Benoit Valentin, one of the French freestyle halfpipe skiing specialists
A skier addicted to freestyle
Originally from La Plagne, Benoit started alpine skiing at an early age. Pretty soon, "going around red and blue gate poles all day" did not interest him much anymore. He started freestyle skiing at the age of 10 at the sports club at his resort La Plagne. At the beginning, Ben practiced hills, slopestyle, and halfpipe like everyone else. At 15, he decided to dedicate himself to freestyle skiing in halfpipe, which he particularly enjoyed. Attracted by the excitement of this discipline, he started practicing it immediately and has not gotten bored yet.
Freestyle halfpipe skiing, a discipline that emerged in the late 1990s, entered the Olympic family in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics. Ben Valentin, who won the Crystal Globe three years prior, is an up-and-coming star of the discipline.
His most memorable victory is the famous Crystal Globe he won at his home resort in 2011, which propelled him to be the winner of the 2011 World Cup.
From the Freeski project to international podiums
After many years of training with the La Plagne Sports Club and the Savoie Committee, Ben participated in the Freeski project with Kevin Rolland, Xavier Breton, Thomas Krief, and Greg Guenet. He then took first place in the general classification of the SFR Freeskiing Tour. It was at that point that Benoit decided to focus on international competitions. Thanks to hard training, unyielding motivation, and strong team support, he has fulfilled his dream of becoming a professional skier.
With 10 World Cup podiums to his name, Ben is now one of the best freestylers in the world and a key member of the strong French freestyle ski team.
Some unusual facts about Ben
• He describes himself as a "Free Racer" and his friends call him Pti Ben.
• To better understand the risk of losing his bearings during jumps, Ben trains on trampolines and water-jumps.
• "Marking" was probably one of the words he used the most in 2010.
• Besides skiing, he also enjoys playing tennis and free-falling.
Titles under his belt
OLYMPIC GAMES
10th at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
8th in 2017 (Sierra Nevada, Spain)
8th in 2011 (Park City Mountain Resort, USA)
WORLD CUP
3rd place World Cup 2017 (Pyeongchang, South Korea)
4th place SFR Freestyle Tour 2017
3rd place World Cup 2016 (Tignes, France)
2nd place World Cup 2016 (Park City, USA)
Winner of the 2011 Crystal Globe
10 podiums including 4 silver medals and 6 bronze medals
X GAMES
3rd at the Winter X Games in Aspen 2016
