Champions of Ariège: From Downhill Tracks to Olympic Moguls

For a sparsely populated, largely rural department, Ariège repeatedly appears on the international sporting map. The same steep valleys and wild ridges that attract visitors to Chateau Pouech have shaped athletes who now race World Cups and win Olympic gold. From DH tracks above Moulis to the moguls slopes of Mont d’Olmes and the road passes around the Couserans, this corner of the Pyrenees produces competitors with grit, creativity and a deep connection to the mountains.

Thomas Estaque grew up riding and digging in the forests of the Couserans, turning local hiking paths into fast, technical lines long before he lined up at World Cups. Today he is one of France’s most distinctive downhill mountain bikers, known for an aggressive, stylish riding style and for staying closely tied to his Ariège home ground.

Riding for top teams (including Commencal and more recently Goodman SantaCruz), Estaque has scored strong World Cup results and podiums at major European races. Just as importantly, he puts energy back into the local scene: projects like the “Segment” trail above Moulis show his commitment to creating permanent, public DH tracks in Ariège.

You can watch him in action in edits such as “Segment” – Building and Riding the Perfect Track or “Queenstown Blend” – Bike Park Laps with Thomas Estaque. His full race history is tracked on mtbdata.com. When you roll into local spots like Ayens Bike Park or the Guzet DH lines, you are literally riding in his tyre tracks.

If Ariège has a sporting superstar, it is Perrine Laffont. Born in Lavelanet in 1998 and raised skiing the slopes of Mont d’Olmes, she became the face of French freestyle skiing while still a teenager. Specialising in ski de bosses (moguls), she combines explosive power with remarkable precision and calm.

Laffont’s record is extraordinary: multiple overall World Cup titles in moguls, World Championship golds, and above all Olympic gold at PyeongChang 2018, where she won the women’s moguls at just 19 years old. She has since added more World Cup wins and remains a dominant force on the circuit, inspiring a generation of young skiers from small Pyrenean resorts.

You can read more about her career on Wikipedia and the Olympics profile. To see why she is so revered, search YouTube for “Perrine Laffont gold run PyeongChang 2018” and watch her Olympic-winning descent: a perfect demonstration of Ariège-born composure on the world’s biggest stage.

Long before downhill bikes and freestyle skis put Ariège on Instagram, local riders were already making their mark on the road. Daniel Amardeilh, born in Saint‑Victor‑Rouzaud in 1959, became one of France’s strongest amateur road racers of the 1980s.

He won the French amateur road race championship in both 1984 and 1985, and represented France at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where he finished as the best‑placed French rider in the men’s road race. Racing for small Pyrenean clubs and national squads rather than giant pro teams, he showed how a cyclist from a quiet Ariège village could compete with the best in the world.

You can find a concise summary of his palmarès on his Wikipedia page. When you climb the same passes around Saint‑Girons and Foix during your stay at Chateau Pouech, you are riding the training roads that shaped his career.

These three are only the most visible examples. Ariège continues to nurture downhill riders, freeriders, road cyclists and winter athletes who quietly build world‑class careers from small valley clubs and family‑run resorts. The combination of steep terrain, strong local clubs and a culture that values time outdoors is a powerful training ground.

From Chateau Pouech, it is easy to trace their stories: ride the DH lines that Thomas Estaque helped shape, ski the moguls at Mont d’Olmes where Perrine Laffont learnt her craft, or spin over the passes once used by Daniel Amardeilh. It is another way to experience the region—through the athletes it has sent into the wider world.