La Clusaz has seen freestyle champions such as Candide Thovex and Edgar Grospiron grow. The station has always been a high place of the freestyle scene and has many young talents in its Sports Club.
LCZ is the acronym for La Clusaz, a community created by the Tourist Office around digital content produced by club riders and other organizations. It is the Rider Factory which is carried by the Sports Club with its current and former members.
We had the pleasure of interviewing
Benoît Buratti, member of the French Ski team, qualified for the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in 2018 and vice-champion of France in Big Air in 2019. In addition to his sports life, Benoît produces content for his social networks, accompanied daily by the
Collet Brother.
PVG: Hello Ben, thank you for the time you give us! So, if you had to define yourself in three words, how would you describe yourself?
B.B: Considering my background and my choices, I think I could say: ambitious, creative and combative.
PVG: When and how was your first ski experience?
B.B.: As far back as I can remember, I started skiing at the age of 4. My family doesn’t work in the ski world but they are from Haute Savoie and have always been very athletic. My first ski trips were with my father and my brother, we were already starting to make great descents. At the age of 8, I wanted to join my brother who was already in the snowpark for him. We are 7 years apart, and I admit that I quickly surpassed it, at 12 years old, I was already better than him! (laughs!) This is where it all started.
PVG: And when it comes to competition, when did you want to get started?
B.B.: I did my first competition at the age of 10 in bump skiing. I knew I had a taste for competition, freestyle too, but I dreamed of something else in terms of discipline. I have always been a bit of a daredevil as a child, and then, like many people, Candide Thovex fascinates me, that was more what I wanted to turn to.
Until 15, I managed the competitions alone, with the help of my parents of course! They were also a real support. They have accompanied me since I was 13 and have allowed me to find my first partners by highlighting my achievements.
Then I wanted to join a club because it was getting too complicated. So I arrived at the La Clusaz Sports Club, and it was really the most beautiful thing that happened to me ... I met Antoine Rachel and Fabien Cattaneo who brought me all the experience of the former champions they had trained themselves. Trust between athletes and coaches is very important. And at La Clusaz, this is what we find. It is our ethics to be able to bring all generations closer to freestyle.
PVG: Can you tell us about a typical day in the shoes of Ben Buratti?
B.B.: Generally, I wake up around 8:30 am, I join Le Club des Sports in La Clusaz an hour later. If the conditions are good, we go directly to La Balme to take advantage of the powder. If they are less, we go to the LCZ Snow Park to train.
At noon, I often take a short break at the Sawmill, my partner and sponsor since the start of the season. Then in the afternoon, we go back to train, always if the weather permits. Often, I take the opportunity to film, produce images and content for my social networks.
I’m entering my fourth season in the France team, so I have physical preparation to keep throughout the year. When I'm not on skis, I try to go as far as possible on the hiking trails offered by the Aravis. In summer, the La Clusaz Sports Club sets up low air on the Giguet field. This installation allows us to test new "risk-free" figures, so that we can perform them on snow later, with maximum confidence.
PVG: So what are your short and medium term goals?
B.B.: I plan to participate in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. I therefore bet on the success of the whole “World Cup” circuit. We're scoring points from next year, which allows us to qualify.
Films and content on networks also play a very important role throughout the year. This is what allows me to keep visibility with my partners.
In October 2019, Faction screened at Le Grand Rex in Paris its second feature film "The Collective", in which I had the chance to tour with other athletes. He has more than 250,000 views on Youtube. During this session, my film "Scoping" in La Clusaz, was also screened, a great moment for me, I had a little pressure I must say, but I was pleasantly surprised, people were committed and passionate.I was able to chat with my community live, like during
the High Five in Annecy.
These kinds of events are really important to me. I want to take the time to share, to discuss. I want to carry out innovative projects, both for my community and with my sponsors and partners.
PVG: So manage your competitions as well as your influence! This rhythm and your sporting level certainly requires requirements and a fairly strict life. How do you deal with so much "pressure", if we can call it like that?
B.B.: Quite honestly, I do not take the lead. Of course competition is sometimes stressful, but you have to know how to manage it, that's how you learn. I love what I do, I know how lucky I am to be well surrounded. I have my parents on whom I have always been able to count, my girlfriend, my close friends, who support me in all my projects. Besides during big competitions, very often I prefer that they do not accompany me, to be focused and to be able to tell them afterwards, they accept it completely!
I don't have an agent but I am fortunate to have sponsors present from the start such as La Clusaz and Picture Organic Clothing, as well as Alex Hamelin who has always helped and advised me in my professional endeavors. I grew up in an environment where people were mostly older than me, and already had a lot of experience. I certainly matured faster by being with them.
PVG: It's a very nice course, well done! So how do you see yourself in twenty years? Do you dream of something bigger?
B.B.: After the Olympics in 2022 and depending on my physical condition and my sporting level, I think I will continue the competition but focusing more on freeride. I would like to continue to produce ski films, to make creative and innovative projects, by turning as much as possible at La Clusaz to continue bringing my resort to life through my passion.
PVG: Do you have a little word for the end?
B.B: Believe in your dreams!