Meet Candide Thovex, a French athlete who specializes in freeriding – which, apparently, is the term used for skiing on unusual surfaces. And he’s here to show us the benefits of all-wheel drive.
Thovex, you see, is sponsored by Audi, which funded the production of the following video. It shows the multiple X Games gold medalist skiing on all sorts of terrain: sand, dirt, grass, jungle floor, volcanic ash, water… even the stone steps atop the Great Wall of China.
Producing the short film took Tovex and his film crew all around the world to capture the impressive footage, from northern Europe to east Asia to the islands of the Caribbean. Along the way, he skied between clay soldiers, over huts, through passageways, across dunes, cresting waves… everything, in short, but where you’d usually expect to see a skier. Especially not in full winter gear.
So what does any of this have to do with cars? Well, the idea is that if a skier can do his thing on surfaces other than snow, motorists could benefit from Audi’s signature Quattro all-wheel drive whether there’s fluffy white stuff on the road or not. All conditions, says Audi, are perfect conditions when you’re driving a car sporting its Quattro all-wheel drive system.
It’s a tentative correlation, to be sure. But do we care? Not really. Not after watching this video – which is just all kinds of awesome, any way you cut it. If you’ve ever enjoyed extreme-sports footage, you’re sure to enjoy this clip; and you probably will even if you haven’t before. So take the four and a half minutes and check it out.