Freeride World Tour Qualifier Bonneval-sur-Arc 3*** France
The best freeriders...
at the Marmotte Vénère !
Yes, Bonneval sur Arc is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France: slate roofs, stone walls, preserved architecture, dwellings nestled in the heart of peaks topping 3,000... it's true, it's a sight to behold. Yes, Bonneval sur Arc is the village of Belle et Sébastien: it's where the films starring Clovis Cornillac, Tchéky Karyo and Félix Bossuet were shot. Yes, but... Bonneval sur Arc is also home to the Marmotte Vénère! While his colleagues are hibernating, the mascot of the Freeride World Tour Qualifier Bonneval sur Arc is actively preparing all winter for a freeride competition with the best European skiers and snowboarders.
Pro riders and amateurs of the highest calibre will once again be able to take advantage of the spectacular spots at Bonneval sur Arc, a ski resort with XXL freeride possibilities.
With snowfall totals frequently reaching 10m, Bonneval sur Arc is a veritable freeride nugget. A ski nugget to be discovered in Marmotte Vénère mode!
*Postponed to Sunday March 17, 2024 in the event of bad weather on Saturday 16th.
The program
• 8h00 Face check
• 9h30/15h00 – Compétitions* (pensez aux jumelles !)
• 16h30 Podiums
• 19h30 – Full Moon
• 20h30/01h00 – DJ Blue & Huush
* In the event of bad weather, the competition will be moved to Sunday.
Noon: at the competition site (the site will be determined a few days beforehand, depending on weather and snow conditions)
Evening: at the concert site, in the big top
Sunday, March 17
All day Partners' Village
- Weather day
Please note that the spectator zone is inaccessible to pedestrians.
Please bring your skis and ski pass.
Access to the spectator zone via the Vallonnet chairlift, then the Moulinet ski lift.
Runs (...) visible directly from the station!
At Bonneval sur Arc, with a 3-star rated face, the competition is reserved for seasoned freeriders. But the descents are easily visible from the ski area. The show from the slopes is intense and ultra-rhythmic: adults and juniors take turns on parallel lines adapted to their level. For spectators on the opposite side of the slope, it's a non-stop show, with dozens of riders and jumps to watch. There will also be entertainment on site (DJ, announcer).
This event is open to all skiers in the Bonneval sur Arc ski area (access to the spectator zone is only available to skiers with a ski pass. Access via the Vallonnet chairlift, then the Moulinet ski lift). To get the best possible view of the runs, don't forget your binoculars.
After admiring these skiers and snowboarders you want to enjoy the powder or progress in freeride safely? La Marmotte Vénère advises you to call on the professionals of the ski school !
A show (...) rhythmic and spectacular!
A lot of snow
On the border with Italy, Bonneval sur Arc benefits from major "easterly returns" that bring huge quantities of powder. At the end of the season, cumulative snowfall is frequently 10m!
Summit of the domain at 3000 !
A ski area open until the end of April and which culminates at 3000 m.
Put down your tracks
At the very end of the Maurienne valley, and yet easily accessible (TGV and freeway to Modane, then a beautiful, winding road), the resort of Bonneval sur Arc remains unspoilt. Enjoy untouched fields, even days after the last snowfall.
With so many assets, the Marmotte Vénère resort of Bonneval sur Arc has everything it takes to welcome the best French and European freeriders tothe Freeride World Tour Qualifier.
To take part in the "Freeride World Cup" (the Freeride World Tour), you have to prove yourself and earn your place at events held all over the world: the "Freeride World Tour Qualifiers".
Several French resorts host qualifying Freeride World Tour events throughout the winter. Competitions are classified according to their level of difficulty: from 1 star (the easiest are open to all) to 4 stars. At Bonneval sur Arc, the long, technical face is rated 3 stars.
In 2024, the resort will host two competitions: one for juniors (the Freeride World Tour Junior), the other for adults (the Freeride World Tour Qualifier).
Dozens of professional and up-and-coming freeriders will be on hand to score valuable points in the Freeride World Tour race.
FWTQ (Freeride World Tour Qualifier)
The Freeride World Tour Qualifier is the circuit reserved for adult competitors. It allows the best competitors to enter the Freeride World Tour. At Bonneval sur Arc, the face is rated 3 stars, so the competition is open to skiers and snowboarders who have already proven themselves and earned points.
FWTJ (Freeride World Tour junior)
This event, reserved for 15-18 year-olds, follows the same model as the "big boys": judging, format, safety... The only changes are the difficulty of the routes, the gradients and access to certain exposed areas. At Bonneval sur Arc, several dozen young competitors will set off not far from the adults, but in a more "accessible" sector. The Bonneval sur Arc FWTJ is rated 3 stars.
The full moon descents : freeride under the stars
At Bonneval sur Arc, not only does the Vénère Marmot remain active all winter long, but it continues to do so at night!
The mascot of the Freeride World Tour Qualifier Bonneval sur Arc 3*** hosts "Full Moon" descents! A few skiers will take to the slopes at night in vertiginous off-piste couloirs under the light of powerful spotlights. It's a big show, visible from the village and the big top set up on the snow front. And... great memories for the riders taking part, as Paul Blanc, one of the 6 skiers who took off at night on the very first "Full Moon" in 2022, tells us:
"At this Full Moon 2022, I went last, so maybe it was a little easier for me because I saw that the other riders had made it to the bottom without too much trouble...". And even though he knows the resort inside out (of course, Paul is the director of the local ESF and lives there all year round...), "taking off at night on a steep slope is really impressive. There's a lot of adrenalin, you can't see much and there's no room for error. During the day, you can see if you're going to make it or not. But here... you just have to go for it!
Paul Blanc
DJ Blue and Huush
9:00/01:00 pm
"Huush"To say "shh" in English... and above all to warn that these three musicians, escaped from the Rennes-based band Eighty, have decided to make a lot of noise with this new electro-rock project, imagined as a declaration of love to partying and letting go. The drums thump hard, the guitar oscillates between technoid arpeggios and saturated sound, while the synthetic bass supports the powerful beats of this advanced night music, with lyrics in French and English inviting intoxication and carnal pleasures. Barely off the ground, the trio is already offering us a collection of dance anthems and unbridled club music, as joyful as it is wild.
Video clip
Have you seen my face?
The riders' opinion of La Léchette, the face punctuated by rocky bars and big jumps with slopes of up to 45° that Marmotte Vénère has programmed for the competition at Bonneval sur Arc
Jumping, skiing, style: how do you judge it all?
For a monchu, there is not much difference between an exceptional run and a committed descent.
However, it is necessary to classify the dozens of skiers and snowboarders who take their turn. Whether they make it to the bottom or not is not enough to know if they have succeeded in their run. Fortunately, the competition judges have an expert eye.
To evaluate the run, the judges use a point system with 100 graduations from 0.0 to 10.0. Line choice, run fluidity, jumps and level of control when descending the face are the key criteria for judging. The judging is carried out by a panel of 3 judges (3 for skiing, 3 for snowboarding) specially trained and certified by the Pro Freeriders Board (PFB), and headed by a chief judge for each discipline. Juliette Willmann, pro skier and judge at Bonneval sur Arc in 2022, explains.
