Fasten Your Seatbelts – Up in the Air with Maxime Chabloz

In the summer, he has sand in his hair while kitesurfing; in the winter, snowflakes blow in his face as he freerides on skis. Swiss athlete Maxime Chabloz is one of the few athletes who is at home in two sporting worlds and ranks among the world’s best in both. In an interview with BLACKROLL®, the world-class athlete discussed the differences and similarities between the two sports and how he managed to fight his way into the elite in both disciplines.

Unique Skills: A Professional Athlete in Two Sports

Thanks to his unique talent, Maxime manages to bridge the gap between two demanding sports. In both kitesurfing and freeride skiing, flawless body control in the air is essential. He is the only world-class athlete who can fly across the ocean on a kiteboard just as easily as he can ski down snow-covered slopes and mountains. It’s extraordinary that he ranks among the absolute world’s best in both sports! His annual “air time”—that is, the time he spends in the air—could even be compared to that of a pilot.

A Natural Talent in Two Worlds

“I’ve always been the freestyle type who prefers to play with my body awareness rather than race against the clock or time. It’s not about being as fast as possible for me.”

It quickly becomes clear that Maxime can pull off playful stunts and tricks in both sports. He controls the kite in constantly changing wind conditions, and his skis obey him on the steepest slopes. “You can transfer a lot from freeriding to kitesurfing. The muscles used are largely the same. I need my leg strength all year round. After the winter season, though, I have to train my arms hard again, since it takes a lot of strength to hold on to the kite.” Every trick in the air takes a lot of energy, since Maxime first has to pull himself up onto the kite. The maneuver from the water into the air is equivalent to two pull-ups. There are differences in the equipment. While he uses two skis for freeriding, he stands on a wakeboard when kitesurfing. “A lot of people ask me why I don’t snowboard in the winter, but I was practically born on skis. You can’t do that with water skis when kitesurfing (laughs)—there isn’t a discipline for that yet.”

Switching from Kitesurfing to Skiing

But how does he manage the switch between the two sports? After getting sunburned from long days of training in the ocean, Maxime heads to the snow-covered mountains. Maxime knows that the transition between the different conditions always takes a little time. But he doesn’t always have that time: “Suddenly, in February, I had another kiteboarding competition in Colombia, so I had to switch back from skis to the kiteboard (laughs)!” To be able to perform in both worlds, the question becomes more pressing: how did Maxime develop his balance between speed and control? How did it all actually start?

The ski lift behind the house and the lake right outside the door

“When I was little, I often went water skiing and wakeboarding with my dad, and that’s how I got into kitesurfing. It fascinated me right away.

At age 13, I started competing in kiteboarding competitions and was always very motivated to ride not only on the lake but also on the ocean. Over long weekends, we’d drive down to southern France to practice that early on.” Maxime grew up in Central Switzerland, where the nearby lake provided ideal conditions for kitesurfing. It was the perfect opportunity to get started. In the winter, he then turned his attention to his second passion: skiing. He says he was practically born on skis, and the ski lift isn’t far away either. Unlike with kitesurfing, however, it wasn’t love at first sight. “I then realized with alpine skiing that racing against the clock wasn’t really my thing. But since I wanted to stay connected to the sport, I switched to freeriding—for me, the more appealing discipline that I enjoyed more. Off-piste, I was always trying out my backflips and threesixties (360-degree spins in the air).” The switch was a success. He immediately won the Junior World Championships in freeriding.

The mental aspect is important

The exceptional Swiss athlete has high expectations of himself and puts a lot of pressure on himself. “In kitesurfing, major success didn’t come so quickly; for years I had to deal with many disappointments, suffer bitter defeats, and had a lot of bad luck. In the skiing scene, it looks like I’ve never experienced disappointment because I won right away on the Freeride World Tour.” By switching between sports, Maxime is able to balance out a range of emotions; after spectacular victories on skis, he doesn’t get too carried away, but he can make up for his still-elusive successes in kitesurfing.

“The thrill of competing in both sports stays with me all year long. I can keep improving.”

When he finally clinched the title on the Kite World Tour last year, Maxime was overcome with emotion.

The Significance of the Kite and Ski Titles

“The world championship title in kitesurfing was incredibly special to me! I immediately saw the little Maxime inside me, the one who used to practice for hours on the lake in front of our house. I’d been desperate to win this title ever since I was a kid.”

When this dream finally came true, a huge weight was lifted off Maxime’s shoulders.

Two Schedules

If you want to be among the world’s best in two sports, you have to train a lot. The summer season starts for Maxime in June; he likes to go to training camp with friends to prepare for the new kitesurfing season. For days on end, they work intensively on new stunts and tricks. His biggest rival—and friend—is also there in Greece. But that’s no problem for Maxime.

“There’s no better coach than your biggest rival. He knows exactly what’s in store for you and has been through it all, just like me. We can teach each other a lot and are very good at separating the competition in training from the competition on the World Tour.”

After the last kite competitions in November in Brazil, Maxime Chabloz will swap the warm water and sand for the cold, snow-covered mountains. From Christmas through April, Maxime will be on the Freeride World Tour. With such high demands on both mind and body, the Swiss rider knows he has to manage his breaks well and understands the role recovery plays in this.

Partnership with BLACKROLL®

“It’s funny—before I became a BLACKROLL® Ambassador, I already had several of their products at home. I’ve been sleeping on the RECOVERY PILLOW for years. I travel a lot and stay in hotels, so a good pillow is essential for me!” For pre- and post-workout routines, Maxime uses the foam roller and the BALL. He uses the MULTI and the LOOP BAND to warm up before training sessions and competitions. “I especially need the FASCIA GUN in the summer after kitesurfing, since my arms get really strained and are often tense. I mainly use the COMPRESSION BOOTS in the winter after hitting the slopes to relieve tired legs.”

With a keen eye for detail

For Maxime, filming his own videos for his social media channels provides a balance to his busy schedule. It’s a third passion of Maxime’s, through which he once again expresses his attention to detail and creative flair. “It’s more of a personal project for me. Of course, I try to engage with my audience—I want to build a community that’s genuinely interested in me.

I’m not a fan of fleeting trends and short video clips that generate a lot of attention for a brief moment and then disappear without anyone even remembering the person’s name.

That’s not my style.” He wants to showcase himself to people who follow him closely and are passionate fans through longer videos on YouTube, created with an eye for detail, and in this way give something back that they’ll enjoy. For him, the videos he produces also create beautiful memories that he hopes to look back on with pride in a few years.

Following His Instincts

“My goal is to compete again on the Freeride World Tour and maybe at the 2030 Winter Olympics. In kitesurfing, I want to win a second title to show what I’m capable of. I’m not done yet!”

He also has even bigger film projects in the works, through which he plans to continue capturing his extraordinary athletic experiences in the future. “I’m wise to just follow my instincts, see what’s possible, and not put too much pressure on myself.” Whether it’s stunts and jumps while freeriding on the slopes or kitesurfing in the ocean—Maxime’s creativity and body awareness in the air are one-of-a-kind. But even in his YouTube videos and social media content creation, he demonstrates—with great attention to detail—how he takes the time for his viewers. Instead of short-term trends, the focus is on a deep connection with the athlete. The likable Swiss athlete is living his dream in both sports worlds and already has his next leap in mind.