2024-02-04 10:41:00
This meeting has always had the habit of celebrating the giants of freestyle. Already colossal during the last editions, Tess Ledeux wrote quite a page in the history of the X Games last week. Her trophy cabinet already well stocked with eight medals at the high mass of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, the Frenchwoman added two golden charms to become the women with the most medals of the event, tied with the Estonian Kelly Sildaru.
More than the numbers and the awards, it was the manner that impressed last week. Because Tess Ledeux pulled out all the stops during the big air, but especially during the slopestyle. “I have just done the biggest run in history and in my history,” confided the main interested party to our colleagues at L’Équipe. Double bronze medalist in halfpipe snowboarding at the Worlds and avid follower of the freestyle scene, Clémence Grimal almost has stars in her eyes when talking regarding the Plagnarde weekend, impressive in its serenity.
A double for history in Aspen
From admiration, this is what emanated from our consultant, to comments on the Tricolore’s performances in big air and slopestyle at the 2022 Olympics in particular. “In slopestyle, she did the biggest run that a girl can hit in competition in history. There has never been so much technicality, fluidity, everything was combined. It’s the same for big air , but the slopestyle run… It was the most technical and stylish women’s run of all time.”
On the Colorado modules, Tess Ledeux recites her score. A symphony that she continues to work on with her trainer Greg Guenet and which allows her to stay one step ahead of the others. “She did a 1260 (editor’s note, four and a half rotations), a 1240 in switch (editor’s note, more than four rotations with a backward start), such complicated figures,” continues Clémence Grimal who also evokes a “very touching” run. where the champion paid a new tribute to her father who died three years ago.
Grande dame of the X Games since her debut in 2017 when she won silver in slopestyle, the Frenchwoman made the event one of her most beautiful scenes of expression. “That’s where we bring creativity,” says the halfpipe specialist. But 2024 seemed different from what she had known as she made this campaign an exercise in consolidation. “I had just completed a run that even at the start of the season, I hadn’t imagined… It was my goal, I knew that technically, I had the resources to do it, but I didn’t really feel like it yet able.”
Ledeux: “A voice deep inside me told me that it was going to do it”
X Games to validate its continuity strategy
Well armed with two of the reference figures of the women’s field, the double cork 1260 (editor’s note, twice upside down with 3 and a half turns) and a switch double cork 1440 (editor’s note, start in switch, pass the head twice in low with 4 turns to land in switch), “the biggest tricks that exist in women’s freestyle skiing” according to Clémence Grimal, Tess Ledeux has consolidated and worked on her skills over the last few months.
Praised for her consistency and confidence by our expert, the Savoyarde did not particularly want to add a new figure to her arsenal. Mastering what exists has already kept her busy. “It’s a good strategy because these are new tricks, we need to reassure ourselves,” continues the snowboarder, insisting in passing on the importance of style in the judges’ assessment, one of the axes on which the champion can still progress. “That’s where we have to press, to look for original things with figures which don’t necessarily rotate a lot, but which have a style, a particular axis of rotation. It’s not just the jumps, there are the rails, lots of modules and new features elsewhere.”
“You are world champion!” Kevin Rolland behind the scenes of Tess Ledeux’s coronation in Big Air
Tess Ledeux’s work is phenomenal. Comforted in her strategy of not doing anything crazy this season, the rider from La Plagne spoke of “work won for the future” to L’Équipe. Clémence Grimal also believes that “it will launch her for the end of the season and who will give her a little boost” while the competition with Johanne Kili, Megan Oldham and especially Mathilde Grémaud, her best opponent, rages on in the World Cup.
While waiting for the return of the series, scheduled for Tignes in March (to be followed on Eurosport), the Plagnarde will take a refreshing break of a month and a half without competition. An escape that she has not known for eight years. Tess Ledeux found her balance in this “atypical” 2023-2024 vintage. All the signals are green in its roadmap for 2025 and 2026, its major objectives for the future. We can’t wait to see the prodigy at work once more.
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