2026-27 -- La France En Transition

NOTE: By early summer most of the principal WAWC national teams have announced “nominations” for the coming season’s roster. From what I understand, there may be a few more athletes nominated for each of the team levels—A/Equipe, B, C—than will actually begin the competitive schedule. Healthy veterans are usually assured a spot on the A team, though a vet coming off a sub-par campaign may be assigned to B team. Essentially, successful summer training—maintaining/improving previous season’s performance levels—gets you a place on your assigned team. I assume several spots are in play for ambitious younger racers to compete for. In any case, for this post I’m going off the recently announced team nominations.

    Of the countries traditionally fielding large teams, France, more so than Germany, may be in the most pronounced transition/rebuilding phase. Austria, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA have deep rosters with stars in their prime and very promising young’uns. Germany’s Emma Aicher is unquestionably, IMO, the most intriguing young multi-discipline talent since Shiffrin. Lena Duerr may go for another couple seasons, and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann is a big talent looking to consistently show it.

    Of the French team’s three levels, Romane Miradoli is the only racer with a WAWC victory. A very unusual situation, I’d think. This team is rebuilding nearly from scratch—though Romane’s a wonderful personality and a top-notch competitor. She’ll be 33 in March, but is coming off her best season—SG 8^th, DH 17^th—and will stick around for at least another year, I think/hope. She’ll be the team’s captain in spirit, if not formal designation. (I haven’t heard of WC teams electing/declaring captains/leaders.)

190 WAWC starts; 152 about equally SG and DH. SG T5: 1^st, 2^nd, 3x3d, 3x4th, 5x5th. Plus 13xT6-10. SG silver at Cortina! Has suffered a couple inopportune knee injuries right when she was in tune. One of my very favs.

   Romane Miradoli

L'élégance discrète

   There are a couple with significant WAWC experience aside from Miradoli.

    Laura Gauche  turns 32 in March 2027. With 162 WAWC starts—split exactly between DH and SG—complementing 73 EC races, Gauche is a hardy vet whose mid-severity knee and hip complaints (no tears, but painful sprains, as I understand) have contributed to uneven results. 2024 was her best season: EOS DH 17^th and SG 18^th. (I picked her DH 11^th and SG 16^th in 19 August 2023’s pre-season notes for France.) Seven DH starts ended 4^th, 2x9th, 2x14th, 22^nd, and 23d. No DNFs, but the best finishes were just a tease. SG’s nine races went 7^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 2x19th, 3xDNF. It just wasn’t there. Laura acknowledges re-injury worry as well as physical pain have stymied her recovery and improvement.  

    She’s returning to Atomic skis after six seasons on Head, or so I have read. Perhaps red boards will goose mid-prime rejuvenation!

Laura Gauche

   Camille Cerutti will be 28 in December, and is steadily coming back in Super G after savaging her ACL in the 2022 Olympic DH. SG is her primary discipline—42 of 84 WAWC starts. DH has been basically ineffectual—27 points in 2026 for EOS 31^st place after three seasons inactive.

    2026 SG: 8 starts—5^th, 2x13th, 15^th, 2x17th, 22^nd, 26^th for EOS 18^th. Not a great record, but no DNFs. A fine 8^th in Olympic SG and an early April SG win in the French National Championships—beating out Miradoli (2^nd) and Gauche (3d)—shows she has prime time chops. Hopefully Camille will contest SG T12 or better next season. We’ll see if she tries to ramp up DH.

    Camille Cerutti

French Tech has some very promising, game young racers.

    Marion Chevrier turns 25 in June 2027, and has made the most of her 30 WAWC starts—29 Slalom. With just three full SL seasons at the World Cup level, Marion broke out BIG TIME this year. 2024 and 2025 20 SL starts—14^th, 17^th, 3xT25…2xDNF, 12xDNQ. Fairly dismal, TBH.

    Then 2026: 10 starts—3xT10, 3xT15, 3xT20, 22^nd. NO DNFs!! EOS SL 11^th place. Excellent season! Textbook example of a competitor whose individual race results didn’t tilt Earth off its axis, but middle-level consistency/scoring in every race snagged a fine EOS ranking. 28 spots above her previous years’ EOS 2x39th. (She was European Cup EOS SL 1^st in 2025—9 starts including 3x1st/2x2nd, while running a full 10-start WAWC schedule. Marion was a busy gal. She ran no EC SL last year, and a few GS to modest effect.)

    Chevrier ran beneath my radar. November SL at Copper, where I spent over a grand for “VIP” access (watching the race from public seating is free)—basically comfortable shelter between runs, good food/drink, and marginally improved views of the piste, but a minor swindle, IMO—she placed 20^th from 24^th and 11^th. For 2x9th (Levi and Courcheval), her best finishes, her runs were 13^th/9^th, and 12^th/14^th. 2x8^th 1^st run Lillehammer and 2^nd run Spindleruv Mlyn; finished 10^th and 11^th. She ran 23d/7^th at Semmering for 14^th; 25^th/5^th for 15^th at Gurgl in last season’s second Slalom meet.

    Marion has fine chops, and finishes races. FWICT she hasn’t suffered major injury. If she can remain DNF-free, average T15 for her weaker SL runs and drive a few T7 or so, she will contend SL EOS T10 and hopefully set an EOS T6 trajectory for her “prime” years.

     Marion Chevrier

Turning 25 in July, slalom specialist Marie Lamure came off a fine European Cup record—EOS SL 5^th, 2x7th—in her early 20s. So far a 10^th is her best finish (January 2025, Kranjska Gora) from 48 WAWC SL starts. Last season she started all 10 Slalom races, going 2x12th, 19^th-21^st, 23d, 2xDNF2, 2xDNQ, for EOS SL 24^th. Winning SL in French Nationals last April was 2026’s highpoint; Olympic SL 15^th a decent showing. From what I’ve seen, Lamure suffered an MCL/meniscus sprain a few years ago, and three concussions (!) between June and September 2025, during summer training. Apparently the third required extensive neuro-therapy rehab. Yeow. (Does FIS have a concussion protocol? I should investigate.) Marie was EOS SL 19^th in 2025, with slightly better finishes than last season but still 4xDNF/DNQ. So she’s had a rough road physically, but has time to develop and realize her obvious talent. Here’s hoping for a safe and prosperous 2027!

     Marie Lamure

Caitlin McFarlane intrigues me. An Australian who moved/was moved to France when she was three, this 24-year-old (25 next March) has just 39 WAWC starts: 14 GS with a 23d only ranked finish, rest DNQ. 25 SL with an 8^th and 6xT20; I assume SL will be her focus. So McFarlane’s record is not exemplary, but I have a sense she’ll ramp up dramatically over the next couple of seasons.

    For Caitlin’s best finish so far, 8^th in last season’s SL at Lillehammer, she was 4^th fastest 2^nd run, beating in finish order Shiffrin, Holdener, Aicher, Moltzan, Swenn Larsson, and Hector, a few by nearly a second. I saw her race at Copper on November. 24^th first run, McFarlane had the fastest 2^nd run, to place 12^th.  Mikaela was in top form—1^st and 2^nd—; Caitlin took Her Highness by 0.18 on run 2. Not a blow-out, but very impressive. At the SL opener in Levi, CM was 17^th and 7^th to finish 13^th. She definitely has the SL chops for EOS T12, with T7/6 races in the cards with two consistent runs.

    I imagine the French team will keenly attend to Caitlin McFarlane this summer training season. From what I’ve seen on YT, she seems objective, down-to-earth, committed. Hasn’t had significant injury FWICT. For 2027 I’m picking her to bump up five EOS SL spots from 20^th to 15^th.

  Caitlin McFarlane

    Chiara Pogneaux (turns 24 September 2027) hurt an ankle badly late autumn 2025. The slalom specialist had five SL starts last season, with no finishes. 2024-25’s nine SL starts yielded 20^th, 2x25th, a 26^th, and a DNF, 4xDNQ, for SL EOS 37^h.

    Chiara’s placement on this season’s Tech A team seems predicated on her 2023-24 SL season, where she was EOS 24^th: 11 starts for 2xT10, 2xT15, and a 17^th best scores, but also 4xDNQ. Run placements for her two best career finishes—24^th/2^nd for 8^th in January 2024; 30^th/1^st for 10^th in February 2024—shows she can/could put it down.

   Can she still? Not to be too harsh, but this is a marginal record for an A Team member. Pogneaux’s young, and is obviously a good ski racer; I can’t help but figure her current top team placement suggests lack of depth in France’s lower echelons. But anyone who's worked so hard deserves a fair shot. Here's to Chiara making the most of hers! (Chiara's a lovely name: bright, luminous.)

Chiara Pogneaux

    How do the other French A Team members’ WAWC records look?

    On the Speed roster, Karen Clement (turning 28 in January 2027) is still listed Active/Injured on her fis-ski.com main profile page. Per my research, she suffered a bad injury in an EC GS race last February, which ended her season at all racing levels. (I haven’t been able to find out exactly what happened. Sounds like it’s been kept close to the vest by herself and by French Ski Federation.) Super G is her primary/most successful WAWC discipline, with 6xT20 career finishes from 26 starts. With 94 European Cup starts and 50 WAWC starts, Karen has consistently split her time between the two tours. In 2024 she was EC EOS Overall 2^nd—DH 3d and SG 7^th. Great result on a very competitive circuit. Hopefully she’ll be fit for full-blast WAWC Speed next campaign.

Karen Clement   

Garance Meyer (turning 22 mid-June 2026) is a true young person. 10 total WAWC starts—5 each DH/SG, during last season—under her bib, after 61 starts in a 3.5 year EC stint. Garance’s career EC Speed record’s okay for her age: DH 4xT10 from 17 starts—2^nd, 3d, 6^th, 10^th. SG 6xT20 with 13^th best from 22 starts. She has one scoring finish from those WAWC starts—SG 24^th. Her A Team assignment clearly reflects the National team’s confidence/hope. And IMO "Garance" is WAWC's coolest first name. Look it up.

    Garance Meyer

As for Tech, Clarisse Breche (turning 25 in August 2026) has 28 WAWC starts—19 SL, 9 GS. VERY unfortunately, she blew out her right ACL in GS at the FIS Worlds, February 2025. Then after rehabbing this most debilitating of ski injuries, Clarisse tore her left ACL training that next November. For God’s sake, how much bad luck can one person have?? Out for the entire 2025-26 season, Breche’s currently Active/Injured on FIS profile. So she’ll come off a year’s rehab and hopefully fruitful summer training for this year’s race season.

    She has ten points finishes in 19 WAWC SL starts—3xT20, with 12^th best. GS a 16^th points finish from 9 starts, with 8xDNQ. Breche has a handful of EC SL T10, wit

h a 3d best from 37 starts; GS likewise from 23 starts.

   Like Gerance Meyer, Clarisse has her team’s confidence for a successful WAWC season, despite a middling WAWC and EC record on paper. Her FIS SL record is very good, with a couple of wins and at least one additional podium each season 2020 through 2022. FIS GS is strong as well over that period. It would be great if Breche heals fully and bumps up her WAWC level.

   Clarisse Breche

  Doriane Escane (turning 28 in January 2027) has also dealt with serious knee injuries, most recently left ACL in January 2024…repeating the same injury from March the previous year! With 84 WAWC Tech starts, split evenly SL/GS, and 126 EC starts—39 SL/68 GS, 13 SG and 4 DH—Doriane has run major top-level vertical. She excelled in EC, with EOS Overall 7ths 2023 and 2024. These rankings then fell off with injury.

    Re WAWC, crappy as it is to say, I must wonder how she’s on the A Team, even provisionally/as a nominee. From 39 WAWC SL starts, Escane has one points finish, a 23d (25 January at Spindleruv Mlyn); rest are DNF/DNQ. 68 WAWC GS starts have yielded 17^th, 20^th, 24th, 26^th. It’s wonderful for a loyal, optimistic team to offer second or third chances. I’d certainly appreciate it greatly. I must ask, though, are the A Team spots open to rigorous competition? It could well be that a wounded vet’s spot is assigned in the spring out of respect, with summer training determining October’s starting roster. That must be it.

    Doriane Escane

So I may have dug myself a hole, having answered a question I should have before beginning this post...

Let's look at some B Team bonafids.

    Lois Abouly (25 in October 2026). No injuries from my search. 83 European Cup starts, spread pretty evenly in order SG/DH/GS. 9 WAWC starts—6 SG/3 DH. WAWC SG no finishes better than 40^th, 2xDNF; DH 3xT50. EC DH 8^th, 5xT20, 5xT30 from 28 starts. EC SG 3xT10 with 4^th best, 14xT20, 4xT30. 21 points finishes from 33 SG starts. Not too shabby. This person should be in the running for SG A Team.

Lois Abouly

    Nina Buet (19 in November 2026). Found no injuries. Some excellent FIS results in four disciplines. GS and SL have most T10s, with wins/podiums in each. Looks like she’s headed for EC full-time. 8 EC starts so far, no points finishes. WAWC at least a couple years down the pike but Team has high hopes, I imagine.

     Nina Buet

Alice Caire This kid is on to something. Turning 19 early September, Alice has run three full FIS seasons and two spare European Cup cards. Tech is her focus, but she’s had some very fine Speed finishes.  2024: FIS 26 starts. 2025: 35 FIS; 4 EC. 2026: 28 FIS; 6 EC.

FIS discipline totals 2024, 2025, and 2026.

SL: 32 starts—4^th, 3x6th, 8^th, 2x10th, 5xT20, 4xT30, 42^nd, 8xDNF1, 5xDNF2, 2xDNQ

GS: 35 starts--1^st, 2x3d, 10xT10, 8xT20, 5xT30, 4xNPS, 5xDNF

SG: 12 starts—2x1st, 3d, 2xT10, 3xT20, 43d, 3xDNF

DH: 9 starts—3x2nd, 3d, 9^th, 2xT20, 2xT25

2026’s schedule was semi-epic:

FIS: 28 starts

 SL 9 starts: 4^th, 2x6th, 6xDNF.

GS 14 starts: 1^st, 2x3d, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th, 2x8th, 2x9th, 10^th, 11^th, 2xDNF.

SG 2 starts: 1^st, DNF

DH 3 starts: 3d, 19^th, 21^st

EC: 6 starts

SL: DNF1

GS: 47^th

SG: 36^th, 50^th, DNF

DH: 57^th

    Thirty-four Tech-heavy starts. Throw in six National Champ races (SG 8^th) and three Juniors, and that’s 43 starts between late November and early April. Close to averaging a race every third day for four months.

    I’ve found no injuries.

    Rather enigmatic record, I’d say. Caire’s Giant Slalom is exceptionally strong; I’d like to see how a full Speed campaign goes. Loading a young racer with 3x or 4x10 races to seriously pursue a multi-discipline season is risky. Maybe she will, maybe she won’t.

    L'éléphant sur la piste is 15xDNF/DNQ from 32 FIS slalom starts, including 6 of 9 races last season. This DNF rate is hard to believe. Closely investigating Alice’s SL DNFs would be interesting—where she ranked after 1^st runs before 2^nd runs went awry; her standings when 1^st runs jumped the track. I assume aggressive skiing was the principal culprit.

In any event, Alice Caire looks like a Big Person in training. Full European Cup campaigns--30+ starts/3-disciplines--for the next two years is her next step, I'd think. She must be one of the Federation Francaise de Ski's main projects.

I'll call her WAWC EOS GS T20 2029. No surprise if she busts out earlier.

  Alice Caire

Emy Charbonnier (21 this September). Here’s another young’un with serious WAWC potential—more than just potential. 40 EC starts (35 in the past two seasons), GS 17 and SG 15 the majority, is solid for her age. GS 4xT20 and SG 6xT20, with an 8^th, is quite okay. Emy’s National Championships Top-10 record is impressive: SL 9^th, 10^th; GS 4^th, 5^th, 8^th; SG 2x3d, 6^th, 10^th; DH 10^th. WAWC big wigs run the Champs, and other nations’ top skiers also frequently compete—eg. several Swiss racers have run the French Championships recently.

She also won Super-G gold in last season's Junior World Championships. She has big-race Speed chops. Yeahhh.

    Charbonnier’s 2025 FIS record is superb:

SL 5 starts – 1^st, 3d, 2x4th, DNF2

GS 8 starts – 4x1st, 2^nd, 4^th, 21^st, DNF2 (I wanted to examine this 21^st, but fis-ski doesn’t offer detailed run/timing/finish order results for EC and FIS races, unlike WC. Hmmphh.

SG 5 starts – 1^st, 7^th, 8^th, 20^th, DNF

DH No starts

    France has a top-notch Techie--who can scoot the long boards too--in the pipeline.

    Emy Charbonnier will be promoted to A-team during 2027-2028 season, I think.

Emy Charbonnier

Ilona Charbotel turns 19 in August, and is nicely ascending the Slalom curve. (Ilona looks like a Slalom specialist, with no FIS T10 in 20 GS starts and a single SG run, and no DH starts)

In three FIS seasons, her SL record:

29 starts: 2x1st, 2x2nd, 4x4th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 14^th, 16^th and 13xDNF. So it’s basically feast or famine. There’s a National Junior Champs SL silver. Ilona’s EC experience is rocky—a 20^th in 15 SL EC starts, with 3 other finishes and a passel of DNFs. But that’s what experience is for. 20 EC races not bad for her age, I’d say.

    Chartobel may well be on the A-team to begin 2028-29.

Ilona Charbotel

I'll wrap it here. I believe I found a way to track summer training results, which is a superior measure of lower-echelon athletes' progress and chances for securing a roster spot than speculation based upon past performance. At least I'd like to think so. Established stars' summer results, particularly those rehabbing from injury, are crucial as well. So if my potential source pans out, I'll check out promising B-teamers--including French women not included here--from various rosters, especially those with room in the Equipe for new runners.

I hope you're doing well. Thanks for reading this.