Stéphane studied mechanical engineering and has been working at the European Patent Office in Munich as a patent examiner for the past 15 years. First covering footwear for eight years, he is now responsible for ski/snowboard/bindings/skates/wheels/climbing gear. His work includes the assessment of innovations in regards to the current state of the art and granting the patent provided a product meets the requirements. Stéphane grew up in Bourg St Maurice / Les Arc in France. Competing in ski contests at a very early age, he switched to snowboarding in the early 1990s and joined the ISF and FIS circuit for four years. When the carving skis were introduced to the market, he switched back to skiing. Nowadays, he loves to go ski touring, and his preferred skis are telemark skis. In the summer, Stéphane is a passionate climber, mountaineer, and mountain biker.

“I feel honored that I was asked to join the ISPO Award Jury. Skiing is my way of life and everything connected with skiing is my passion. I deal every single day with patent applications on paper. To see the actual innovations is highly motivating. I can’t wait to see what the ski world has come up with this year to make our lives better.”