A few months after announcing her retirement from the Freestyle Skiing World Cup circuit, Justine Dufour-Lapointe is once again making history: she becomes the first Quebecer to participate in the Freeride World Tour.
In 2014 at the Sochi Olympics, Justine Dufour-Lapointe won gold at just 19 years old. She becomes the youngest Canadian champion in freestyle skiing. After 12 years on the World Cup circuit, three Games and two Olympic medals, the youngest of the Dufour-Lapointe sisters continues to clear the trails: at 28, she embarked on a new discipline, free skiing.
“Every time I meet people and they ask me where I come from, it warms my heart to tell them that I come from Montreal and that I skied the small mountains of the Laurentians. Now, I see myself in freeriding on the biggest mountain ranges, and I tell myself that there is nothing impossible”, launches an enthusiastic Justine Dufour-Lapointe, from her hotel in Whistler, a week of his departure for Europe. On January 28 in Spain, the skier will take part in the first competition of the Freeride World Tour, for which she obtained a pass from the organization.
This circuit has brought together the best freeride skiers and snowboarders since 2008. The athletes set off from the highest peaks, without a pre-established route. The goal? Go from the top to the bottom of the course in a completely natural environment. Powder, obstacles, stones, trees: athletes have to deal with what comes their way. They are evaluated according to 5 criteria: the difficulty of the chosen line, control, fluidity, jumps and technique. At the end of the season, the athlete with the most points in his category is crowned world champion.
Freedom and letting go
As its name suggests, free skiing promotes freedom and requires athletes to let go. Freeriding is a sport particularly dependent on the weather, the mountains and the snow, says Justine Dufour-Lapointe. It is therefore impossible to plan a training day. You have to adapt to the sliding conditions, the same day. “The environment is less controllable than in mogul skiing, but that’s also what makes it beautiful,” says the double Olympic medalist.
With the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team, the expenses were slim. Justine had a team around her, funding for treatments and free access to professionals. Travel was also covered. Now she has to finance herself from A to Z and build her own team. The skier is currently looking for sponsors and partners to support her in this new adventure. These new responsibilities bring their share of stress, admits the athlete, but also a new freedom that “feels good”.
“Getting where I am, at 28, it gives me this control and independence over my life and my career,” says Justine Dufour-Lapointe. This area of discomfort is what makes the experience particularly rewarding. This is what allows him to push his limits and above all, to learn and express himself more freely on the mountain. “Freeskiing is a sport where there are no bad or good lines, good or bad turns. Everyone can show their personality on the track. »
At the end of March 2022, Justine Dufour-Lapointe went to a training camp in Colorado to familiarize herself with her new discipline. In the summer, she spent a month in New Zealand where she participated in two free ski events. The skier arrived at the foot of the podium in a competition almost as enhanced as the Freeride World Tour. “In this event, I did not put myself at risk. I wanted to do a solid and safe run. At the end of the descent, I felt like I still had a lot of juice, that I had even more to give on the trail. It gave me the confidence to tell myself that I can really learn and grow,” she says.
Freeride remains a sport relatively unknown to the public, especially in Quebec. Justine Dufour-Lapointe hopes to become the “vehicle” to talk about it more and to share this new passion. “I also hope to inspire young girls to keep moving and skiing,” adds the athlete. For her first season, the skier is trying not to worry too much about the pressure. “I want to be surprised by everything I’m about to experience. I want to reconnect with skiing in another way and honestly, to have fun. It’s simple like that: having fun on my skis and skiing the most beautiful mountains in the world. »
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.