24 SEP “ALVIN” BAYONA: A NEARBY, MULTIFACETED AND RESTLESS GUY

“ÁLVARO, ALVARITO, “ALVIN” IS AN ATHLETE AND ALWAYS WILL BE… UNTIL DEATH!”

Text and interview by Víctor Gallego

A few weeks ago we brought you an article explaining what Adaptive Surfing is all about, and at the same time we introduced you to three of the most influential riders on the national scene.

Below is the first of the interviews these three supermen granted us. This time, we chose Álvaro Bayona “Alvin,” a friendly, multifaceted, and restless guy who uses his passion for extreme sports to help and bring adaptive sports closer to all those who want to learn about and practice them.

©Photo Leni

A fascinating life story, which, after an avalanche, left Alvin in a wheelchair. He did nothing but reinvent himself, “ I would have committed suicide, but human beings are extraordinary… and I did the complete opposite, always motivated, always striving upwards .”

Today, Álvaro is creating the Alvin Bayona Foundation to give a voice to, help, and bring adapted sports and their benefits closer to our society, and to make us all understand that " even if life slaps you in the face every morning, you look at it, smile, and say: 'Don't worry!'... we still have the whole day together. "

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

I was a ski guide and instructor, and I had an accident on the mountain while snowboarding. It was a Friday morning, a sunny day after a light snowfall the night before. I was with a colleague checking the areas to see if we could go out, and in an area that was like an off-piste, some snow had accumulated from the night before.

That morning they must not have done the proper checks, and when we went there, I went to see what the area was like. I made a vertical cut to see if there was a slab of rock, and when I stopped to warn my partner that there seemed to be no risk, suddenly, the whole mountain started to move. An avalanche occurred, throwing me down a 25-meter precipice , which was the fall that broke my back.

Photo ©Lino de Valier

YOU WERE A MOUNTAIN GUIDE AND PROFESSIONAL RAIDER, YOU WERE TRAINED FOR THOSE SITUATIONS, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION?

Yes! I was an instructor and competed in freeride, freestyle… and the truth is, when you're in the world of extreme sports, you're always prepared for something like this to happen. So my first reaction was to survive, to try to float in the snow that was dragging me along and not try to go where I'd end up getting thrown off.

WHAT IS THAT FIRST MOMENT LIKE WHEN YOU REALIZE THE SEVERITY OF THE INJURY? HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THE NEWS THAT YOU ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR?

I was in the ICU, I spent 12 days there, and that's where they told my family and friends the news. Obviously, everyone was sad and depressed. When the doctor came to my room to tell me, I was already expecting it: helicopter, ICU… Everything I could remember didn't bode well. Honestly, at that moment I didn't even think about crying, or getting depressed, or anything like that. I felt the complete opposite. We always used to say with my friends in the mountains, " If something like that happened to me, I'd kill myself. What are we going to do, we who make a living from this, from our legs in all the sports we do… " And look, human beings are extraordinary. I felt the complete opposite, always motivated, always looking up . And I overcame it by playing, which is how you really learn in this life.

A NEW REALITY AND MANY THINGS TO LEARN, WHAT ARE THE KEY LESSONS YOU'LL TAKE AWAY?

I'm always fighting against storms, so one thing I learned was to be patient. I always fight like a sailor against all the waves, knowing that the sun will come out later and he'll be able to see everything in a different light, a beautiful light.

We all have our share of depression, like everyone else. But we also have something extra: a wheelchair. It's not just about being in it; it's about social, economic, and physical problems. So what helps me face all of this is knowing that I'll come out of it much stronger, more resilient, and wiser than before. It's always a struggle, and since I'm a Taurus and very stubborn, I always want to win... hahaha! That's the motivation I use to face things.

SURFING, SKIING, SNOWING… A NON-ENDING LIST OF EXTREME SPORTS THAT YOU USED TO PRACTICE AND STILL DO, WHERE DOES THAT TIRELESS AND SPORTS SPIRIT COME FROM?

Everything has its beginnings, when you're a little kid and you're in the village running up and down, sliding around all the time on wheels, on skates, on a bodyboard, on a surfboard... that's when you're already hooked, when you're 8 or 9 years old and you're skating up and down you're already hooked on that adrenaline and those kinds of sensations.

Photo ©Lino de Valier

So tell me, what do you think it is about these sports that makes them so addictive, that even with an injury like yours you've never stopped practicing them?

All these sports involve one thing: risk. And if you're born with that adrenaline rush, that thrill of risk, and that something special these sports offer that we can't quite define but that captivates you, then the addiction is already there… hahaha!

So what happens? You have an accident and you're going to stop doing it? You know that landing a trick, flying higher than anyone else, getting caught in an avalanche, or even dying are all part of the game, so you enjoy it; otherwise, you wouldn't do it. So, I have an accident and I'm going to stop doing what I've been passionate about since I was two? You don't like to think about it, but you know it can happen. So we're not going to stop . We keep doing what we love: skiing, surfing, SUP, wakeboarding… we keep gliding on wheels every day… hahaha

And when did you suffer what you don't like to think about?

I had the accident and I carried on with my life. I don't believe that if you love these sports you're going to stop practicing them, or at least stop finding ways to do so. That's how I see it; it's part of my life, of who I am. Álvaro, Alvarito, "Alvin," is an athlete and always will be, until death!

AN ACCIDENT, AN INJURY, BUT AN UNSURPASSABLE VITALITY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A PERSON WHO IS IN THE SITUATION YOU WERE IN 6 YEARS AGO?

I would never lie to them; I'd tell them it's going to be a tough life, that's for sure! But that they should face it with joy and a smile. There will be hard times, very hard times , but these moments will be a real life lesson, making them stronger so that when anything happens to them again, they'll know how to deal with it better.

It's going to be tough, like everything in life. For us, maybe a little tougher, so we have to take it one step at a time; things will work out eventually. We have to take it easy and be eager to learn. They've been given a new life and they're going to have to learn everything again, almost like relearning to read. We have to be patient; they're not going to learn in a year or two. I'm six years older and I still have a lot to learn , so they shouldn't get discouraged.

We have to take it as a challenge; we all have to have challenges in this life, and we're going to have one that will be forever , and every day when you get up at 7:00 it's going to slap you in the face, but you smile at it and say, 'Relax, we still have many hours of the day left.'

Photo ©Albert Pl Laborda

MANY PROJECTS AHEAD, THE ÁLVARO BAYONA FOUNDATION , CHAMPIONSHIPS, COURSES, INNOVATION… NON-STOP, HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?

I'm very happy because things are being done right. I've been fighting for adaptive sports for years, and surfing has welcomed us with open arms from day one. That's very important to me; they've supported us both financially and emotionally.

THIS INTERVIEW IS TAKING PLACE IN AN UNBEATABLE SETTING, THE SPANISH SURF CHAMPIONSHIP IN GALICIA AND IN DONIÑOS, WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY FROM IT?

With these people, what can I say… hahaha! Sun, sea, and good vibes… there can't be a bad combination , no bad vibes. It feels like we're all one. A surfboard, the sea, the forces that support us, and camaraderie.

Camí a Alaska (Spanish Subtitles) from Gerard Molins, the whole story reflected in that documentary.

An interview that faded into a conversation between friends. Words, phrases, advice, a life lesson, energy, vitality, and a perpetual smile are what this tireless athlete and exceptional person gifted us. A pleasure and a joy to discover real-life heroes among us.