“For exampel: there is this short traverse in the beginning of Frendo Spur where you have to cross maybe two meters of ice and that is a mental game for sure. You know that you can do it, it is just two meters and you just put your board flat to it and use the speed knowing that I can stop after that in good snow. But if you go slow and slip on the ice you will fall down in a crazy coulouir full of ice and rocks – that is death for sure.”
He is described as one of the most creative and courageous riders of today and as he came to town to present his new movie project Frozen Mind together with The North Face I got the chance to sit down in the studio with french snowboarder Victor de le Rue.
Victor de le Rue grew up in the small resort Saint-Lary in the Pyrenees as the youngest of five siblings one of the more famous ones is legendary snowboarder Xavier de le Rue.
Victor got his first snowboard at the age of six and growing up he was riding and competing with the team “the Brown Bears”. After a couple of years racing in both boardercross as well as slopetyle and halfpipe Victor started from an early age having to choose between racing and going on photoshoots with sponsors.
“Watching my older brothers I always knew that they were really good in their sports but maybe I didn’t know exactly what they were doing. I just knew that they were out there, winning everything and just killing it and having so much fun. So of course I wanted to have the same life and after watching them I knew it was possible to make a living out of my passion.”
We talk about growing up with such talented siblings, about why he choose to leave racing, about his transition into big mountain freeriding and about seeing his older brother tumble down as Victor was still balanced on top of a big cornice waiting to drop in on his very first big Alaskan line.
About emotions and decisions up in the exposed high alpine terrain, about taking the step to start producing movies of his own together with friends and about his thoughts on the Wildcard for the 2019 Freeride World Tour and his comeback with racing.
Make sure to look at Victors new movie Frozen Mind. The full version will be released December 17 on Red Bull TV.
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If you like this interview make sure to check out the full Husky International series and subscribe on Spotify, Acast or where ever you get your podcasts.
The Swedish Outdoor Podcast Husky is recorded with support from Naturkompaniet.
If you like this interview make sure to listen to my interview with snowboarder Antti Autti, with freeskier Sam Smoothy, climbers Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson, or skiier Jackie Paaso.
Original photo © Fabian Bodet / The North Face
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