Patrice broke his first leg skiing when he was two and a half year old, and his other leg when he was three and a half. Surprisingly, he became an amazing skier, but did not acknowledge how much he disliked cold and snow until recently. The 80 degree weather in Miami this last Christmas brought a much bigger smile on his face than any amount of fresh powder could!

During the early 80’s,  Patrice became obsessed with windsurfing. At the time, he lived in Hyeres Les Palmiers, a quiet little town in South of France that was always windy.  Patrice would consistently go to work with his board on the roof of the car and, when his management did not give him a well-deserved promotion, he did not change much to his habits. Looking back, he admits he should have windsurfed even more!

One Summer, we drove to Lisbonne, Portugal, and  Patrice would windsurf every afternoon. The waves were ridiculously big and he even temporarily lost hearing on one of his ears after getting in trouble in a storm! There were no limits for his love of the sport, and  his daughter completely relates to that now, because she’s fallen for kiteboarding in the same way.

Three years ago, Patrice moved to Essaouira, a small town in Morocco facing the Atlantic Ocean. he  started kitesurfing next to the magical sand dunes, mysterious Mogador Island and sometimes intimidating camels sitting on the beach. In no time, he started backlooping the same way he used to when he was windsurfing – he says he does not have much of a choice: the waves are so big in Essaouira, you better learn how to skilfully jump or you’ll be crushed.  Once asked him how windsurfing compares to kitesufing: he said it’s like comparing driving a racing car and riding a motorcycle. In all cases, the adrenaline kick never fails to bring him back on the water.