#BIG MOUNTAIN SNOWBOARDING PHOTOS SERIES#

'It's amazingly beautiful and there's something that happens in your head, it's like time doesn't matter anymore. 'You're on your own, you're far from everything, and you're in a really strong element. 'I think if I had to describe one feeling that really stands out above everything it's the one moment when you're at the top of the mountain, ready to drop in. 'Ever since I started snowboarding and skiing, I looked at them and dreamed of getting up there and being up there on my own and even riding them. 'You see those big mountains that are far away and so unreachable,' he says. 'If I'm in a big city for a while, I start to feel nervous and I know that I need to go back somewhere where there is nothing, where I can touch a tree or a rock or something and then I feel better.'ĭe Le Rue thrives on the thrill of competition - he describes boardercross as like 'motocross' on the snow, as six people battle over a course filled with jumps and obstacles to reach the foot.īut he is just as happy in splendid, snowy isolation on top of a mountain. See de Le Rue take on the planet's steepest peaks 'I think it's just my own tool to experience life, to push myself, to know my limits, to maybe go over my limits sometimes and to be a happy and fulfilled human being. 'Snowboarding is what has taken me to the most glorious times of my life but also to the worst times of my life. 'Snowboarding is what has taught me to know myself.

'Snowboarding is many things for me but most of all, snowboarding is what shapes my life in a way,' he says. It is clear this connection de Le Rue feels with the mountains is not something that can easily be shaken. Snowboarding is what has taken me to the most glorious times of my life but also to the worst times of my life Xavier De le Rue, snowboarderĬhief among them is continuing production on his own films, with expeditions to Spitsbergen, in Norway, and Alaska scheduled, as well as a commentary stint in Sochi. All that energy I have been gathering really makes me look towards my future adventures.' 'I feel a lot lighter in a way, with no pressure. I am more fit than ever, and I guess this blowup is a great way to start from scratch. 'The good thing about everything is that my true place in snowboarding, as well as my heart, is in the high mountains riding powder. 'After four world champion titles, three X-Games medals and three crystal globes, it would have been an amazing way to leave the sport, but it has been a hell of a lot more brutal. 'It was really disappointing to get the news as this was going to be the end of my boardercross career,' he explains.

This particular dream is destined go unfulfilled - after dedicating the past year of his life to making next month's Sochi Games, a mix-up over qualification points saw him fall short of the benchmark. The only thing missing from his portfolio of prizes is an Olympic medal, having fallen short in 2006 and in 2010. He is a four-time world champion, a three-time winner of the overall World Cup title and has three X-Games gold medals to his name. If I don't feel something, I'll just go back home.'ĭe Le Rue's discipline is boardercross - essentially, a race from the top of a mountain to the bottom between a clutch of snowboarders. 'I think that right now, if I am freaked out about safety I will do no compromise. 'It was one of these perfect days and you forget that in a split second, things can change radically and then, suddenly the whole mountain broke around me.

#BIG MOUNTAIN SNOWBOARDING PHOTOS SERIES#

'This huge avalanche took me 2 km down the mountain,' the Frenchman tells CNN's Human to Hero series of the moment he feared nature had finally beaten him. It is also a synergy that provides solace in the wake of bitter disappointment, such as finding out your Winter Olympics dream is finally over. (CNN) - Only in the extreme world of big-mountain snowboarding could someone cheat death in an avalanche and realize it had reaffirmed their love of the powder.īut perhaps it isn't surprising when Xavier de Le Rue describes his relationship with nature as a need, or a drug.

He also tackles big-mountain challenges, including a trip to AntarcticaĬNN's Human to Hero series celebrates inspiration and achievement in sport.

The 34-year-old narrowly missed out on a spot in the French Winter Olympics team.

De Le Rue survived a near-fatal avalanche but says it galvanized his love of sport.

Xavier de Le Rue is a boardercross snowboard world champion from France.

Big mountain snowboarding photos