Meet THE NEW TEAM RIDER:Ophelie Ah-Kouen

From the volcanic folds of Réunion Island to the long, running walls of Saint-Leu, the ocean has always been part of Ophelie Ah-Kouen’s landscape. She first stepped onto a board at thirteen, sharing waves with her cousin — a gift of a surfcamp from her parents that quietly altered the course of her life.

What began as something simple — just another island pastime — soon revealed a much deeper pull.

“Walking on a moving board, dancing with the wave using only body language… it felt impossible at first,” she remembers. “But slowly it became natural. Longboarding turned into a passion that never left.”

Today, Ophelie brings that same grounded grace to Ross Concept, joining the team as an ambassador and cultural thread. Transitioning to new boards can take time, but her connection was immediate.

“There’s usually an adaptation period when you change boards, but this one felt like home right away,” she says. “The first time I surfed the Resolution model in Saint-Leu, the flow just matched me. It was smooth, balanced — nothing forced.”

She now rides a 9’4” Resolution and a 9’3” Prototype Square Tail — each carrying its own personality and rhythm.

“Both are really stable for walking to the nose,” she explains. “The Square Tail releases a bit quicker rail-to-rail, while the Resolution feels more stable on the nose, probably because I have more time with it. Both generate speed in a way that lets you just be with the wave.”

That 9’3” Prototype recently traveled with her to the WSL Longboard Tour stop in Abu Dhabi — shaped specifically for those wavepool conditions.

“The wave was really versatile, so the board had to be versatile too,” she says. “It had that balance between stability and responsiveness. Light enough to run with the speed of the wave, but controlled enough to slow down and settle into longnoserides. It performed so well there that I know it will work beautifully back home in natural waves.”

Between training, physiotherapy work, and travel, Ophelie draws inspiration from stillness — from the places where movement begins.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from nature — the mountains, the ocean, the sunrises and sunsets of my island. But also from people: the athletes I meet, the patients I work with, family, friends. Every exchange carries something meaningful,and I take that energy into the water.”

At home or abroad, her joy is rooted in the small, ordinary, deeply human moments:“Cooking, laughing, driving with the music loud, watching whales from the shore — those are the moments that make me feel alive. When I surf, I try to bring that same feeling of freedom into every wave.”

We’re grateful to share waves and stories with her.

Welcome to the Ross Concept family, Ophelie.