Good old Gap in La Clusaz

Annecy / La Clusaz, France | Born: May 22, 1982 | Active: 1997-present | Known for: X Games golds, 2010 Freeride World Tour title, Few Words, One of Those Days, Ski The World | Current: Candide Skis / CANDIDE outerwear Balme Under A Name Carved Into The Mountain Balme was cold, ribbed and open to Mont Blanc when La Clusaz fixed seven markers into a black, ungroomed line bearing Candide Thovex’s name. The track sits between Crintiaux and the Balme Col chairlift, secure but raw, exactly where his skiing first learned to ignore category borders. The tribute made sense because Thovex’s career has never belonged to one lane.... Read more on the Athlete page

French Alps resort in Haute-Savoie | Known for: Balme, Candide Thovex, Candide Invitational, LCZ Park, 125 km of runs, 5 massifs, 85 pistes, Aravis freeride, and a strong freestyle-to-backcountry culture | Season: December to April depending on snowpack | Best for: freeriders, natural-feature skiers, park riders, Candide-inspired edits, and crews looking for authentic French Alps terrain near Annecy and Geneva Balme And The Candide Thovex Home Mountain La Clusaz rises from 1100 meters to 2600 meters across five massifs in the Aravis, with Balme carrying the resort’s deepest freeski identity. The official ski area lists 85 runs, 47 lifts, 125 kilometers of runs, one snowpark and one fun zone. Those numbers make La Clusaz a mid-sized French Alps resort by pure acreage, but its cultural weight is much larger than the piste map suggests.... Read more on the Location page