Marion Haerty wins Freeride World Tour for the fourth time

Could you describe yourself in 3 words?

If I had to describe myself in three words I would say: passionate, bold and I don’t know what else!

Your older brother introduced you to the world of freestyle, what attracted you to the point of building a career out of it?

My brother and I used to spend every weekend at the resort and I spent a lot of time outdoors with my friends, it was really fun being with each other in the mountains and that’s why I asked my parents to give me a snowboard for Christmas that year. It was “the beginning of something” for me, I really got into the sport and I officially started competing around the age of 14, it was the beginning of what is now “a great story”.

Today you are undoubtedly one of the strongest freeriders in the world, what does freeriding mean to you?

Freeriding, for me, is the meeting point between your creativity and nature. It also means freedom because you can express yourself without the help of other people, it’s just you and the mountains. You can choose where you want to go and where you want to snowboard, which I think is magical.

Do you think that in 2021 women’s snowboarding will still be undervalued?

I don’t think so because we have had a good evolution in giving space to women in the sport. For sure there are less female competitions, but if you look in the sportswear shops half is female and half male, so I think we are on the right way to give the right space to girls.

You started with XC, then freestyle and now the adrenaline rush of the pristine mountains, can we talk about an evolution? Or were you attracted by something that made you change?

I think it was a great experience to have participated in various circuits such as the Open Cup and World Cup. It was very useful but, at the same time, it was really hard to stay at a high level, maybe within the national federation, also because there were many economic problems. For me it was a risk to stay in the national team, but with freeriding you can be more free in everything. You have your own programme, your own team and you have your own company. The only rider is you, you have to organise everything yourself, and that’s why I like it!

The Freeride World Tour only started in 2008 and you have already won four editions, how has it been so far?

I think it was the Freeride Tour that gave me the chance to express myself in my lines. Since then, about five years ago, everything has changed.

Do you think freestyle has helped you in your freeride lines? Your favourite trick?

I think it’s really useful to have some freestyle tricks behind me because it’s easier to get air…I think. It’s really hard to learn a trick for the first time in freeriding and that’s still my challenge, I’m still working on it, but I want to do a Backflip 360. In competitions it’s really hard to get a good jump but I’m trying to watch and learn from the guys.

Sport in general involves taking risks, in your case they are never trivial, how do you distinguish a risky situation from a real danger?

First of all, it’s about working on safety every day and making sure you have good equipment. Also, it’s a philosophy of life, you accept risk. I’d rather be outside every day than be in the office doing something I don’t like. I choose to be on a snowboard with friends and to live freely.

What is your setup? The board is important as well as the right outdoor clothing. You use The North Face products, which ones did you choose, why and how did you get on?

I really like the Brigandine jacket because it has the new “Futurelight” technology. It’s really nice to wear, waterproof, good against the wind and I like the flexibility of the fabric. When you’re on top of the mountains it’s very important to have good equipment and you have to be sure of what you’re wearing, with The North Face I don’t have any problems. I really like the shape of the garments and I’m happy that the marketing team ask me to give my opinions every year – it’s nice to help make better and better products. I’m super happy to have The North Face as a sponsor, they help me better myself in my career and I can explore even more in freeriding thanks to them. I am grateful for the opportunity to express my way of living the sport every day.

Studying the descent, the slope, finding the perfect line, what is the most exciting aspect of this sport? 

I think the most fun part is creating your own line and, in the end, feeling the emotions with the mountains. It’s about the freedom, but you also have this connection with the mountains and with nature. The beauty of a line is something that attracts your soul, it’s not about performance, the slope, your gender or who has been there before, it’s just about the magic and what the mountain gives you to express yourself.

Pandemic has stopped the lifts and encouraged many people to take up mountaineering and freeriding, what do you think? Could this be the turning point for a greater appreciation of unspoilt nature or the massification of a less popular sport?

I think that at this time of winter for many people it was complex to have to take on the mountains all at once. You have to be in good health and have a strong body. This year for me it was more about exploring my “garden”. All of a sudden you discover a different kind of winter and it was really nice to stay at home and explore a new kind of terrain. I can’t complain, but it has made it harder to be ready for competitions. I need to get down a lot to get my legs ready for race day, but this winter was all about new opportunities for everyone in the end.

How do you see yourself in five years?

I would like to plan my life five years in advance, but I’m pretty sure I’ll still be snowboarding, continue competing or maybe teach my kids to snowboard.

What would you say to the you of 10 years ago?

I think to be confident, brave and passionate. To trust in life because there is magic around you and if you believe in yourself and trust in the universe, you can go further than you dream.