The winter season is drawing to a close for Loévan Parand. At 26, the French alpine skier has just completed a pivotal winter on the World Cup circuit. Between physical demands, mental clarity, and meticulous attention to detail, it's time for an assessment and a look ahead to summer training, which begins in a few weeks.
From the Pyrenees to the podiums
Originally from Font-Romeu, Loévan Parand grew up in the Pyrenees. Skiing and sliding are part of his family's DNA. His first sensations date back to childhood.
"I started my first glides on the Catalan snow at 18 months old, with my grandfather, who then became my first coach."
Very quickly, the local environment became too small. At 14, he left his native mountains to join the Ski Club des Ménuires. An early but crucial choice. The results followed: French championship titles, medals, and steady progress confirming his potential.
Loévan describes measured progress, built in stages, without immediate brilliance. An important moment for his career arrived in 2023, with a third place in the overall European Cup giant slalom standings.
"It was at that moment that I told myself I could compete with the world's best in the near future."
Giant slalom, an obvious choice
What is your specialty and why did you choose this discipline?
Competitive alpine skiing is based on four disciplines, divided into two categories: speed (downhill and super-G) and technical (giant slalom and slalom).
For Loévan, the choice of giant slalom was never really a question. It was obvious. It's the discipline that suits him best, physically, technically, and in terms of sensations.
"It's the 'master' discipline of skiing, the most fundamental. The one where the sensations are the best - objectively speaking, of course!"
Behind the scenes of a World Cup week
Can you describe a typical training week during the season?
Loévan describes a meticulously planned organization, entirely focused on the upcoming race.
First, travel through the Alps, then training on slopes similar to those of the competition. Mornings are dedicated to skiing. Afternoons are for physical and mental preparation, recovery, and video feedback. As the race approaches, the volume decreases. The intensity, however, increases.
The day before, everything tightens. Loévan describes this moment with precision:
"A final short ski session, a core, speed, and explosiveness session, a team pep talk, and often a short night's sleep. And there we are at the start of a World Cup!"
An individual sport, a collective adventure
How is your coaching team organized?
Loévan emphasizes one of the peculiarities of his sport: alpine skiing is individual on the slope, but profoundly collective in its organization.
Around the athletes revolve a head coach, assistant coaches, a physical trainer, a physiotherapist... as well as technicians who prepare the skis until evening.
The latter play a role that goes far beyond the technical, he explains.
"They know our needs, our emotions, and what to say before the race. They are the last words we hear before we start, the last glance we exchange."
At the end of this winter, he values his individual performances as much as the quality of the team — a constant support in difficult moments.
The long road of annual preparation
How do you prepare for your season? What is your routine?
Preparation begins at the end of May, with a ten to fifteen-week physical block over the summer, interspersed with two to four weeks of glacier skiing.
To describe this period, Loévan doesn't mince words.
"These are difficult months, physically and mentally exhausting. It's the submerged part of the iceberg for a high-level skier."
In September, off to the Southern Hemisphere. For giant slalom skiers, it's off to Ushuaia, Argentina, for a month of austral winter to find conditions similar to those in Europe. Back in October. Sölden opens the World Cup at the end of October. The season has begun.
Hydration, a detail that changes everything
As a professional skier, how important is hydration in your daily life?
Loévan is direct on the subject. He acknowledges that hydration is not a detail; it's a performance parameter in its own right.
"Hydration helps with concentration, with the clarity a skier needs during a race."
Aware that cold and altitude increase the risks of dehydration, the young professional skier anticipates. He spreads his hydration throughout the day.
The mistakes to avoid, according to him: "Waiting until you're thirsty to drink or drinking large quantities in very short periods."
For the record, he remembers a race where the water in his water bottle had frozen:
"I felt like my thoughts were muddled and I lacked clarity."
How does Hydratis fit into your routine?
Hydratis has naturally become part of his daily life.
"Whether during exercise or in recovery, Hydratis has become a reflex."
He highlights the product's practicality. Simple to use and easy to carry, it replaces sugary sports drinks and is assimilated more easily than pure water. Just two tablets in the water bottle. Hydratis serves as a daily staple.
Loévan even confides that he has developed psychological anchors with the flavors: peach during exercise, mint for recovery.
A turning point and ambitions
This winter marks a real turning point in his career. For the first time, Loévan has dedicated 90% of his time to the World Cup circuit, the highest level of alpine skiing. The results follow: he is top 5 in giant slalom in Turnau, and close to the world's top 30. These performances confirm the momentum started in 2023.
His goals for the coming season: to rank in the world's top 15 and qualify for the World Championships. From the end of May, summer training begins. A new cycle is starting!
Motivation, however, remains deeply linked to pleasure.
"I am a lover of skiing, performance, and the life that practicing a passion-job offers me."
When the results are not there, he clings to the sensations, the team, and his entourage. His entourage supports his high-level project 100%.
The final word
What message would you like to convey to young skiers or fans?
To young skiers, Loévan sends a simple message. Sport remains a game. Creativity matters. So does fun. There is no typical career path or single model to follow. Authenticity comes first.
A philosophy that runs through his entire journey and continues to guide what's next. "Every story is unique, write yours! Follow us, don't hesitate to reach out to us, and I hope we'll meet on the slopes!"
