020. In 2021, Kaditane took part in the European Cup and National French Championship in Big Air and Slopestyle disciplines.

 

 

Pictures / Credits
Agence Zoom / Chamonix / Christophe Pallot / Dom Daher / Eric Gachet / Freeride World Tour – J. Bernard / Joerg Mitter / Morgane Raylat / Pantaphoto / Stéf Candé / Valentin Bonadei