Tess
Ledeux
Date of birth | November 23, 2001 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Bourg-Saint-Maurice |
Age | 24 |
Nationality | France |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Freeskiing Slopestyle |
With halfpipe legend Kevin Rolland as a cousin, it was always odds-on that Tess Ledeux would take to the slopes with ease, but few could have predicted how far she'd come and how fast. Starting off at her home resort of La Plagne, France, she was on skis by two and a member of the local freestyle club by nine.
It's thanks to this early start and those solid foundations – and of course plenty of natural talent and hard work – that she was able to have a headline-grabbing breakthrough season so far ahead of the curve. As a 15-year-old in 2016-17, Tess's huge rotations and technical rail work earned her X Games silver in both Aspen and Hafjell and saw her become the youngest-ever freestyle ski world champion when she won slopestyle gold in Sierra Nevada. On top of this, she finished the season ranked second in slopestyle by the AFP.