“After winning the Neirivue-Moléson (10.6 km for 1290 m of D+) a few days ago right near your home, you are now eagerly awaited on Sunday at the Mont-Blanc Marathon, a legendary maratrail of which you are the title holder. What shape are you in?
At Neirivue-Moléson, my form was not optimal, but that’s normal. I finished the ski mountaineering season a little late. I needed a little break, and this race was the right way to test myself and see where I was. I was reassured. The Mont-Blanc Marathon is my first big event of the season. I’m going to be fresher and I’m aiming for victory obviously. I always aim to do as well, or better than last year. I know I’m expected, but you have to take this pressure positively. Especially since I know the course well, I know what I am capable of. Last year I broke the record, I know the route suits me well. We will try to do the same thing.
What does this race inspire you and what place does it play in your career?
When I started, it was one of the races I dreamed of winning. At the time, I had made a list and the Mont Blanc Marathon was on it. It’s one of the most legendary mountain races. And then, it’s on the Golden Trail World Series program, so it adds a bit of prestige. And when you see the landscape and the atmosphere… You don’t get that in all races.
“The Mont Blanc Marathon is my first big event of the season”
You did not participate in the first three rounds of the GTWS. What is your strategy and your ambition this season on this circuit?
I will try to play the title again this year. As I have won twice in a row, I will go for a third coronation. As they say, never two without three. I certainly missed the first tests but in my opinion it’s not too annoying. What I prefer is to be in good shape when there are races like Sierre-Zinal (August 10) and those in the United States (Headlands on September 14 in San Francisco and Mammoth on September 22 in the Sierra- Nevada), they make me dream a little more. While the races in Asia (Kobe Trail in Japan and Four Sisters Mountain Trail in China) at the start of the season… it’s a long trip, and I was finishing my ski season. So it made no sense for me to go there. So, I need four races for the classification, plus the final (Ascona-Locarno in Switzerland from October 17 to 20), so that will do the trick.
“I’ve managed to win everything for three seasons, in winter and summer”
You have a very atypical profile, since you perform at this level in the summer in trail running and in the winter in ski mountaineering. What is your secret?
At the beginning of my career, I made the mistake of wanting to commit to a lot of competitions. Now, I select more. In the winter, I have my vertical and individual World Cups, as well as the World Championships. And now, I’ve managed to win everything for three seasons, in both winter and summer. I think I’ve managed to manage all that well. I also impose a break on myself in the spring, with only two or three races and basic training, it helps you to de-stress a little, to then be 100% focused.
“For me, the first Olympics (in 2026) will not really be “alpine skiing”…”
Is this a balance you absolutely need?
Yes, because in winter I can’t run at home, there’s too much snow. So, I take my skis and I compete. I also need that to confront others. Racing is something I have in me. It’s my passion, so it’s not a chore to go and train. But you have to manage it well and plan everything well over an entire year.
Ski mountaineering has joined the Olympic fold and will be present in 2026. Are you very satisfied with this or are you worried that your sport could lose some of its soul?
When we received the news, we were all happy. It’s every athlete’s dream to go to the Olympics. But then, when we saw the disciplines chosen (sprint and mixed relay), we were all a little disillusioned. For us, it distorts the sport a little, it doesn’t go in the right direction. We see that they (the CIOs) are trying to shrink everything, like mountain biking, where they go around and around… We really don’t want it to become like that. The Olympics are good with the aim of professionalizing the discipline, athletes will be able to make a living from it because sponsors will be interested in it. This is currently not the case. There, I live from running. We will see if that can change for 2030. We will put a little pressure, but in the end it is not us who decide, we do not have much weight… For me, the first Olympics will not be not really “ski-alpi”… »
