Justine Dufour-Lapointe, from Olympic moguls to the world freeride circuit

The powder suits him so well. Olympic champion in mogul skiing in 2014 and figure on the circuit, Justine Dufour-Lapointe hung up this very framed Olympic discipline last year to escape to other peaks: the Freeride World Tour, the world freeride circuit.

No more timing or precise tricks to place on the track, but a slope to descend in the most impressive way possible by combining technique, style, commitment and originality. ” I have always fueled the challenge, explains the 2015 world champion. After twelve years of the World Cup, I think I felt ready to attack something new. » Also the desire to “reconnect with skiing in another way”.

After her third Olympic Games, which ended in Beijing with a frustrating 20th place and a fall, she set out to find another way to enjoy skiing. “What challenged me was to have the feeling of having this freedom of expression on the slope, continues the one who has 117 starts in the World Cup, for 15 victories and 49 podiums. There is no good technique or good run. Yes, it is a judged sport but we are not completely locked into rules and techniques. We can show who we are. »

And from the first stage in Spain in January, Dufour-Lapointe sent heavy: a big backflip. An imperfect reception, and she finished in 6th place, but the essential is elsewhere. On the next round, the magic happens. A committed and technical line and there you have it on the top step of the podium in Andorra. She approaches the penultimate stage in Fieberbrunn (Austria), from March 11, as the provisional 3rd overall.

All the more surprising given that Dufour-Lapointe lacks experience in this specialty of skiing. “Before, my friends called me to go skiing, but I almost never went there, she says. And there was the Covid, more time for me and to go skiing. And I just realized how cool and fun… skiing was! But in Quebec, there isn’t really any freeriding. My first real freeride training camp was in April 2022, in Colorado, with one of my former mogul coaches who did freeride. »

This is followed by internships in New Zealand, Austria… An environment to conquer, new techniques, a training plan to imagine solo. This time, no federal staff or daily support from the Dufour-Lapointe siblings, her sisters Chloé and Maxime, with whom she shared the biggest competitions in the world for many years.

“I had very little experience and I knew that if I wanted to make this huge change and have the chance to land a wildcard (for the FWT), I should not do this halfway, confirms the skier, four world medals on the list. Knowing that I only had a few months to prepare. »

Boosted by the images of the Norwegian Hedvig Wessel, two Olympic Games on the clock in mogul skiing (26th and 19th) and second in the Freeride World Tour three times, Justine Dufour-Lapointe learns quickly. “These are details, but my years in the World Cup help me to have a good technique, which I obviously have to adapt more, she specifies. When I jump in bumps or a cliff, you have two seconds in the air. It’s not exactly the same, but in the air, I know what’s going on. »

The 28-year-old Canadian also claims not to know her limits yet. For one day, aiming for the world title? “Yes, I’ve always liked clear, precise, tangible objectives, the medal. It’s part of my subconscious to want to dream about that. But at the same time, when I got into freeriding, my only goal was to have fun, to reconnect with that inner joy of skiing like when I was a kid. And it took me further than I wanted in a short time. So I intend to keep this strategy, focus on pleasure above all. » Before sliding: “But deep down, of course that’s what I want. »