EventReport | Level Up Chamonix

I followed a link via Instagram at the beginning of December, still pretty uninformed. I just read the words Freeride Event for Girls and sent off my application within ten minutes. After that, it was two weeks of trembling, because the more I got to grips of the event, the more I wanted to take part. And then, in mid-December, the great joy of being accepted: I'm in! At that point, I didn't even know what to expect in Chamonix, but I could hardly wait!

So: What is Level Up? Level Up is a freeride event for women, created by Marion Hearty, the four-time winner of the Freeride World Tour and winner of Natural Selection 2024. Here's a short introduction to Marion, because Marion is not only a very decorated snowboarder, but also an incredibly likeable, very inspiring person. She is extremely good at what she does and so determined that I was incredibly impressed. You can tell how passionate she is about the sport and how much she wants to create a path for other women and remove the obstacles that stand in the way of so many women, especially in freeride snowboarding, and encourage them in what they do and love.

What was Level Up all about? The event took place over three days in Chamonix, with various coaching topics: Mental Training, Contest Coaching, Yoga, Mapping Workshop. The aim was to take part in the 2* qualifier of the Freeride World Tour in Chamonix at the end of the event and to be as well prepared for it as possible in two days of training.

Ten women were allowed to take part, selected from 160 applicants. Why us? - We all asked ourselves. During a gondola ride, full of jokes and, apart from that, rather trivial conversations, between people who get on well because they are connected by the same passion, Marion explained why she chose us. She wanted to give the chance to women she saw talent in, who she felt loved the sport, regardless of followers on Instagram or podium finishes. She also said that she had to have a bit of a discussion with her partners, which is of course a whole nother topic, but still sheds a pretty accurate light on the sport and how it works. But it also describes the event and the theme of the weekend just as well, as we were all non-professionals, but without exception, passionate snowboarders.

The next morning, contest/freeride coaching was on the agenda. We took the bus through the beautiful Chamonix valley, under the peaks of the high French mountains and with a view of Mont Blanc, over which the sun was slowly rising, to the Grand Montes resort. There we met Greg Liscot, the head coach of the Young Riders Crew.

The day was all about contest riding. We talked about line choice, what scores points and what you're better off not doing in a contest situation. After a few laps of skiing in surprisingly good snow, we started with video analysis. Greg positioned himself with his camera setup under a slope that we had discussed beforehand. Everyone told him which line they would choose and he said: Good choice, or: Think about it again, add one more jump/drop, etc. - and then we started. Greg filmed, we snowboarded. After each run, we watched the video and Greg gave us feedback. I learned a lot that day. Not only how to collect points in a freeride contest and choose lines, how to look at a slope from below so that you can still ride it exactly as you planned from above. But also to believe in myself and my abilities, not to belittle myself and to enjoy what I love to do, even when I'm being watched.

In the afternoon there were a few more laps for fun and what fun it was to snowboard with all these women at this level! It was incredibly inspiring.

Back at the hotel we were all pretty exhausted, but nonetheless we went on to the mapping workshop by Whympr and then straight to the riders meeting for the upcoming contest. At the riders meeting, everything suddenly became very real. The whole day I had been surrounded by the security that came with being in a group with all these wonderful women. Now I suddenly found myself in this crowd of competitors.

The contest day

On the day of the competition, we started early, at a quarter to eight we took the Planpraz gondola towards the contest face. The atmosphere was both tense and full of anticipation. Despite the growing excitement, we tried to enjoy the dawn and the incredible scenery. The mountains were still silent, the sky above us clear and full of stars at first, then slowly changing color from purple to pink to the vibrant light blue it would shine in all day.

When we arrived at the Face, I was relieved, it seemed like a big playground and the snow looked good. I quickly got my line together and then it was just a case of waiting and not going crazy - in hindsight, I didn't do that particularly well - until we finally made our way to the start together.

The hike to the start was beautiful, it went over a ridge with a view on one side towards Mont Blanc, many meters above Chamonix, and on the other side we looked at the much more moderate peaks of the Sixt-Passy nature reserve.

On arrival at the start, we still had a little time until it was our turn to get our bibs. During this time we didn't talk very much, everyone was preoccupied with their own lines and excitement, sometimes there were a few isolated words of encouragement or affirmation, a few hugs, anything to give each other a bit of support. Five of the others started ahead of me, and with each passing through the start gate, my excitement grew. By the time it was my turn, my heart was pounding. Marion gave me a few words of motivation and then I set off. I rode far too fast. At first the snow was fine, perfectly rideable at my speed, but after my first drop something changed, it was too warm, the sun had been shining on the south-east slope all day and I couldn't catch myself. I crashed and stood up again, kept going, lost focus. Rode too fast, crashed, got up again. I tried to get everything under control, but it was too late, the adrenaline was gone, my legs hurt and half the slope was still ahead of me. When I got to the bottom, completely exhausted, disappointed and close to tears, something wonderful happened: all the other girls who were already at the bottom came running up and gave me a big hug. Even though I couldn't perform the way I wanted to, the experience of taking part in a contest like this was priceless.

After the event

Finally, a very personal conclusion, because to this day I can't help but smile when I think about our days in Chamonix.

First of all, I would like to say that I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this event. It was wonderful from start to finish. This experience fills me with so many emotions that it's hard to put them into words.

Coming home was a surreal feeling, waking up in the morning still in Chamonix, surrounded by huge mountains and the car covered in snow, the way home, away from the snow back to reality, was a journey. And now it's hard to sort myself and my feelings and make sense of everything I've experienced in just three days. I have so many thoughts and none at the same time. But just thinking about the event can bring tears of joy and emotion to my eyes. I can clearly feel the energy I was surrounded by during those days. It's heartwarming to have a bunch of girls who are all very different, but all driven by the same thing: a love for this great sport and a hunger for more, for adventure, for challenges. Who are not afraid to be themselves in a male-dominated scene. They are all on the mountain because they are simply so passionate about snowboarding. First of all, Marion, who is so likeable and strong. Her idea of making this event for women who don't have a big audience, who snowboard in the shadows so to speak, brought us together and created a space where everyone felt safe, where everyone was seen and recognized. At least that's how I felt. I felt a way I hadn't felt on the mountains for a long time: like I belonged. It made me hungry for more. Full of the urge to go out and be loud for women in snowboarding, to make every single person on the mountain feel good and make sure everyone knows that we are capable, so incredibly capable that we can achieve anything. That there is no reason to ever doubt a woman again. That it's about connecting people so they can share their spirit, hype and passion and push each other to the next level. Confidence and a sense of security and accomplishment, that's what I feel when I think about Level Up, how I feel, how I felt especially in the days after the event. Because there was no doubt, no one, apart from myself, doubted me and my abilities. In these days I never felt like I had to prove anything to anyone - just being me and doing what I love most was enough. I will try to preserve this feeling and carry it on to my home resorts.