SPONSORS: 1994 - 2006
- Radair (1994-1995)
- Gotcha (1994-1999)
- Hammer (1995-1998)
- Airwalk (1998-1999)
- Type a (1999-2000)
- Blacksmith (2000-2004)
- Kaiser (2001-2002)
- Com8 (2002-2004)
- Skull Candy (2005)
- Advita (2006)
- Argentinië
- Covers
- Interviews (1994-2004)
- Imperivm (2004-2011)
- Photographers
- Publicity Campaign
- Promodels
- Videos
From the Streets to the Mountains
My Mother is Dutch and was born on Java.
My Father is Catalan and was born in Barcelona.
My Sister was born in Amsterdam.
I was born in Brussels,
but it was France that made me 'Noyau Dur'.
At the age of 7 I got beaten up for the first time at the local soccer club because I was different. I can't thank the gods enough for that day and moment! Since that day I knew I had to fight myself through life. I learned at a young age to only respect those who respected me.
At the age of 12 I moved with my mom to the lower west side of Brussels. My love for the streets, the cultures, the lifestyles and the art forms that defined it, was born. I Spent my time on the streets of cities in different countries and my multiple language skills made me street smart on an international level. I dreamed of the fast life that Outlawz were living, The Adrenaline, The Adventure, livin every moment like it's your last, time gets another dimension/value. Real men are master of their life, not the other way around. Courage is measured by the size of your cojones. Talk is cheap. But the Love for my Family and my Board kept me on the right track and I gave that dream a place in my heart. I became a "Str8 Ridah", a brave heart who rides the world with true passion! A passion he defends with his life and honor.
First Love: SKATEBOARDING
I saw the movie Thrashin' in 1987 and fell in love with skateboarding, the sport and the lifestyle. My first board was a Jeff Grosso, Santa Cruz 1988 model.
Skateboarding through my childhood kept me on the right track most of the time, back then the skate culture was pretty rebel and underground, a very good way to relieve negative energy and turn it into something positive.
Second Love: SNOWBOARDING
Around 1989 my dad rented me some first generation Crazy Creek, and my second love was born: Snowboarding.
In 1993 I bought my first board, a Morrow Revert 155. I decided to move to Les Arcs, France, for my first winter season with the ambition to spend time with the mountains and ride as much as I could.
That first season was pretty hard: I lived in a small room together with Philippe Lalemant (ex Apo pro rider), we didn't have a lot of money, so we could only pay our rent and the lift ticket. We lived soberly but motivated and we rode more than anyone...
Axel Pauporte (ex-world champ extreme free riding) was our mentor that first season and he hooked us up with our first sponsor deal in the summer of '94.
The next seasons other Belgivm riders followed such as Cedric Coutellier (ex Hammer pro rider) and Fegy and Youbi (ex Burton pro riders) to name a few. We became a notorious crew with 100 crazy stories! Les Arcs became a snowboard mecca and durin the 90's this was one of the leading resorts with one of the biggest snowboard communities in Europe.
During my pro career I had the chance to voyage around the globe, met so much interesting and good people, experienced different cultures and rode so many mountains.
IMPERIVM snowboards
In 2004, together with Mike Steegmans, I founded the company Imperivm Snow, a Core Brand with big ambitions and a different philosophy.
In April 2009 we went bankrupt, the curator sold Imperivm to United Brands in May 2009.
I started working for them in June 2009 since I was still attached to this project, but ended the cooperation in March 2011 to make room for new projects.
- FORTES FORTUNA ADJUVAT -