Glace Noire Films

French alpine film production studio | Founded in 2024 and led by filmmaker / cinematographer Alex Chambet | Known for: Hors Ligne, Farmer’s Lifts, Conscience, Chimères, FPV drone work, cinelifters and mountain documentary storytelling | Focus: ski, freeride, ski touring, trail and outdoor films rooted in the Aravis, Haute-Savoie and the wider Alpine environment.

A young French alpine studio built close to the mountains

Glace Noire Films is not a ski manufacturer, apparel label, binding company or traditional ski-film institution. It is a French production studio focused on outdoor, alpine and sports storytelling. The company is legally recent, created in 2024, and operates in Haute-Savoie, close to the Aravis, La Clusaz, Annecy and the mountain terrain that shapes much of its ski identity.

That youth matters. Glace Noire Films should not be compared directly with long-running ski studios such as Matchstick Productions, Level 1, Teton Gravity Research or Legs of Steel. Its footprint is smaller, newer and more regional. But its position is clear: a mountain-first production house using documentary direction, aerial cinematography and FPV tools to tell stories about skiers, terrain, transition, impact and local mountain culture.

The name fits the visual world. “Glace noire” suggests ice, shadow, risk and the colder side of the mountain. The studio’s ski work often sits in that same atmosphere: less about loud park edits, more about alpine mood, preparation, steep lines, personal change and the quiet intensity behind big days in the mountains.

Hors Ligne and the transition from freeride competition to ski mountaineering

Hors Ligne is currently one of the strongest ski references in the Glace Noire Films catalogue. The film follows Jean Tonnelier, described as a 21-year-old former junior freeride vice-world champion stepping away from competition toward a steeper, wilder and more personal ski-mountaineering direction in the Aravis.

The project is produced by Glace Noire Films, directed and shot by Alex Chambet, and features Jean Tonnelier, Edgar Cheylus, Paul Bonhomme and Gaëtan Gaudissard, with Sébastien Michaud also appearing. The supporting partners include Völkl, Mammut, La Clusaz and Bangumi Production, which places the film in a serious freeride / ski-mountaineering ecosystem rather than a casual local edit.

Hors Ligne is important because it captures a theme that matters in modern skiing: the shift from judged freeride performance toward personal mountain objectives. The skier is not only trying to win a result. He is learning terrain, technique, rope-team trust, exposure and a different relationship with risk. That is exactly the type of story where a small alpine studio can be stronger than a generic action-sports camera crew.

Farmer’s Lifts and the poetry of old-school ski access

Farmer’s Lifts gives Glace Noire Films a different kind of ski identity. The short film follows Bastien Vidonne, Quentin Caramello and Baptiste LePrince through authentic Swiss terrain in search of older lift systems and a more local, tradition-driven kind of skiing.

This concept is valuable because it avoids the most obvious ski-film formula. Instead of chasing only bigger cliffs, helicopter shots or the newest resort infrastructure, Farmer’s Lifts looks at forgotten mechanical access, small communities, local rhythm and the strange beauty of skiing through places that still feel handmade.

The film also shows why Glace Noire Films fits skipowd.tv even with a small associated-video count. The studio’s value is not volume. It is point of view. Farmer’s Lifts treats skiing as culture, geography and memory, not only as action. That gives the studio a recognizable editorial lane inside the wider ski media world.

Conscience and the environmental mountain question

Conscience is another important project because it connects skiing with climate responsibility. Built from an original idea by Gaëtan Gaudissard and produced with Protect Our Winters France, the film asks a direct question: how can people continue skiing while reducing their environmental impact?

The project includes Gaëtan Gaudissard, Victor Galuchot, Liv Sansoz and Tony Lamiche, with participation from Heidi Sevestre. That combination matters because the film does not treat environmental impact as a vague slogan. It brings together skiers, mountain people and climate-aware voices around concrete lifestyle and professional choices.

For Glace Noire Films, Conscience is a useful signal. It shows the studio can work beyond pure performance. It can handle skiing as a cultural and ethical subject, where the line, the travel, the snowpack and the future of winter all belong in the same conversation.

Drone, FPV and cinelifter as the technical signature

Glace Noire Films’ most visible technical identity is aerial cinematography. The official site highlights drone and FPV work, including cinewhoop lifters, cinelifters, dual-operator cinelifters, classic FPV GoPro setups and smaller protected cinewhoop drones for tight spaces.

That toolset matters in ski filmmaking. FPV can follow a skier through terrain with a speed and proximity that traditional helicopters or static cameras cannot match. Cinelifters can carry larger cinema cameras for higher production value while keeping the movement and drama of FPV. Dual-operator setups add another layer by separating flying from framing, which can improve precision in complex mountain shots.

But aerial technology is only useful if the story stays readable. The best ski drone work does not simply chase a skier because it looks fast. It explains scale, slope angle, exposure, speed and movement. Glace Noire Films’ strength is strongest when the FPV tool serves the mountain narrative instead of replacing it.

Aravis, La Clusaz and the Haute-Savoie base

The studio’s geography is central to its identity. Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, La Clusaz, the Aravis and Annecy sit inside one of France’s richest mountain production zones. The area gives access to freeride terrain, ski touring, steep couloirs, local athletes, guides, mountain brands, festivals and a strong creative outdoor community.

La Clusaz is especially important because it sits at the intersection of freeride, freestyle, ski touring and French ski culture. A production studio based close to that terrain can film skiing with a local eye. It can understand weather windows, athletes, village rhythm, access points and the way a mountain day actually unfolds before the camera rolls.

That regional grounding is a major advantage for a young studio. Glace Noire Films does not need to invent alpine credibility from a distance. It works from inside a real ski region, close to the athletes and landscapes it films.

Client films and mountain brand work

Glace Noire Films also works on client projects. The official portfolio includes commercial or client work such as BEAUTY – Enak Gavaggio, Majesty Vanduard Ti 108, Snowleader Mountain Test 2024, Millet Reclaim Chamonix and drone / FPV projects outside skiing. This mixed catalogue matters because it shows the studio is not only making personal films. It can also deliver campaign and brand content.

For ski brands, destinations and athletes, that is useful. A production partner must often create several types of output from one mountain shoot: a short film, a brand reel, vertical clips, social edits, FPV sequences, drone establishing shots and still-like cinematic moments that help a campaign feel complete.

This is where Glace Noire Films can grow. If the studio continues to combine authored ski films with client projects, it can become a useful French alpine production partner for brands that want mountain authenticity without losing professional execution.

How to watch Glace Noire Films

For viewers, the best entry point depends on the mood. Start with Hors Ligne if you want a modern freeride and ski-mountaineering portrait built around transition, mentorship, exposure and the move away from competition. Start with Farmer’s Lifts if you want a more poetic travel idea, rooted in old lift systems and local ski culture.

Watch Conscience if you want the environmental and ethical side of skiing: how mountain people think about impact, winter futures and the contradictions of a sport that depends on snow. Then explore the drone and FPV work to understand the studio’s visual tools and how aerial movement shapes its films.

Glace Noire Films is not the studio for viewers looking only for rail edits, contest recaps or high-volume park videos. It is better suited to skiers who like alpine atmosphere, place-based stories, freeride transitions, ski touring, environmental reflection and clean aerial cinematography.

Why Glace Noire Films earns a 3 out of 5

Glace Noire Films earns a 3 out of 5 importance rating because it is verified, ski-relevant, professionally structured and already connected to serious mountain projects. It has a skipowd.tv sponsor page, an official website, a legal company structure, a clear director identity through Alex Chambet, ski films in its catalogue and technical capability in FPV and cinelifter cinematography.

It is not rated higher because the studio is still very young and its public ski footprint remains limited. Skipowd currently lists 0 videos associated with the sponsor, and Glace Noire Films does not yet have the long-term influence, volume or international recognition of larger ski studios. Its importance is real, but emerging.

On skipowd.tv, Glace Noire Films belongs as a French alpine film production studio. Its value is the new-generation mountain voice it brings from Haute-Savoie: FPV speed, Aravis terrain, documentary patience, ski-touring atmosphere and the ability to make a line feel connected to the people, weather and place that made it possible.