Candide Thovex: Steeziest Freerider of All Time?

jamesdeluxe said:
Candide disagrees with you.
Click to expand...

Jeez - slightly frightening, but amazing. As always. Those moguls look painful. No helmet? I don't think I've had a guide in Europe who wore a helmet.

But I think this helps prove the point regarding Crans-Montana conditions. If the footage was filmed on Feb 3, 2022, you can hear the mid-winter ice/hard pack up high, and the slurpy down low.
 
ChrisC said:
But I think this helps prove the point regarding Crans-Montana conditions. If the footage was filmed on Feb 3, 2022, you can hear the mid-winter ice/hard pack up high, and the slurpy down low.
Click to expand...

I didn't see a date on that video, but it was probably the loudest snow I've ever heard for that kind of skiing.
 
Tony Crocker said:
I didn't see a date on that video, but it was probably the loudest snow I've ever heard for that kind of skiing.
Click to expand...

The date was in the description on the YouTube site itself:

Candide Thovex - Pretty tight​
2,626,726 views Feb 3, 2022 Candide skiing some canyons in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.​
​
Filmed by Anthony Vuignier and Franck Moissonier​
Cover shot by Timo Jarvinen​
 
North-facing terrain at La Clusaz looking good on April 7. Most of the ski area closes today; however, the excellent La Balme sector (pic below from the Torchère platter) is scheduled to stay open through April 27:
1744544700419.png


We all remember Candide's classic 2014 "ski outlaw" clip that was shot there, One Of Those Days.

I enjoyed the equally entertaining sequels: Part 2 and especially Part 3.
 
I know that posting pro ski videos is a rabbit hole that we should generally avoid; however, I'm happy to make an exception for Candide -- this time doing a preposterous late spring line at Tignes that mixes equal parts mank, scratchy refreeze, slop, and rock. The audio alone makes me cringe. As always, I wonder how many takes they did to get this mix of footage.

Per one of the comments: "43 years of age, broken back injury, no helmet, and shit snow conditions; yet again, Candide pulls off this masterpiece."



There's also a short clip of him airing out the Aiguille Percée a few years ago.
 
Tony Crocker said:
Does he have to buy a new pair of skis every time he does something like that?
Click to expand...
Buy? Someone of his star power would likely be showered with free product from any ski manufacturer, especially if he's repping them and/or using them in his videos. Here's what a search turns up:

Candide Thovex is essentially riding his own brand, which is a big shift from what you probably remember.

Current (post-Faction era)​

  • He founded and reps Candide Skis
  • This is a boutique, design-driven line where he controls the shapes, messaging, and edits
    • AK 121 (his “favorite” big-mountain ski)
    • AK 106
    • Area 91 (more freestyle-oriented)
This is very “Candide”: creative control, less traditional sponsorship, more auteur brand.

Before that (what most people associate him with)​

  • Longtime face of Faction Skis
  • Had the famous CT (Candide Thovex) series — CT 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, etc.
  • That partnership ran approx. 10 years and ended after the 2021–22 season

​

Big picture (the honest takeaway)​

Candide isn’t really a “team rider” anymore in the traditional sense. He’s moved into:
  • Brand owner
  • Creative director
  • Media-driven skier
That’s why you see less “he reps X ski” and more “he is the ski brand.”
 
jamesdeluxe said:
I know that posting pro ski videos is a rabbit hole that we should generally avoid; however, I'm happy to make an exception for Candide -- this time doing a preposterous late spring line at Tignes that mixes equal parts mank, scratchy refreeze, slop, and rock. The audio alone makes me cringe. As always, I wonder how many takes they did to get this mix of footage.

Per one of the comments: "43 years of age, broken back injury, no helmet, and shit snow conditions; yet again, Candide pulls off this masterpiece."



There's also a short clip of him airing out the Aiguille Percée a few years ago.
Click to expand...
His skis might need a wax after that.

Edit. Snap. Tony beat me to it.
 
Sbooker said:
His skis might need a wax after that.
Click to expand...
Sbooker said:
Snap. Tony beat me to it.
Click to expand...
Yes, but he also thought that Candide buys his own skis. :icon-lol:

On that note, I asked almighty AI what happens when stunt skiers use their planks on extremely damaging surfaces and the explanation is pretty much what one would expect:

Short answer: he’s not babying them, and he’s definitely not reselling them. When a skier like Candide Thovex rides rocks, dirt, or mixed terrain, those skis are basically consumables—more like race tires than long-term gear. Most commonly, he just moves on from them. Pros get a steady flow of skis from sponsors (Candide had long been tied to Faction Skis), so once edges are blown or bases are trashed, they’re done.

If a ski is still usable, it might get quick repairs (P-tex, edge tune, grind) just to squeeze a bit more filming out of it, but that’s temporary. Some get kept as “rock skis” for similar conditions, even at the pro level. They’re almost never sold because they’re too damaged and not worth the liability risk. Sometimes they’re given to friends or crew, or kept as memorabilia from a shoot. Occasionally, heavily used skis from iconic segments end up as display pieces with a brand or in a personal collection.

Bottom line: those wild edits aren’t done on precious gear; they’re done on skis that are expected to get destroyed.
 
^^^^
Sorry about the minor thread drift but I’m wondering if the pro snow athletes really use the skis/boards from the manufacturers that they are sponsored by?
I know the cricketers sometimes appear to be using a Gray Nicholls bat for example but it’s really a Gunn and Moore with Gray Nicholls stickers on it. Do the baseball guys do much the same?
Drifting a little more the Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar was sponsored by MRF (Madras Rubber Factory). He started using a bat with MRF stickers on it but that was disallowed by the international cricket body because they made tyres and not cricket bats. What do you know, MRF set up a bat factory just to keep that sponsorship going.
 
Sbooker said:
Sorry about the minor thread drift but I’m wondering if the pro snow athletes really use the skis/boards from the manufacturers that they are sponsored by?
Click to expand...
Good question but don't racers always hold up their skis at the bottom of the run so the TV cameras can broadcast their branded top sheets to the world?
 
jamesdeluxe said:
Good question but don't racers always hold up their skis at the bottom of the run so the TV cameras can broadcast their branded top sheets to the world?
Click to expand...
I don’t know. I don’t watch the ski racing.
I guess it’s not as easy to mock up a ski brand as it is a cricket bat.
 
I need to get around to writing up a review/experience at La Clusaz - very unique and excellent ski resort.

I would make the case that Flaine/Grand Massif, Les Contamines or La Clusaz offer better all round skiing for any skier level vs. any specific Chamonix resort. However, none quite offer the views or obviously the Vallee Blanche.
 
ChrisC said:
I need to get around to writing up a review/experience at La Clusaz - very unique and excellent ski resort.

I would make the case that Flaine/Grand Massif, Les Contamines or La Clusaz offer better all round skiing for any skier level vs. any specific Chamonix resort. However, none quite offer the views or obviously the Vallee Blanche.
Click to expand...
The history of a ski location holds a lot of weight.
There are plenty of golf courses as good or better than St Andrews or Augusta but legends just are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top