From Tahiti’s warm waters to Denmark’s icy seas, Yann Lavallette has kept his taste for gliding over water. At 31, this Papeete native can boast a fine title: the first Denmark pump foil champion. A crown won last August, in this discipline that involves propelling a foil-equipped board forward using body movements, without wind or waves.
A performance that the Polynesian prefers to put into perspective. “My level has nothing to do with those of Tahitians from Tahiti who compete, etc.,” he confides with humility. For him, foil remains above all a hobby, even if this first victory has opened a few doors. Lately he has also been sponsored by the Scandinavian arm of a company specializing in gliding equipment.
From Tahiti to the London kitchens
Before making his mark in Danish foil, Yann Lavallette was aiming for a completely different career. After earning a professional baccalaureate in cuisine at the Tahiti hotel school, he left the island to pursue his training in Toulon. Two years later, he headed to London, where he worked in a restaurant of the French star chef Pierre Gagnaire.
It was in the kitchens of this establishment that he met the woman who would become his wife, a Danish woman who came there for an internship. He then decided to follow her back to her homeland. Almost ten years later, the couple has built their life there, with a house and two children, now aged 4 and 2.
Meanwhile, Yann changed careers. At the birth of his first son, the demanding hours of the restaurant industry did not fit with family life. He retrained as a technician for coffee machines, working alongside his in-laws.
Set about twenty minutes from Copenhagen, the Tahitian has adapted to his adopted country, and he now speaks the language fluently. Yet the first Scandinavian winters were tough: “It gets dark at 3 p.m. and there’s daylight only at 9 a.m. It hits you a bit in the system when you come from a country where the sun is life.”
Foil, a passion born in the family
In Tahiti, Yann was already a gliding enthusiast. As a teenager, he used to ride downhill on a longboard with friends, and he also surfed and bodyboarded. It was finally in 2023, during a stay in southern France with his brother, that he discovered foil. The two men decided to try it together.
The Polynesian quickly fell in love with pumping, a discipline that lets you glide over water using only body movements. Back in Denmark, he continued to learn and train, despite conditions that were very different from those in Tahiti.
In the Nordic seas, there’s no question of going gliding in mere board shorts. In winter, temperatures can hover around freezing and some spots are even covered in ice. A thick wetsuit, gloves, and booties are essential.
“Here, when it’s cold, you wear a wetsuit, so your movements are restricted. Whereas in Tahiti, you wear a surf short, you’re shirtless and off you go!”
Not enough to deter Yann, who has even grown accustomed to the famous ice baths and daily cold showers. Regardless of the temperature, the thrill of gliding stays intact. “Honestly, gliding is pure bliss. It’s so cool.”
Over the months, his level rose steadily. Until this first national competition held on August 22 and 23 in Ishøj, near the capital. For the first time, the Danish Surf Federation, Surf & SUP Denmark, included pump foil in its championships, in collaboration with the local club. Fourteen competitors showed up. And it was Yann who prevailed, becoming the very first Denmark champion in the discipline.
That victory did not go unnoticed. “It definitely causes a bit of a stir. It stirs things when it’s a Tahitian who comes to win,” he smiles. On Instagram, he shared his pride in representing his island at the other end of the world.
This title also earned him a place on the Scandinavian team of a company specialized in foil equipment.
And Yann intends to defend his crown at the next championship, in 2027. “The ultimate objective would be to win the next competition and be Denmark’s champion again,” explains the man who aims to “live from his passion”: “It’s the ultimate dream.”
The homeland forever in the heart
Despite the years spent in Denmark, Yann Lavallette remains deeply attached to his island. What does he miss the most? His family, the sun, and especially raw fish. And even under northern latitudes, some habits cling on. “I’m still at home in surf shorts with bare feet,” he jokes.
The sea remains a precious link with the homeland. Since taking up foil, he finds in Danish waters sensations that feel familiar. “I feel good when I come out of the water. It’s like Tahiti, when you go to a surfing session or just take a dip.”
If his life is now well anchored in Denmark and he feels at home there, the Tahitian does not rule out one day returning to Tahiti to settle there. With his wife and their two children, he plans to spend a year there when the children are a little older. The chance to reconnect with relatives and to show his homeland more deeply to his family.
For now, Yann Lavallette continues to share his daily life between work, family and foil sessions in the cold Nordic waters. With a new goal in mind: to retain his Denmark championship title in 2027. And always that same thrill of gliding, whether in Tahiti or at the other end of the world.
