Tifany Roux, a ski champion with a passion for the Alpes de Haute Provence

Born in Digne-les-Bains in 1997, the professional skier Tifany Roux made her name on the toughest slopes. Several-times winner of the under-18 French Cup (Slalom, Giant Slalom and Downhill categories), she now is now reaching for the Olympic stars! Deeply attached to the Alpes de Haute Provence, she flies the flag of her home country wherever her skis take her.

A child of Ubaye Valley

Your first memory on skis? What do you love about the Alpes de Haute Provence ski slopes? What makes them different?

I come from a family of skiers: my dad, grandma and grandad were all ski instructors at Sauze in the Alpes de Haute-Provence. As soon as I could walk, my dad put me on skis and I learnt to ski in Le Sauze. I love it here – our ski domains and valleys are very cosy and friendly just like the people who live here. There’s a huge variety of slopes too and you can go from one side of the mountains to the other really easily. The landscapes are both beautiful and easily-accessible, with summits, rock faces and larches as far as the eye can see… Of course, I’ll always remember the day I won the under-14 French Cup: I was fresh out of my local club and suddenly found myself with all these people from all over France. It was amazing and very moving.

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A passionate ambassadress

What’s your role as the ambassadress of Le Sauze and Ubaye Valley?

It’s a heartfelt partnership that also stems from my desire to promote the area: I’m proud to show off the logo of Le Sauze on my helmet and headband when I’m on the podium. I also make sure I have time to shoot video clips – I did one recently for Le Sauze. Thanks to them I’ve been able to try out mountain biking and hiking too. It’s a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on summer activities in the valley – they’re part of the resort too. I love boosting them on social media too whenever I get a minute: this little resort where I grew up is full of happy memories. I truly love it and it’s thanks to Le Sauze that I’m now taking part in world cups.

A champion in the making

With so many victories at just 22 years of age, what are your future projects and goals?

Skiing takes up about 90% of my year with physical prepping, lessons and races… We don’t have much time to rest and obviously no time to hold down another job, so I really want to be able to live out my passion to the full. For that, you need to be in top 15 world ranking most of the time. I work hard for it: the season lasts 4 to 5 months, then I spend summer doing physical training in Albertville, in parallel to courses on European glaciers and in the Southern Hemisphere. My main goals are the Giant Slalom World Cup, the Alpine Skiing Combined and, of course, the Olympic Games.

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In love with the Alpes de Haute Provence

What’s your favourite corner of paradise here? What’s your top pick for people who don’t know the region?

I have several faves. There’s Lac d’Allos and Mont Pelat where I spent a lot of time walking with my dad. Those memories are precious: the scenery in the valley is magnificent, with beautiful plants and animals. It’s a very reassuring environment too, because the mountains are quite small and easy to reach. The quality of light there is mesmerizing: everything is very open and airy too and the views are stunning.
But in winter (surprise, surprise!) I definitely recommend Le Sauze: it’s intimate, welcoming and completely authentic!

Best hike in the Alps