We were lucky enough to spend a few days in the resort of Nendaz and the wider Valais region where we got the chance to ride with Florian Bouvet Fournier a local professional freeride snowboarder and experienced film and videographer. Throughout a day spent on the slopes of Nendaz and a lazy lunch we chatted about all aspects of his life, his freeriding career and his love of film and photography and why Nendaz is a place that as the has engraved itself on his heart.

So Florian we know snowboarding has taken you many places in life but how did it all start- can you tell us how you got into snowboarding, your favourite places to visit and why you have settled in Nendaz

Sure it first started out for me with friends we were 7 or 8 at the time and were all skiers. Then we started to see more and more snowboarders in the resort, it was new and exciting to and we all just thought why are we not trying that. So since that time until about twelve I was out riding every winter in Nendaz then our family made the decision to move to Quebec City, all was not lost though as we were still close to the mountains and with another resort nearby the snowboarding obsession just continued to grow.

There were differences  in Quebec though the terrain was not as steep ane there was less freeriding, there was a much higher focus on freestyle riding though

So between the ages of about 14 to18 I was watching all my friends become amazing park riders and although it was not where my snowboarding focus lied it was here quite by accident that  I first fell into the role of a cameraman. So I am thankful for those early days and how they influenced my career as a photographer and freelance filmmaker.

For me personally I was still dreaming of freeriding, so there was lots of days heading into the forest and off the beaten track looking for fresh powder. So I got to do some free ride in Quebec but it was much more limited in scope than what I was used too.

 

Outside of the park I was still concentrating on freeriding opportunities and soon they began to appear. One memorable trip included a visit  to Norway to take part in a free ride qualifier championship. It was a great road trip with close friends and was truly eye opening experience, for a start we discovered the amazing Norwegian fjords and also headed out ski touring whenever we could to take in the breath taking scenery. So what originally was a 3 day competition turned into a 2 week memorable road trip across Europe with great friends.

Other great road trips included a trip to Jasna another great little resort near the town of Liptovsky Mikulas in Slovakia which offer great value and some sweet freeriding and I would truly recommend if you want to find a gem of a resort.

After a period living in Quebec City our family returned to Nendaz  but the difference was that I was now much more experienced and was seeing the possibility of the mountains through adult eyes. Rather than things appearing smaller as they often do as an adult the scope of Nendaz had grown and I could see endless potential in the mountains in the Valais region. It really just felt natural to return back to where my roots were and where my love for the mountains has begun.

So speaking of putting some roots down we hear you are about to put pen to paper on a chalet here in Nendaz I know the location is top secret at the minute but can you tell us anything?

At the minute I have just got to put my signature on the papers and I will be ready to move in so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly and I can perhaps reveal the location to you all. In all seriousness though I can tell you I am super excited it will be the perfect place to base myself, in the summer time I will have lots of land that will allow me to grow vegetables and create a simple back to nature lifestyle. I can also spend time learning diy renovating the chalet to my tastes, as a base it will also allow me the time to be able to continue my freelance film and photography work throughout the year. Come winter time the place will be perfect for riding, riding and more riding. One more thing not to make you jealous or anything but let’s just say I will have a free ride route direct to my chalet door. So it’s a good lifestyle to have for sure.

It could make the weekly shop more problematic though any chairlifts nearby for dropping the shopping off?

You will have to wait and see failing that lets hope the gardening pays off and I can create a stockpile of food.

Obviously to have this lifestyle you have to work and train incredibly hard to ensure you are still competing at the top level, it’s not always been an easy journey with a recent injuries and setbacks along the way can you tell us a bit more about the ride so far?

The thing with freeriding is it a place you get to through experience and knowledge of the mountains and it takes a lot of years to get to that level and age is less of a barrier than in other areas of the sport, in fact, it's actually a positive in the freeriding world.

By my mid twenties I was getting good results including a second place at the European championship sadly for me they only took 1st place forward  onto the main free ride tour. It wasn’t disheartening though and I was happy about my results and knew next year I would come back stronger.

Also I wasn’t feeling the pressure at this stage of my career that some riders have, I wasn’t having to live upto sponsors demands I was doing it purely for myself which was helping me get better results and importantly entering the contest in the right frame of mind.

Since then I have gone onto place high in the tour but am still looking for that top spot having missed out narrowly in previous years. Last year however was more about getting back to full fitness rather than placing high in the Nendaz Freeride event after a disappointment in 2018 where I had to sit out of the event through injury. Thankfully there were no surgeries or operation required and despite getting injured in December I was riding again by March. So despite the initial injury setback within 2-3 hours afterwards i  was thinking of the positives of the situation and how I could use the time to enhance my filming work which was becoming a passion equal to that of snowboarding.
 

 

So after the injury one of the first things I committed too was a big filming project with some free ride friends and with more filming work taking a priority through the spring, summer and autumn I had plenty of time to recover and really commit to my snowboarding in 2019.

In order to compete at such a high level there must be a lot of training can you tell us about this side of things and just what it takes to be ready for a competition such as the Nendaz freeride.

So living where I do I am very lucky and can ride everyday of the winter but it takes careful planning to stay fit and safe in the mountains.  To give you an idea in January I am generally riding 6-7 hours a day as the slopes are much safer because of the cold. You can see that global warming is affecting things though as come February and March it is now getting so warm in the day that by 12-1 we must be down the mountain well at least outside of the freeriding areas. So it involves lots of early starts to get the  fresh tracks and about 4-5 hours a day of riding at which we combine between ski touring and freeriding.

So on average I am riding about 28 hours a week so it is physically demanding but also it’s what we live for so you will find no complaints from me.

Bearing in mind your wealth of experience as a free ride snowboarder what tips have you for someone taking those first steps into freeriding?

The first thing is to always start freeriding with more experienced people, those who know the area well particularly experienced guides will ensure you can make it as safe as possible and will help pick routes based on your experience. Learning how to operate avalanche search equipment is vital too but you should also be paying close attention to avalanche warning levels, the temperature, wind levels and assessing the snow pack. Knowing when the last snowfall was and what direction the face is facing is very important. You need to be methodical doing everything step by step and a lot of it will become more natural with age and experience hence learning from the experts. If you are just on a short trip and don’t know a resort well try and find out what has happened over the last few days but if you are living day to day in the mountains this will become more natural. Instinct and feelings are also very important if it feels wrong there is always another day. You should always take your shovel  and dig down into the snow pack to asses the layersout this is vitally important before ever setting off down a face. So my take home is do the safety courses, spend time with experts and have the relevent safety equipment.

Having grown up in Nendaz and moved back on a permanent basis can you tell us what is so special about Nendaz of all the areas in the Valais region?

So if I said to you Zermatt, Verbier and Chamonix your mind is already painting a picture of some of the most famous mountain areas in the world and perhaps images of glitz and glamour but mention Valais or Nendaz and many people will draw a blank.
 
I mean having visited us here you are now in on the secret but the big thing is we are part of those same mountain ranges we just sneaked in between those big hitters and we may not be boastful about it but we have already started  to get a reputation for offering an equally good experience, we have some of the best slopes and freeriding opportunities in the world without the cost associated with some of the nearby resorts. 

In terms of terrain we have it all lots of great pistes for all levels but some serious steep and challenging freeriding between the valleys, not to mention amazing powder days. We are also connected to other resorts in there area such as Verbier so we have lots to offer all round, you won’t get bored here that is for sure. 
 
For ski touring we have lots of accessible mountain huts to stay in and because of where we are situated we have a mixture of cultures too we are talking, Swiss/ french, swiss Italian and Swiss German sides not mention a wink of chamonix alpine style so there is a lot on offer but just don’t tell too many people or they will all want to come.

Also whilst the resort of Verbier etc are getting bigger and have a real international vibe, here In Nendaz I feel we offer something different and authentic. Nendaz is a place where Swiss locals  still live and the Swiss way of living is very much intacts, this is no purpose built resort and the connection to the Swiss culture is still very evident. Perhaps this is why I was drawn back here. 

You don’t need to tell us as a visitor you can instantly tap into that Swiss vibe with some of the activities on offer here. We have had an amazing time, amazing snowboarding, amazing company and we are still dreaming of the authentic Valais cheese we ate by firelight in the forest.

Your right there's so much more to do here than just snowboarding and if you want the best cheese, food and wine then Valais is a pretty special region for all of this. For a year round destination you can’t beat it the place is also great for hitting the walking trails and bike parks in the summer.

So playing devil's advocate If you had to book a trip away from Nendaz given your extensive travelling where should we be looking to book our next trip?

If you want a unique freeride experience I would recommend Arolla in Switzerland it may  only has a small chairlift but the resort feels grand in scale something like the Himalayas, it also a small village and really cheap and sa very different experience to a purpose built resort. Sticking to Switzerland Zinal in Grimentz in Val d'Anniviers is a really impressive place as well and another part of the Valais region that you should check out.
 
Norway as I mentioned is mind blowing too not to mention it’s always a super long season with great snow well into may. In Quebec there is a great resort Le Massif de Charlevoix Petite-Rivière-Saint-François where at one part you are able ski over the St Lawrence river, which is quite an experience. 
 
Seriously though if I recommend anything it's that you spend more time here you have only had four day in Valais and there is plenty more for you to explore here you have barely scratched the surface.

It's true we also checked out Verbier and had a blast but would really like to see more of the region. So finally with winter coming to an end, what are the plans for the rest of the year?

It’s all about getting the chalet and getting my green fingers out. Learning how to become a Gardener should be great fun and doing up the place to my liking will keep me busy, it will take time and money so expect plenty of filming work and more competitions along the way. Until then it’s more of the same snowboarding, snowboarding, snowboarding.

Speaking of which see you guys later!

If you would like to know more about Florian and his work as a filmmaker and photographer you can visit florianbouvetfournier.com or follow him on his instagram feed

To find out more about what we though of Nendaz check out our latest review and for more information on taking a trip here visit the Valais website where you can find out about Nendaz and the wider area.