Telemark: “It’s going to be a unique experience,” says Maëly Vernet-Bouquet
The resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie (Haute-Savoie) will be hosting the Telemark World Championships from 19 to 23 March 2025. On home soil, the French team has big ambitions.
On the eve of this major event for the French team, Maëly Vernet-Bouquet, eighth in the overall World Cup rankings, talks to Nordic Magazine about the French team’s ambitions.
- What do these World Championships mean to you, on home soil in Les Contamines-Montjoie?
The last World Championships in France were in La Plagne in 2017. I wasn’t yet on the world circuit. It’s a rare event. We don’t know when we’ll have another opportunity to compete in a home World Cup. It’s going to be a unique experience. I can’t wait to experience these emotions alongside my team and the public who will be coming out to support us.
- What are your objectives?
We’re leading the team World Cup, so we’re going to do everything we can to win the team title. And of course, we hope to see as many French riders as possible on the podium, as has already been the case this season in the World Cup. For my part, I’m hoping for a top 5 finish. Obviously, at the start, I’ll be aiming for the podium, but a top 5 would already be very satisfying.
- What’s day-to-day life like in the French team?
We’re lucky to have a very dynamic team with 16 athletes, 8 women and 8 men. We do all our courses, training and travel together. Telemark is a sport with little media coverage, little recognition and therefore few resources. Each athlete has to fund 100% of his or her season, including travel, registration, accommodation and meals. Everyone looks for sponsors on their own to cut costs, and most of us study or work on the side to finance our season and support ourselves.
- A season is a real adventure…
Yes, we make do with what we have, and that strengthens our bond even more. We’re a really close-knit team, we have a lot of laughs, and we know we’re never going to get bored in competition or on training courses. That’s one of our greatest strengths! What’s more, the level is super high, which encourages us to progress together in competition.
“The grail would be to get telemark into the 2030 Olympics”Maëly Vernet-Bouquet at Nordic Magazine
- Telemark skiing is a relatively unknown discipline, so why did you decide to take it up?
It’s often a family affair. My older sister [Argeline Tan-Bouquet, editor’s note], who is now in the French team with me, was already doing telemark long before I was. When I grew up in the resort, I first did downhill skiing, but I wasn’t really enjoying it, I wasn’t getting as much pleasure out of it as I would have liked. I stopped downhill skiing and had the choice between cross-country skiing, snowboarding and telemark skiing to continue with a winter sport. I chose telemark, mainly because of the atmosphere… and it ended up being my passion.
- How do you see the future of the sport?
We’re obviously looking to professionalise our sport more and more, whether at French team or World Cup level. The ultimate goal would be to get telemark skiing into the 2030 Olympics in France. Discussions are underway on this subject. For us athletes, it would be an incredible goal, but also a huge opportunity for our sport.
- This would be a great step forward for the sport…
This would enable us to remove a number of barriers: easier access to modified studies, more support, greater visibility. Today, many athletes have to choose between their passion and their personal career, for lack of means. What is certain is that all the athletes, coaches and players in the World Cup, from all nations, are doing their utmost to help our sport progress as far as possible.
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