Office on the Slopes: How Nomad Entrepreneur Lucas Kampf Built WhiteRoot from Saalbach

Lucas Kampf is co-founder, CMO and CEO of WhiteRoot, the sustainable startup behind high performance, 100% plant-based, biodegradable ski wax, free of fossil paraffin and PFAS, tested by over 1,000 riders and winner of the ÖSFA Innovation Award 2026.

We asked Lucas how he builds a physical product company from the slopes of Saalbach, what a week in Bali is actually worth to a working team, how co-founders stay aligned when one is on a sailing boat and the other is halfway up a mountain, and what changes in a group of people once you get them above the tree line. At Driftawave we plan that kind of week for remote teams, so we listen to the people who already live it.

From family business to WhiteRoot

Where did the idea for a plant-based ski wax come from?

Hans was involved in testing the first carving skis. Moritz was working as a sustainability manager in Zell am See Kaprun. And I had up to 150 ski days a year, as a racer and living in paradise, Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

One day we heard the story of a Norwegian service woman. She died, and people put it down to the PFAS in the ski wax. So we thought: what is actually inside the wax that we use every two to four days? It was paraffin.

So we went looking for a plant-based formula for ourselves. When we found out it was faster than most of the other waxes out there, we founded WhiteRoot.

What did you take from growing up in an entrepreneurial family, and what did you deliberately do differently?

That building something of your own is much more fun than working any job. That is my opinion. I learned a lot about taxes and about how companies work, because I needed to. Some of it from my mum, other things from my dad.

But the way we built WhiteRoot was so different that nearly everything I needed to know, I learned by myself. And everyone can do that. Nobody needs a family business at home to change something in the world, or to become a better person.

Building remote, building real

How do co-founders stay aligned without sitting in the same office?

We are on the phone one to thirty times a day. If we need anything, we send a quick message or just call one of the other guys. Of course there are to-dos that are far more efficient if we are in one place.

But all in all we have much more freedom. One of us is on a sailing boat and the other one is hiking up a mountain, and we still get on a call with a client and get things done more efficiently, because our mind is clear.

What does working from the mountains actually do for your focus?

It clears the mind, and it shows me there is not only work in life, even when I am working all the time and everywhere. My girlfriend is sometimes a little bit annoyed, but at the same time she loves it, because she knows everything will pay off one day.

Right now we are both sitting on a plane on the way to our next adventure.

The athlete’s playbook

What does training as an athlete teach you about running a business?

Skiing professionally is my past. At the moment I am really into running and sprinting, track and field. Why? Because I want to get better always, and in everything. Improving myself a little bit more every day is one of my biggest goals.

Standing on the start line of a competition is the same as running a business. You have to show up every day.

You have to show up every day, so make it as much fun as you possibly can.

Remote networks, real rooms

What makes remote learning work, and where do you still need real people in a real room?

I really love doing most things remotely, because I can be wherever I want. But from time to time a human needs his people around him. For me it does not matter whether they are friends or business partners.

One thing is clear though. We always end up talking about business. In the office, in a coworking space, at the run club, in the gym, over dinner, even on holiday.

Is Bali still worth it for a workation?

It is too full, but you can meet nice people. A lot of them are there on holiday.

If you want to shut down for a week or two, go to other places in Indonesia, or even Korea. Some of my friends said it is much nicer there.

Teams in the mountains

What should a remote team know before booking a week in Saalbach?

Saalbach is one of the top ten nicest ski resorts in the world. You have over ten lifts where you can ski all the way down into the valley. A lot of the hotels and apartments sit directly next to the slope, which is perfect if you want ski in, ski out.

I usually go skiing from 8 to 11 and then work. So if you are 30 minutes away from the lifts, you lose one or two hours every day.

Why do people talk differently to each other in the mountains?

In the mountains everyone is on “du” terms. There are no different classes, like when you are on a plane. You can talk really nicely to everyone.

In the mountains everyone is on “du” terms. There are no different classes, like when you are on a plane.

Sustainability as the product

How do you keep sustainability honest as you grow?

Just do it. Just fucking do it. There is no other way for any company on this earth, and that is not a discussion.

Travel is a different thing. It is not the biggest threat to our earth. Companies are.

What did over 1,000 riders find when plant-based wax went head to head with paraffin?

They started asking themselves why everyone uses paraffin, if a natural wax is as fast as a conventional one, or even faster.

What comes next

What is next for WhiteRoot, and where in the world will you build it from?

At the moment we are developing a bike wax for chains. Same standard: high performance, high speed, 100% natural and, of course, biodegradable.

Nobody needs a family business at home to change something in the world, or to become a better person.