Pleasure Snowboard Mag

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BudokAn Backyard Jam

Eliott Golay. Photo: Thibault Viard

Joon Ivanov
I visited Budokan in the autumn back in 2018 for the first time.

It was huge, chalet full of big names, Romain De Marchi and Nicolas Droz were screening “YES. It’s a movie 2”. We’ve been snowboarding, skating at the mini ramp, bombing downhills of Les Diablerets and just having a good time all together. That was when I first met Andreas Gebbe “Dre”, the owner of the chalet. I liked the vibe so much, that I wanted to share that spirit with my Russian audience and I started to bring people over for the snowcamps the following winter. It was indeed a different story compared to other camps I had been doing before, simply because of the vibe and international spirit. The chalet was always full of people from all over Europe and we would dine and break bread at the same table, ride all together in the backyard and the glacier. Budokan remained a season starter for me and my students for quite a while, until COVID kicked in… and we all know what had happened after that. However, this November I was on my way to Europe to pick up some of the boards from YES and it was obvious and convenient for me to reach out to Dre and start my season once again in Les Diablerets like in the good old times.

 The Weather on the glacier was terrible, but somehow it snowed a lot down at the village so Dre and me came up with an idea of gathering riders in the chalet to have a little session at the backyard, skate the ramp and bring the spirit back and we did exactly as we planned! It was super nice when all the riders from different corners of the Switzerland and France showed up on such short notice. We had a blast for two days straight! Killed all the features we set in the garden, night riding with the lights, BBQ and good music. It was truly a great time. I just wanted to thank everyone who showed up there, Dre for hooking us up with the spot and all the staff team for the hospitality.

Zoé Roffi Photo:Thibault Viard

Mehdi Soltane
The Demonium chalet is an incredible place, where you're always warmly welcomed by an incredible team. It's like the dream place for a rider: indoor mini, sauna, snowpark and especially the bar! 
Every time I've been here it's been epic! Good times guaranteed. Thank you Dre for bringing this place to life and inviting us like princes!
Big big up! 🤘

Eliot Golay
Apart from the fact that everything is done to make Budokan a rider’s paradise, this place has that little bit of magic that few place places have. You disconnect completely, you are fully present.You meet people, you skate, you snowboard, you drop stupid things. You are living.

Thaaaanks to Kenzo, Colin, and Cloé for pompering us and cooking up some magic this weekend !!! Huge respect to Dre, who keeps this wonderful place alive and keeps the culture going !!! And big love to Thibaut, who captured the whole weekend and to all the team who where there. ❤️

Mehdi Soltane Photo: Thibault Viard

Andreas Gebbe aka Dre
2024 is a special year for us since it represents two decades of Demonium Camps at Chalet Budokan.When we took over the chalet in 2004 we had no clue what we were doing and i’m surprised we’re still living to tell the story ! All we cared about was to fully enjoy the spot and share our passion for snowboarding on a daily base.

Just writing these words brings back so many memories I don’t even know were to start. The chalet has given us the chance to live our lifestyle 100% and over the years it has become a place uniting the snowboard community. Today when I see all these young bloods coming through I can see a legacy has been passed on. This is a dedicated to all the shredders, all the players, all the trouble makers that have been supporting us from the gecko.

Most importantly, special props to Joon for making this happen, I love you brother ! To all the riders looking for a good session make sure you check us out in Les Diablerets next time your path is crossing the Swiss Alps.