Antoine Auriol

One sentence about the products that you are using.
Three words to describe my gear: predictable, easy, performing.

How did you get into kiteboarding?
I did a lot of gymnastics and trampoline when I was young. At 15, I discovered windsurfing and everything that came with it. This discipline corresponded to my temperament of creativity, freedom, combined with a love for speed, and being on the water.  At 19, I was European champion in Olympic windsurfing. But at around the same time, kitesurfing was emerging and I fell in love with it because it was a mix of all the sports I did previously.

What do you do before getting in the water?
I run on the beach and I do some stretching.

Tell us about your best kiting memory.
It was during a boat trip in New Caledonia. We went to Nokanhui, which is slightly further from L’Île-des-Pins. We were alone there, just kiting with some friends in perfect, translucent water.

Your worst wipeout?
In Spain one day during a storm, I got eaten alive by a wave and I fell in my lines. I almost drowned because I was tangled in my lines and pulled deeper and deeper. Very scary!

Who you would like to say thank you to?
To my parents, to nature and to my sponsors for giving me a chance to live my dream.