VAN DEER-RED BULL SPORTS / ALEIX AUBERT SERRACANTA 

Key details:

• Aleix Aubert Serracanta

• 9 April 2005 in Barcelona

• Skier

• Disciplines: Giant slalom, slalom 

Aleix, welcome to VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports! How have you been welcomed into the team?

Aleix: I'm just really happy that the collaboration worked out. I'm extremely motivated to take the next steps in my career together with VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports and our new material.

You certainly bring some new Spanish vibes to our team too. Could you tell us a little more about yourself and how you became a skier when you grew up in Barcelona right by the sea?

Aleix: I was born with a love of skiing. My parents were always enthusiastic skiers. I first started skiing when I was one and a half years old - our spot was the Pyrenees, about an hour and a half from Barcelona, and that was the starting point of my career. I also went sailing and played tennis. I was pretty good at both, and the coaches said I had talent and could pursue them more seriously. My great passion was always alpine skiing though.

Can you still remember the moment you first decided you wanted to be a professional skier?

Aleix: Yes, definitely! I will never forget it. My uncle Pau, who was also a keen skier, convinced my parents to let me take part in the traditional Descens Infantil children's race. This race has been held in the La Molina ski area on 1 January for over 70 years. I was four years old at the time, and it was my first-ever ski race. I immediately fell in love with the sport and the challenge of competing against others.

So, we have to say:

gracias tio to Pau!

Aleix: He was my first mentor and supported me enormously in the years after, advising me on ski programmes and training courses, and showing me the way to make my dream come true. I spent the winters outside of Barcelona - in Andorra, training in the Pyrenees. In the summer I went to the Alps, Argentina or Norway. That is what I had to do to compete in the World Cup someday.

The USA also played an important role in your development as a professional skier. How long were you in America for?

Aleix: My time in the USA was a very important phase for me both as a person and as an athlete. I spent three years in Vermont at the Stratton Mountain School. It was all focused on school, training and competitions. The school specialises in alpine skiing, snowboarding and Nordic disciplines – and they have excellent coaches. Ross Powers, Olympic halfpipe champion in Salt Lake City in 2002, and Olympic champion Lindsey Jacobellis, who won two gold medals in Beijing in 2022, also went to school there. Not only did I find friends for life there, I developed enormously. After returning to Spain, I was immediately called into the RFEDI national team. That was the next important step for me on the way to achieving my dream of becoming a professional ski racer and, of course, winning races at the highest level.

What does your daily training routine look like at the moment?

Aleix: Success is a combination of talent and hard work. I am putting a lot in and training with the Spanish national ski team to prepare for the upcoming season in slalom and giant slalom. I am also studying business and am currently learning German.

What makes Aleix Aubert Serracanta tick away from the slopes?

Aleix: I love being by the sea, sailing with my family or doing wing foiling. I also like to ride trial bikes and I'm a MotoGP fan. Dani Pedrosa is my absolute favourite rider. He is very talented, fast and a real sportsman – what a hero!

Finally, we have a lot of fans of Spanish food. What is a must-have when you're in Barcelona?

Alexis: Barcelona is a brilliant city. You have to go to the beach, and you can’t leave without trying paella. My insider tip: Pata Negra with pa amb tomàquet. This is a traditional way of preparing the bread in Catalonia, with Pata Negra ham – it is incredible!

Aleix, thank you for the wonderful chat and for giving us an insight into your development as a professional skier. We look forward to our journey together at VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports!