Our champions Our pride and joy

In 1955, he won the Critérium de la Première Neige slalom. In the 1960s, he became a trainer at the Club des Sports, sharing his passion with the Goitschel sisters and Jean-Claude Killy.

It was he who added the first name to the competition’s long list of slalom winners. This native son of a farmer entered the whirlwind of international competition unprepared by his family:

“For my parents, skiing was just a way of getting around. We lived in Le Fornet, and they’d put on their skis to go down to mass on Sundays, and that was that! They didn’t even ski during the day for fun. You can imagine, when I’d go on a trip, to Sweden or elsewhere, they’d think it was enormous and they’d worry a lot. My mother always put breadcrumbs in my pockets. In the old days, on St Anthony’s Day, we used to bless the horses and the bread, and I always had some in my pocket. It brought me good luck, because I never really hurt myself seriously.

A legendary champion, he won three Olympic titles at the 1968 Grenoble Games. His exceptional career was recognized at the highest level, and he was involved in the organization of the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games and was an IOC member for 19 years.

Born in Saint-Cloud, nothing predestined Jean-Claude Killy to become a top-level skier. In 1946, aged just 3, he arrived in Val d’Isère with his family and put on his first pair of skis. An avid sportsman, he practiced many disciplines during his childhood, before specializing in skiing. At the age of 16, he was spotted as a promising young skier by the French ski federation, then selected by Honoré Bonnet for the French national team.

He decided to stop competing after winning his third gold medal at the 1968 Grenoble Olympic Games. He thus put an end to his first life. He became one of the first athletes to sell his image for the promotion of major global brands. He also became a racing driver, taking part in the 24 h of Le Mans, a film actor and, finally, the entrepreneur of his own skiwear brand. A man of many facets.

In 1981, in partnership with Michel Barnier, they took up the challenge of organizing the Winter Olympics in Albertville. It was a return to his roots through the Olympic gates, and a new dimension added to his qualities as a great man. Following on from the 1992 Olympics, which revealed his skills as an organizer and manager, Jean-Claude Killy spent 9 years as president of ASO, the company that organizes the Tour de France and the Paris Dakar. He was also asked to sit on the boards of prestigious multi-nationals such as Coca-Cola and Rolex.
Since 1995, Jean-Claude Killy has been one of 115 members of the International Olympic Committee. Within the IOC, he notably chaired the Coordination Commissions for the Torino 2006 and Sochi 2014 Games.

At 33, Anne-Lise Rousset is a trail athlete and vet. She finished 2nd on the Transvulcania 2019, 3rd on the Olympus Marathon, in 2019 and set a women’s record on the Traversée des Aravis in 2020.

In 2022, Anne-Lise wrote her name into trail history by setting a new record on the mythical GR20 crossing in 35 hours 50 minutes.

A freelance journalist and avid sportswoman, Lucie grew up in the mountains of Val d’Isère. She is a high-intensity snowboarder and skier, with a particular passion for freeride and splitboarding. In summer, to rediscover those sensations of freedom and sliding, she hurtles down the slopes on her mountain bike in our Bike Park! She takes us into her daily life through her writing, videos and photos.

A freerider, he won the GoPro “Line of the Winter” competition in 2015 and 2016. His onboard camera films are spectacular, from speedriding and skiing in the powder at Val d’Isère, to night descents with headlamps in small couloirs and between rocks. He is an ambassador for the resort and travels the world shooting footage of his adventures.

Nouria grew up in Val d’Isère, she is known internationally for her pioneering expeditions on hostile rivers, notably in Patagonia, Iceland and the Himalayas. Three times world champion in extreme kayaking and vice-world champion in slalom in 2016, the Savoyard never stops and has even made a documentary film, Wild Water on Red Bull TV.