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Old school and new school. When things move forward in a big way, this is an inevitable axis of conflict that is exposed in every industry and field. Each side has parallel opinions and ideas, and the worst outcome is to nip in the bud the new seeds that are about to grow. However, we have an option to avoid such a disastrous outcome. It is to wait for someone to appear who can bridge the two.

One skier in particular, Candid Tovex, born in Annecy, France, near the Alps, has been an excellent bridge between these opposing forces, especially in the acrobatic skiing industry. He was able to achieve this position because he himself was an old school skier, having started training in moguls at the age of five at a local ski club and winning the French junior mogul championships at the age of 14. At 15, he was sponsored by Austrian sports brand Quiksilver, and at 17, he competed in his first big air event at the X Games in Colorado, where he finished in fourth place.

However, a turning point came. After years of overuse and back and knee injuries, he had to retire from competitive skiing after the 2007-2008 season. His next goal was to shine again as a freeride skier, which offers more freedom and danger than traditional freestyle skiing. This genre, like snowboarding and skateboarding, is rooted in terrain-based tricks and airs, as well as playing in parks with rails and boxes. It is a freedom sport with a lot of potential to change the traditional image of skiing.

If you want to know more about his extreme skiing, it is easy to watch his videos uploaded on the Internet. One of those days", a trilogy of his best films, in particular, conveys the charm of his skiing in an easy-to-understand manner.

In Part 1, which opens with an elaborate stunt in which the skier starts out while dodging people who are used as obstacles, he goes down a "roadless path" that is different from the course he is skiing. In the new-school freeride, the skills that he has honed in the field of freestyle skiing, which is classified as old-school in terms of cutting-edge acrobatic skiing, are on full display. The way he performs air tricks, both horizontal and vertical, in all directions, seems to suggest what true "freedom" really means. In Part 2, the riding becomes even more extreme. The film takes us into caves, jumping off lift stations, and skiing down snowless mountain paths. The climax of the ride takes place in the restaurant area of the slope, where many people enjoy eating, and ends up in the gondola of the ski resort. The guests were furious and crowded into the gondola, but Candid Tovex was cool enough to watch the situation. The mischievousness of this video is reminiscent of the classic skate videos of the golden age of skateboarding in the 1990s.

In Part 3, the culmination of the series, the participants dive between people's legs, slide on the surface of a pond, ski into the tip of a large tree, jump over people enjoying a helicopter or paraglider with a spinning propeller that could kill them if caught, enter a barn and break the glass at the exit, and slide through the barn, They can do whatever they want, even ask a horse to pull them around. The climax of the ride ends with a helicopter hook-up on a lake. This messed-up skiing is surprising because it is the flip side of the fact that skiing was originally a highly creative pastime. The entire film is shot from his point of view using an action camera, which is ingeniously designed to convey the raw atmosphere of the film.

In this age of economic, social, and even recreational deadlock, a breakthrough could come from a new direction suggested by someone with the skills of the old school and the enterprising spirit of the new school. Watching Candid Tovex's riding, I am convinced of this.