On February 2, 2025, La Poste (the French postal service) will issue a block of three stamps on the theme of Winter Sports Season 1. One block per year will be issued until the 2030 Winter Olympics, which will be held in the French Alps.
What a joy to glide on the snow, surrounded by nature, carving your own path! Snow sports embody the taste of freedom and movement. Every winter, the snow-covered mountains offer a playground for thrill-seekers. Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and mogul skiing represent three ways to descend the slopes. Alpine skiing, which originated at the end of the 19th century, developed with the first ski lifts and international competitions around 1930. In the 1960s, its rapid expansion reshaped the mountains. Villages were transformed into ski resorts, capable of accommodating the influx of skiers seeking thrills. Beyond performance, alpine skiing expresses an elegance: carving one's own path on slopes designed for speed.
At the crossroads of mountain and urban cultures, snowboarding emerged in the 1960s in the United States. It draws inspiration from surfing and skateboarding, replicating their stance: both feet on a board. Initially considered marginal, it has become established through its spirit of freedom, its fluid aesthetic, and its creativity. Each turn seems to leave a signature on the snow, a signature of pure pleasure and the satisfaction of leaving a unique mark in the powder. Mogul skiing, meanwhile, combines acrobatics, speed, and fluidity on a slope dotted with moguls. Forty seconds of effort, two acrobatic maneuvers, and a rhythmic and technical descent. Popularized in France by Edgar Grospiron, the first Olympic mogul champion in 1992, mogul skiing, demanding and technical, remains reserved for elite skiers.
