Victor Daviet and the New Wave of French Snowboarding

He goes by Vic, Vivi, Vicouille, Tchoul, or Dandy, but we know Victor as the comical Frenchman who sends massive backcountry jumps and isn’t afraid to tear down an AK face. Daviet grew up in the small town of Gap in the southern French Alps, where he started riding quaint resorts like Reallon, Céüze, Orcières Merlette, and Vars with his mom.

From there, he began riding with hometown friends in a small snowboard club, meeting local heroes like Bruno Rivoire, Gaby Bessy, and Brynild Vulin. With no terrain parks to speak of, Victor and friends sought out natural jumps and terrain and began building booters at a young age. Daviet’s comfort out of bounds and cool calm in AK likely stems from his early years exploring steep, natural terrain with friends.

“We were all freeriding naturally because it was fun and because it was the only thing to do,” says Daviet of growing up in the Alps.

Later in high school, Daviet met other riders in France including Victor De Le Rue, Thomas Delfino, Arthur Longo, Mathieu Crépel, Sylvain Bourbousson, and Morgan Le Faucheur —a few of whom are now his closest friends and riding partners. Whether they know it or not, this group represents the new guard of style for French snowboarding.

They also take claim as some of the most serious Mau Mau—or UNO—players we’ve encountered, with consequences for lost bets ranging from hitting a jump first to eating without your hands at a restaurant and snapping shirtless selfies with randoms.

Look out for Victor’s part in the full-length Insight movie, dropping November 1st.