Damien Lacaze
Do you have a nickname that you go by?
Not really. Some friends call me Dam’s
Where do you live?
France, South Alps, close to Serre Ponçon Lake
What do you do for work?
I’m working in renewable energy, in hydroelectricity. I'm a paragliding instructor as well.
What year, and how old were you when you started flying?
I Started in 2008 at 22
Did a family member introduce you to paragliding? Does anyone else in your family fly?
My parents flew hang gliders, long time ago before I was born. I started to fly with my climbing friends.
What other passions do you have, or activities do you enjoy?
My first passion before paragliding was mountaineering, rock climbing and ski mountaineering. Now, I still love to spend time in the mountains, but I like kite foil and wing foil too. Of course, I hike and run in the mountains as well.
Why is flying important to you, and what does flying mean to you?
I love the feeling of being the master of my choices, to be the one who can take decisions and read the sky to fly further. I like to feel that my safety is linked to the choices I make, to the skills I have acquired. Flying is the coolest way to discover countries, new mountains and to force myself to analyze each new area. I never stop learning when I’m flying.
List as many notable accomplishments (big adventures, competition results, bivvy trips, etc) that you’ve had over the past few years.
- 2013: bivy fly across Atlas (Morocco) from Agadir to Rich (650km in 14 days)
- 2014: Entering Pôle France. 2nd in British Open in Gemona, First French Open and First superfinal (11th). And Luc became my mentor in Team France. WPRS 20
- 2016: 4th in PWC Portugal. WPRS 20. 3rd place in french XC (CFD) with Flights from Col Agnel (almost 300km FAI) with Enzo2. 2017: Winner of Bornes to Fly. Flight Supporter of Benoît Outters at RedBull X-Alps (we made 2nd).
- 2018: 1500km volBivy in Pakistan with Antoine Girard. We also pioneered the concept of combos in mountaineering and flew at 7960m. At the time, it was the second-highest altitude reached after Antoine's record in 2016.
- You can still watch our movie “Lost in Karakorum” on Netflix.
- 2019: Second victory in Bornes to Fly
- 2020: Dolomiti superfly 7th
- 2021: First RedBull X-Alps. 11th with 12H penalty. And leaving for a one year journey on a sailboat with my family.
- 2022: Eigertour 9th place; Dolomiti superfly: 6th place. 3rd place in French XContest. With 3 flights from Col de l’Izoard and Col Agnel (325fai, 310 fai, 298fai)
- 2023: XC Project in South Africa with Clement Latour. My personal best (455km).
- RedBull X-Alps: 2nd place.
Do you have any goals, dreams or plans for the next 1-2 years that you want to share?
Get back to Pakistan to make big triangles and nice combos with friends. Try to fly 600km in South Africa…find a way to work less and fly more to also have time for my family ! Some other projects but it’s too early to share them.
