Snow and ski lovers, you will have to zap on your remote control between France 2, France 3 and France 4 to watch the World Alpine Skiing Championships. A year after the Beijing Olympics, the world’s ski elite meet in France from Monday for the first time in 13 years. The chic resorts of Courchevel and Méribel, in the Trois Vallées area (Savoie), are hosting the competition. To understand the issues and know the form of French athletes, an overview with Luc Alphand, consultant for France Télévisions.
Alpine Skiing World Championships, February 6-19. To see on France 2, France 3, France 4, france.tv and the francetvsport application (see detailed program below).
Le Point: How is this competition looking?
Luc Alphand: There is great expectation in the ski and mountain world, because since Val-d’Isère in 2009, France has not hosted the World Championships for thirteen years. The project was very well put together by the two resorts selected. There is a new downhill run in Courchevel and a run in Méribel already used for the Albertville Olympics in 1992 which has been revamped. There is snow. In addition, the weather looks quite good for the first week dedicated to speed disciplines.
Why is this event important for the French mountains?
Last season 2021-2022 post Covid-19 was good in terms of attendance. Many people still want to ski. This year, the start of the season was difficult, with snow only in the Southern Alps, such as Serre Chevalier. It was complicated further north. The snow has since fallen and the February school holidays promise to be good. Post-Covid has made people want to move and ski in the mountains. We can hope that the public will be there, with a very good atmosphere in the villages, which have organized several events.
Which skiers should be tracked?
Among the boys, there are many good skiers. Clément Noël, reigning Olympic champion who won last year in Beijing [third French Olympic slalom champion after Jean-Claude Killy in 1968 and Jean-Pierre Vidal in 2002, Ed], has just won the World Cup in Austria [ahead of the Swiss Ramon Zenhäusern and the Norwegian Lucas Braathen]. He therefore returns to form at the right time and will be one of the most beautiful French assets. Alexis Pinturault is having a slightly less successful season than he has always shown us. But he is often in the top five in the standings. He will be at home [he is from Courchevel, editor’s note] and it starts with the men’s combined, an event in which he is the favorite. Alexis knows how to handle pressure, so don’t forget that. There is also Johan Clarey, our oldest who, at 42, finished second in the Kitzbühel downhill in Austria and second last year at the Olympics. I would like him to win his first race here, in France. Finally, there is Adrien Théaux back, Mathieu Faivre, reigning Giant world champion two years ago in Cortina, Italy, and many young people who will try to show themselves.
What about girls?
It’s a bit more difficult for girls. There is always Tessa Worley who made the podiums this year. She is still in the race, but it will be hard to beat the American Mikaela Shiffrin, the big star of this Savoyard fortnight [82 World Cup victories, editor’s note]. Tessa Worley can fight for a medal. In women’s slalom, there is practically only one representative, which is Nastasia Noens. In giant, there is Coralie Frasse Sombet and Clara Direz. After Tessa Worley, the other best medal chance for skiers is Romane Miradoli in speed. There is still a lot of work to rebuild a women’s team.
A word on the place of skiing in France, it has long been a democratized sport. With inflation, are you worried that skiing will increasingly be reserved for the wealthy?
Everyone fears that skiing will become an elite sport. It is true that it is very expensive to go skiing. It was more democratic before. You also have to put yourself in the shoes of the ski resorts who pay more for electricity, the price of fuel for grooming the slopes and who are obliged to transfer these increases to the passes for the ski lifts. If we compare with foreign countries, packages in France are not so expensive. They are cheaper than in Switzerland, than in Italy, and much cheaper than in the United States and Canada. People may be afraid to go to big resorts like Courchevel or Val-d’Isère. But the French mountain is not just the French Alps and the big resorts. We can go to Cantal, the Pyrenees, other resorts where there is a little snow at the moment and which are much more affordable. In these places, holidays are almost half price. If you have children, you can have a lot of fun and enjoy it.
Monday, February 6 Combined women, from 10:50 a.m. on France 4 and 2:05 p.m. on France 3 Tuesday, February 7 Combined men, from 10:50 a.m. on France 4 and 2:05 p.m. on France 3 Wednesday, February 8 Super G ladies, from 11 a.m. 20 in France 2Thursday, February 9Super G men, from 11:20 a.m. in France 2Saturday, February 11Ladies’ downhill, from 10:50 a.m. in France 2Sunday, February 12Men’s downhill, from 10:50 a.m. in France 3Tuesday, February 14Parallel qualifications, from from 4:50 p.m. on france.tvWednesday, February 15Parallel women and men, from 11:50 a.m. on France 4Thursday, February 16 Women’s Giant Slalom, from 9:50 a.m. on France 3Friday, February 17 Men’s Giant Slalom, from 9:50 a.m. on France 3Saturday, February 18Slalom ladies, from 9:50 a.m. on France 3Sunday, February 19Slalom men, from 9:50 a.m. on France 3
