Thibault Anselmet, world ski mountaineering champion
Leading ski touring
Meeting with… The star of French ski mountaineeringIn 2021, in his very first year on the senior circuit, Thibault Anselmet ended the ski-mountaineering season (the competition side of ski touring) with a small globe in the vertical race and second place overall in the World Cup! In 2022, he confirmed this with another second place overall. Thibault then clearly announced his objective: to win the "Gros Globe" in 2023, i.e. the overall ski mountaineering World Cup ranking. A goal achieved during this exceptional season, during which he also won the mixed relay world champion title (with Emily Harrop).
Having reached the summit, the hardest part is staying there. Which is what Thibault Anselmet did in 2024, once again winning the Gros Globe in 2024, plus the title in “sprint”, an ultra-spectacular discipline that will be at the 2026 Olympic Games.
In 2025, Thibault Anselmet once again confirmed his status as the world's number 1 ski mountaineer. At the World Championships in March 2025 in Switzerland, Thibault once again won the title in the mixed relay with Emily Harrop, then won the silver medal in the sprint. His efficiency and consistency also enabled him to win the overall World Cup ranking. A “Big Globe” won for the third year in a row!
Its 2024-2025 season
Thibault Anselmet:
"Let's start with the World Championships, the main event of the winter. It was my main goal, and I arrived in early March in top form for these championships. I am proud to have achieved them with a gold and a silver medal."
I wasn't in great shape at the beginning of winter. I encountered problems in the autumn that affected me greatly; it wasn't easy. Despite this, from the beginning of the season, I was able to rely on my experience, and the results were still very good. This allowed me to believe again in the overall World Cup ranking, an objective that I had put aside at the beginning of the winter. Finally, once again, I managed to maintain consistency and versatility at the highest level, and in the end, win this big crystal globe for the third consecutive year.
This season has taught me a lot, allowing me to project myself in a good way towards next winter, with the main objective being the gold medal at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.”
2025: Winner of the overall World Cup ranking, mixed relay world champion, sprint world vice-champion, 2-time French champion
A family story
Like many local children, Thibault Anselmet put on skis when he could barely walk. Not surprising with a father who is himself a mountaineer. Registered with the Bonneval sur Arc Ski Club (resort labeled "Land of Mountaineering" by the UNESCO Committee), he strung together the poles before switching, as a teenager, to ski mountaineering. And very quickly, he followed in his father's footsteps. Between transmission and admiration: "He would pick me up on Wednesdays at boarding school to end the day with dry climbs in our Haute Maurienne Vanoise resorts."
Ski mountaineering then becomes much more than just a discipline for the young Maurienne native: "This sport is physically and mentally challenging, and you learn a lot about yourself. You discover yourself. It also allows you to go wherever you want in the mountains, without being restricted to slopes or lifts."
Ski mountaineering: a family story with the Anselmets. Jérémy, Thibault's brother, also won silver in the U20 mixed relay at the 2023 World Championships.
A profound sense of freedom
Inspired at a very young age by Kilian Jornet, wisely advised by his father, and supported by his municipality and the Tourist Office, Thibault Anselmet progressed very quickly. His talent and abilities are undeniable: the former carpenter became in 2021 one of the only French athletes in the discipline to turn professional thanks to a contract with the Army of Champions and the support of his partners, including the Haute Maurienne Vanoise Tourist Office, which has been committed to Thibault since 2018.
Standing at 1 meter 83, the skier from Bonneval sur Arc has broad shoulders: "Of course, my ambitions are higher." The sprint and mixed relay will make their debut at the Milan Olympics in 2026: "That would clearly be a medium-term goal."
Follow Thibault Anselmet on Instagram!
To the moon
En 2023, Thibault Anselmet s’était fixé l’objectif le plus élevé de sa discipline : remporter le classement général de la Coupe du monde de ski alpinisme.
Un objectif atteint grâce à un travail de tous les instants et à un mental à toute épreuve.
En 2023, il a décroché la lune : les impressions de Thibault avec sa nouvelle vidéo “To the moon“.
Ski touring culture
A leading figure in ski mountaineering in France, Thibault Anselmet also reveals a "ski touring" culture that is well established in the resorts of Haute Maurienne Vanoise. Races and events are regularly organized in the resorts (Trace du Châtelard in Aussois, Traversée des Rois Mages in Valfréjus, ascent of the Eterlou in La Norma, etc.) and routes are specially marked out in Aussois, Val Cenis and Bessans.
Bessans and Bonneval sur Arc are even labeled « Land of Alpinism » by UNESCO, notably thanks to this ski touring culture.
While Thibault Anselmet is still young (born in 1997), the next generation is already here: Anselme Damevin, from Val Cenis, is one of the best young French athletes, with a 5th place as a team in the 2025 World Championships and a third place in the 2025 Pierra Menta.
With such a density, Haute Maurienne Vanoise is now the land of ski mountaineering champions in France.
