From Pressure to Purpose: Lucas Baume on Redefining his Snowboarding Career
Choosing Freedom Over Medals: Lucas Baume’s Bold Leap
Lucas Baume aka Yung Doli opens up about his decision to leave the competitive circuit and carve his on path in snowboarding and fashion.
After a decade on the Swiss team and even competing at the Junior Olympics, Lucas shocked many by walking away from competition in 2019. After all, he was living a life most athletes only ever dream of. But he had outgrown that dream. His hunger for growth, however, never faded.
Written by Anna Unternährer
Lucas, you built a solid career as a competitive athlete. Why leave everything behind?
I’d dedicated my life to becoming the best snowboarder I could be, but at some point the pressure was just too high. I would get injured – broke my foot, hurt my shoulders – and the moment I could ride again, I was straight back into World Cups. There was very little to no time to practice. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted, and I started to feel scared of doing the thing I loved most. That’s when I knew it was time for a change.
It allowed me to find myself and make snowboarding fun again.
Did you have a vision or plan in mind when you decided to make that move?
Not really. All I wanted was to decompress and just snowboard – even if that meant getting a summer job. My entire youth had been dictated by trainings, gym sessions, contest schedules, expectations… so much control. I just needed to not give a fu** for a while, let loose, and focus on what brings me joy.
Were you afraid of taking that leap?
I wasn’t afraid, but everyone around me was very critical. People thought I was crazy and that I was throwing my career away. I get it. When you’re in the Swiss team, you’re in a really privileged position. I was one of the best at my age at that time, and it was very unusual for any athlete to quit and do something completely different.
In your case, that meant starting an Instagram account which, today, has over 56K followers. How did that happen?
I just started posting skate-style snowboard edits, something people weren’t really doing back then. I found my own niche that wasn’t performance-based, and within a year, my Instagram started to blow up. It was very fortunate, because it allowed me to keep snowboarding professionally without having to compete.
But you didn’t just post videos, you also started making your own clothes. Why?
Since I started focusing on style rather than performance, it was really important to me to dress as best as I could. Back in 2019/2020, snowboard brands were all about skinny pants, which I wasn’t into. So I started dressing like a skateboarder on the snowboard. At first, I’d just hit thrift stores and buy crazy joggers and baggies, because none of the snowboard brands had what I wanted. Eventually, I thought… why not make my own clothes?
Eventually, I thought…
why not make my own clothes?
And how did that shift into launching your own clothing brand “DRINK SEXY”?
Once my Instagram following grew, people started asking where they could buy the pieces I was wearing in my videos. So I decided to make them for everyone – and that’s how it snowballed into the brand it is today. I never set out to build a business; I just wanted to create pieces I enjoyed wearing.
Few people dare to change their life so radically. Looking back, do you have any regrets?
No, it’s the best choice I could have made. I really enjoy being my own boss. And even though I’m still doing most things myself, it’s amazing to see how much I’ve learned. I’m proud to have created a brand I can stand behind. Yes the change was radical, but it allowed me to find myself and make snowboarding fun again.
Any goals or vision you’re currently working towards?
I just want to keep evolving with what I do. In snowboarding, there’s only so much you can do – especially during a transition. But in streetwear and fashion, there’s so much potential. My vision is to build a brand big enough to involve all my friends and give back to the snowboarding community. There are so many talented riders out there who don’t get the opportunity to make a living from it. To me, they’re all worthy of being pros.
A final word for anyone who feels called to change their life but is still sitting on the fence?
Believe in yourself. Believe in your vision. You only live once. It’s kind of stupid to say, but if you don’t do it now, you’ll never do it. And what happens if you fail? You fail and you try something else.
