Candide Thovex's New Favorite Ski Is Available for Purchase

Since his departure from Faction a few years ago, Candide Thovex has made waves in ski design with his own brand, Candide Skis.

The brand stands on a line of simple yet expertly designed freeride skis in a variety of widths and shapes for different intended uses. In true Candide fashion, the brand puts out minimal marketing material, and instead lets the clout of a ski designed by Thovex speak for itself.

After an Instagram radio-silence since December 12, 2024, the @candideskis page dropped a teaser video with no information a few weeks ago. Apparently, the video was teasing the launch of a new ski, which dropped today.

Joining the Candide Skis lineup this year are the new AK 106 and the Area 91, along with the redesigned AK 121.

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The AK 121 is Candide's favorite ski, according to the brand site, and is now available with a monochrome grey top sheet, in contrast to the old, white top sheet. A 121mm underfoot, reverse cambered ski with a hefty 21+ meter radius (depending on the ski length), at first glance, you'd think these skis were only for your biggest big mountain days. However, the promo video posted by the brand shows Candide ripping them on groomers. Classic. The AK 121 is available in a 179cm, 184cm, or 190cm size.

The Area 91 is one of the brand-new shapes to join the lineup of Candide Skis. At 91mm underfoot, the Area 91 was made for 'butter, side hits and turns.' The ski has just a touch of camber (2mm), and a symmetrical twin tip rocker. A progressive, single mount point cements this as more of a freestyle ski than the similar, yet still different, Resort 101. The ski is available in a range of sizes between 165cm and 187cm.

Lastly, the AK 106 has been added to the lineup, and we're pretty sure it's a kid's ski, but like all things Candide, it's kind of a mystery. A 106mm waist width puts this ski right in the mid-range of uses, and unlike the brand's other skis, which have a triple radii, these ones have a dual sidecut radius and a single mount point (like the Area 91).

However, they're only available in 147cm, 157cm, or 167cm lengths. The description reads 'short skis, big lines.' Short skis, indeed. Candide Skis are available online or from EVO retail stores in the US and Canada, and ship for free in Europe.