"Remember, the Euro X is your favorite contest Virg..." This is what Marie Martinod told me during one of my many down times while we were training in this perfect halfpipe. I spent a really fun week in Tignes with my friends, but I was really tired and struggled with my skiing the whole time there. Indeed the winter has been long for everybody, full of non-stop travels and many contests. It was too much for me and specially for my head, still fragile, I could not take it anymore! Mentally and physically exhausted, I did not land a clean run at those Euro X...

More than anything else, I want to tell you the beautiful come back story of my best friend on the tour, Marie Martinod! We met on a summer day ten years ago, while skiing on the glacier of les Diablerets. Not many girls were doing that back in the days, Marie was already a pro skier and my idol with Sarah Burke. Since that day, we became friends, she took me under her wing and helped me find my first sponsors. We traveled and skied together for a few years. But one day, she suddenly decided to stop skiing. She needed to settle down and had accomplished what she wanted in her ski career, it was time for her to move on. She had met the man of her life and together they had a little girl, Mélirose, and I became the goddaughter. When the IOC announced that halfpipe would be in the next Olympics, I started to talk to Marie about it and tried to persuade her to come back. She finally realized that could be possible and gave it a try last year at a national level. She found a partner that gave her the financial support that she needed. Last summer she trained hard physically and came back on the World Cup tour this year with great results. She received the last spot for the Euro X and skied all week at her best. The night of the finals, Marie's friends and family came up from the valley to support and give her the extra power to boost! She was on fire and skied so well, winning her first X Games gold at home. That was the only victory missing on her palmares. After five years of break, she showed to the World that with lots of determination and hard work, you can accomplish what you really want! Congrats my friend, I am really proud of you, this victory is so well deserved!!!

That night, even being disappointed with my bad performance, I had so much joy to see my friend winning the most prestigious event, the X Games, a dream came true... Marie is back and we are now on the road to Sochi together! We will do our best and give everything to make Sarah proud at the Olympics!!!