Aziz is the man behind the scenes who has put a phenomenon in the spotlight. The phenomenon we’re talking about is Candide Thovex. He needs no introduction; he has a Wikipedia page. So we’re going to talk to this guy instead, the man with the GoPro and skis taking show-stopping shots.
The name’s Aziz and he’s the most famous Moroccan in the village. He’s also Candide Thovex’s cameraman. The two have been friends since they were kids. Aziz told us about the first time they met.
I was in the Entremont ski club. We were dropped off at the resort in the morning and picked up in the evening. We had the day to ourselves with no-one watching us, so I would ski with my childhood friends. One day in Balme, I felt like doing some moguls. I wasn’t the only one: there was a little boy doing it
and everyone was watching his jumps. Then we took the ski lift together and rode together. The boy was Candide and we hit it off straight away. The following year I joined his club in La Clusaz. I was 10 or 11. We carried on skiing with the club’s «stars»: Edgar, the Quenet brothers, the Collomb-Patton brothers… It
was a talented bunch.»
They’ve been together ever since, globe-trotting the world’s ski slopes. From the short videos they started out with when they were younger to major productions like Ski the World, Aziz developed a passion for filming and perfected his skills. Now he’s come into his own filming skiing. But that’s not all. «I’m like a human drone»
I’ve always been drawn to image. I wasn’t as into it at the start as I am now. We had GoPros on our helmets and it was an instant hit with me. One day we decided it would be good to get another point of view. That’s when we fitted a mount with a stabiliser. It wasn’t that easy! We had to get used to the frame because the
screen is tiny. You have to check sometimes to make sure it’s framed right. Otherwise, you get used to adjusting yourself and the equipment.
Basically, I’m like a human drone (laughs). The drone and follow-cam actually work together, there’s no sense of competition. The drone works better in some places, the follow-cam in others. Sometimes you can’t track someone properly with a drone so the follow-cam provides another point of view. I personally don’t think you can film something just using a drone. Technically you have to film around the person over long distances. Then again, it depends on the drone and who’s flying it!
We travelled a lot for Ski the World, we skied on anything but snow. It was a challenge, it was intense because we had to produce footage every day. It all worked out with plane tickets, one spot a day, sometimes two days.
Skiing the world takes time and a lot of planning to pin-point spots, weather conditions and any potential hazards. A lot of training goes into not just filming athletes but also capturing their feats. Especially when it comes to skiing in the mountain and you have to contend with the elements, snow, avalanche risk, terrain etc. Aziz tells us how to «switch off but stay focused.»
We’re very careful. We don’t go to places where the risk is too high. We actually like skiing at speed in fairly open spaces, so we don’t need to be on dangerous slopes. They can be beautiful, fun, corridors etc. But we don’t really go to places that are too rocky for example.
Obviously, sometimes you have to switch off for jumps. That’s what I’ve done in La Clusaz. Just take the spot behind the ski lifts, between the rock and Balme upper station. I’d just recovered from a hip operation that time. I’d been skiing for 2-3 months and we went straight to the spot. It was intense. You have to do some jumps several times to get a handle on them and relax. After you’ve done it 2 or 3 times, it’s still intense but there’s less pressure.
The unrivalled skier and elite athlete took part in the Freeride World Tour. He had fun listing all the bones he’s broken and his biggest fears:
Tibia fracture, dislocated hip 4 times, 2 vertebrae, wrist, shoulder, ribs… Not bad going. They were big crashes every time, especially the hip. The first time you don’t feel the pain right away because of the adrenaline. But once you do, it’s unbearable. Most of the time I got injured skiing on my own or in competition.
The 4th time I injured my hip was at a freeride competition. That’s when I told myself I would quit. There was a blizzard that day. You couldn’t see properly. The snow wasn’t great. It was -15 but we still raced. The accident happened and it put me off competing.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Now he was done with competitions, it was time to make the most of skiing without any points, judges or scores… just for himself. Just for the fun of it. «I managed to make skiing fun»
I’ve done competitions, mogul, freestyle then freeride. Then after a while, I wasn’t getting anything out of it. I wanted to ski for fun and it happened at the same time as this opportunity. That’s how I managed to make skiing fun. Obviously, I still watch the world tour, it’s heading in the right direction but the conditions
aren’t what they were. It can be dangerous on certain slopes. Freeride skiing is harder to organise now. There are lots of factors to consider: weather, avalanches etc. And there are things that make you want to do it.
Being Candide Thovex’s cameraman is no picnic. First, you have to keep up with him. Second, you have to keep up with him with a GoPro in your hand. It’s not a job you’ll still be doing at 62, 64… Manu, if you’re reading this… “I’ll always be involved in filming”.
I do think about the future, but I can’t tell the difference between the past and present yet. I’ll think about it when the time comes but I’ll probably always be involved in filming. I don’t just do the follow-cam nowadays, I do a bit of tripod, especially this year since I broke my scaphoid. In the end, what’s good about it is that you sometimes feel good with the tripod, there’s a bit less pressure, but other times you do want to ski (laughs), it’s not the same thing.
With a busy schedule, he slaloms between life as an athlete and life as a super dad to two children. It can be hard to get the balance right. When he’s in La Clusaz, he makes the most of the peace and quiet here to recharge his batteries. «As long as they’re happy, I’m happy»
It’s more chilled in summer. I have a couple of projects on. I do some sport, hiking, strength training. I tend to give myself a month off then I get back into the swing of things slowly. It’s more about having fun, I train with my friends. I’m in a rush more in winter, I’ve got to come up with shots, it’s not always easy. It takes time, energy, more risks and adrenaline. In terms of my life as a dad, they’re still small. Khalil’s at nursery. He’s not into skiing yet (laughs). Tilila’s in reception and she’s already started! I don’t force them, I want them to do what they like. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy.
Balme is to La Clusaz what Byzantium was to the Roman Empire. And Aziz doesn’t disagree. «Of course, it was fairly busy before but less off-piste»
When I have some free time in winter, I love going to Bellach’ or Combe du Clocher in L’Étale. I really like the woods too, especially when the weather’s bad. Then again, I think Balme is a mad spot for sport, it’s hard to beat. There aren’t many spots with an elevation of 1000m. You can do anything, serious skiing, trees, jumps… It’s a bit of everything in one place and you can really ski, Balme is the place to ski. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world exploring amazing places, but La Clusaz is the place I feel best.
It’s definitely busy nowadays, you can’t expect to have powder all day like you used to. Plus skiing, equipment and fashion have changed. Of course, it was fairly busy before but less off-piste Nowadays everyone has their helmet, backpack and they’re off. It might be a fad too. I don’t think there could be any more people than there are, maybe (laughs). When you pay attention, it’s mainly on sunny days with powdery snow, but then again, it would be.
