MINIQUEPERRET

We chat to the freeride pioneerwho was the founder of WEMountain -and voted FreerideSkierof the Century

MYJOBINANUTSHELL...

Job? I don't know why but I've never had a job! I had the immense privilege to be born with a passion and have always taken the risk oflistening to my heart. This passion for skiing, for snow and the mountains, without knowing it, has filled my whole life and taken me beyond anything I could have dreamed of as a child .

HOWITALLBEGAN...

I was born in La Chaux de Fonds, in the Swiss Jura. It's a town in the mountains, at an altitude ofl,000m, where everything was possible and imaginable. As a child ofnature -of the woods in summer, and the snow in winter -I was very lucky to grow up in this outdoors environment. I was immediately hooked on skiing: the smoothness of the snow, the freedom, the speed, the jumps and the unique and ephemeral feeling of escaping gravity. I decided: this will be my life!

Skiing motivated me to start and finish my studies in mechanical engineering in order to develop innovative products. I then started Vertical Zoo Films, my production company, and convinced brands -who thought I was crazy -to follow me on my expeditions, creating freeride films around the world. My first adventure had begun.

At the end of28 pro seasons, I realised that more than 30 friends, and several thousands of skiers, have died while practicing this passion. Unacceptable.

It seemed 100% natural to me to found WEMountain -an avalanche online safety program -to respond to the obvious lack of education in the mountains. My second adventure had begun.

Since then, with the help of an amazing co-founder, I've put all my heart, passion, time and money into the project.

MYROLE...

WEMountain is a unique ecosystem composed of all the actors of the mountain world: practitioners, brands, resorts and instructors. My role now is to shake up this international community; to exchange and consolidate around common values that are dear to me -namely freedom, pleasure and safety.

THEHIGHLIGHTOFMYCAREER...

I've always been a skier at heart -I don't look much at the tracks left behind, but always at the ones to be made! My ambition is that WEMountain will bring together all the actors of the snowsports industry and succeed in inventing the mountain of tomorrow. That would be, without any doubt, my most beautiful track!

WHATILOVEMOSTABOUTMYJOB...

Passion, people, travels, challenges, sharing, risks, successes, and for sure the extraordinary energy of the young blood that I work with.

THEHARDESTPARTIS...

The mediocre, jealous and lazy people full of bad energy that I cross paths with. Those who are part of the problem and not of the solution.

IFIHADTOCHOOSEONEPLACE TOSKIFORTHERESTOFMYLIFE...

Verbier, my home ski resort. You get easy access to steep, exposed, challenging skiing. To ski with my two sons Charles (27years old) and Noe (24 years old), and maybe one day their children, and with my friends, is a dream. Good skiers or not, it doesn't matter, as long as we have fun and a great place to meet the next generation who come to ski these amazing mountains.