Alais Develay

Profile and significance

Alaïs Develay is a French freeski talent from the Pyrenees whose rapid rise has come through the culture-shaping spaces of street, creative park sessions, and open-format contests. Born in 2002 and influenced by the training and terrain access around Font-Romeu, she broke out in spring 2024 at the Jib League stop hosted by Sugar Bowl Resort, where she was tapped mid-event to move from the open division into the pros. In 2025 she added a historic bracket run at Grandvalira’s night park and finished the year by winning the women’s ski title at Rock A Rail’s Hintertux opener. Riding for the purpose-driven ski brand 1000 Skis and in boots from Phaenom Footwear, Develay has become a reference for how the next wave of women’s freeskiing blends style, creativity, and pressure-proof decision-making.

Competitive arc and key venues

The competitive arc that put Develay on more fans’ radar starts with the Jib League format—open jams that feed into a pro session—where her Sugar Bowl performance in April 2024 set the tone for a busy twelve months. The following winter she appeared in the first-ever women’s SLVSH Cup bracket at Sunset Park Peretol in Andorra, a night-time venue inside Grandvalira that rewards line reading, variety, and trick precision under lights. She also featured at the U.S. stop in Colorado, where Jib League set up at Woodward Copper, adding to her resume of high-visibility sessions. In October 2025 she opened the Rock A Rail Ski & Snowboard Tour with a win at the Hintertux Park Opening—an urban-style rail event staged on the glacier-side plaza and operated by the Rock A Rail crew, with the result posted by the organizers and the event site across their channels. The throughline in all these starts is that they privilege relevance over rank: the ability to adapt, to find original lines on a shared setup, and to land clean when it matters.

How they ski: what to watch for

Develay skis with a “quiet approach, decisive exit” philosophy that transfers from city features to resort parks. Approaches stay flat and composed—bases neutral, hands steady—until she builds a firm platform and pops cleanly. Rotations stay axis-honest, with grabs connected early to stabilize the shape; landings are driven back to the fall line and re-centered immediately so speed survives the trick. On rails, watch for square entries, a clear plan for off-axis exits, and an economy of movement that makes technical choices look simple. She’s equally comfortable switching stance through a line and using butters to set spin without telegraphing, a habit that plays well in formats like SLVSH where variety, control, and inventiveness are scored by peers as much as by any panel.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Creative circuits test patience as much as they showcase flair, and Develay’s progression reflects both. She has bounced back from hard slams, kept traveling with the community that supports her, and used each stop to add one more repeatable habit—quiet run-ins, early grabs, exits that preserve momentum. Brand stories and athlete features have followed, highlighting the same traits that show up in her contest clips: confidence to try the unusual line first, and discipline to do it again with cleaner timing. The influence is especially visible in women’s street and park skiing, where athletes borrow concrete ideas from her runs—speed choices, trick order, and how to turn a busy build into a readable sequence.

Geography that built the toolkit

The Pyrenees shape the base of Develay’s skiing. Everyday laps and club culture around Font-Romeu mean varied snowpacks, changing light, and lots of repetition—conditions that reward balance and pop timing. On tour, California’s Sugar Bowl introduced a high-energy crowd and quick-format open sessions where presence under pressure mattered as much as difficulty. In Colorado, Woodward Copper added longer rails and dialed jump lines that favor grab security and switch control. Andorra’s Sunset Park Peretol, open at night, sharpened visibility management and line creativity in floodlights. Austria’s Rock A Rail stop at the Hintertux Park Opening demanded urban instincts on a purpose-built plaza, a canvas that suits her ability to turn small set-ups into big statements.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Develay’s kit reflects function over flash. She rides 1000 Skis, a skier-owned brand built around predictable flex and stable mounts that make switch approaches and locked-in grabs feel natural. Her boots come from Phaenom Footwear, whose hybrid constructions emphasize progressive flex and rebound—useful when repeated impacts on rails and hard landings tax ankles and knees. For skiers looking to copy the feel (not just the stickers), the practical lessons are simple: choose a twin with enough length to land centered without wheelie; detune tips and tails lightly for rail forgiveness while keeping edges honest underfoot for icy in-runs; and keep wax fresh to avoid speed traps on spring salt. The small rituals—edge touch-ups after rail days, stance checks before first hits, and a repeatable warm-up trick ladder—unlock more progress than chasing another spin.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Alaïs Develay because her skiing is both readable and original. She doesn’t overwhelm a course with volume; she edits. One or two distinctive choices on rails, one jump trick that fits the speed and the build, and a finish that keeps momentum alive. That approach is why she resonated at Sugar Bowl, why her bracket runs at Sunset Park Peretol replay so well, and why her Rock A Rail win at the Hintertux Park Opening mattered for women’s street skiing. For progressing riders, the takeaways are concrete: set a deliberate speed floor, build a clean platform, connect the grab early, and land back to the fall line. Do those things and style follows. Develay’s trajectory—from Pyrenean laps to international sessions—shows how that discipline scales from local parks to the culture’s most-watched stages.