APO is proud to announce the addition of Mirabelle Thovex to the crew. With her sights set on Sochi 2014, Mirabelle makes a killer edition to a team that already boasts talents like Spencer O’Brien and Anne-Flore Marxer.

Learn more from APO’s press release, below:

APO perfects their women’s team with another Olympic hopeful. Mirabelle Thovex, the snowboarder from La Clusaz, France, joins Spencer O’Brien and Anne-Flore Marxer on the team.

With a family name like Thovex it is not surprising that 22-year old Mirabelle, the youngest in the family is making her career on the snow. She looks up to her illustrious skier brother, Candide. “I have a lot of admiration for him. He sets a good example. He helps me out and I can count on his advice. When we are back home in La Clusaz, we go riding and he shows me new spots.” Though she looks up to her brother, it was actually her snowboarding sister Capucine whose passion she copied. “When I was 8 years old, my sister was snowboarding and I was in a ‘I want to be just like her’ phase, so I tried it and it was fun, to the point of me not wanting to get back on my skis. I joined the Sports Club of La Clusaz and from there things progressed quickly.” At fifteen, she won the Burton European Open junior halfpipe title and a ticket to ride in the U.S. Open. Among her achievements, a second place at the World Cup halfpipe in Bardonecchia and a third place at the World Junior Championships.

This winter Mirabelle’s goal are set for the Sochi Olympics. With eight years of pipe riding behind her she is not a newcomer to the Olympic games, as she already competed in Vancouver. “I would be lying if I said I did not think about it every day for a few months before the Games. Now I am trying to focus on progress, and doing things well. We have carried on training throughout the summer in Mt Hood in July, then New Zealand in August and Saas Fee this fall. I feel good, let’s hope it lasts!”

Riding the APO Podium board and the APO Dual G1.0 Belluga double entry bindings, Mirabelle has a great advantage at the Games “I feel good with the Podium under my feet, it makes for a solid transition, which allows me to gain more speed in the pipe. I love this board because it is more rigid and therefore more reactive, than my previous boards. I also love the shape of this board because it has a normal camber. I prefer riding pipe with a regular camber board”

“Wild girls have more fun” is the philosophy of Mirabelle Thovex. The wild attitude works, so watch out for for the APO girls team. Mirabelle concludes “I am very proud to have signed with APO and to be part of the team. It is a really cool brand, who takes care of their riders. In addition, the brand is French and I am a patriot!”