Crépel began snowboarding at the age of six in the Pyrenean resort of La Mongie (Hautes-Pyrénées) on a customised board specially designed for a small child with ski bindings, soon earning the nickname 'Little Monkey' for his agility.

[1] His family attended many major winter sports events due to his father's occupation as a ski instructor and consequently Crépel was present at the birth of snowboarding in France and the Pyrenees.

When he was 10 years old, Crépel was spotted by Terje Haakonsen whilst on a Quiksilver photoshoot in Greenland and invited to take part in the Arctic Challenge and by the age of 15 he had been runner up in the Youth World Championships.

In 2006, Crépel represented France at the Olympic Winter Games but failed to win a medal however later in the same year he became the first Ticket to Ride (TTR) World Snowboard Tour champion.

[4] The Mathieu Crépel Invitational is a new annual event (inaugural meet February 2008) which will be held in the Ayré Forest in the Pyrenees and will form part of the TTR World Championship series.