Field Journal

The North Face has released ‘Frozen Mind’, a film starring French snowboarder Victor de Le Rue as he takes on a new challenge that has long fixated him.

Having ridden the four corners of the world, de Le Rue returns closer to home to the mountains that have inspired him more than any other – Chamonix. With his close friend and ski mountain guide Pierre Hourticq, they challenge themselves against unforgiving, ice-covered slopes of more than 45°.

More than just a film about the incredible technical abilities of the two Frenchmen, Frozen Mind provides a look into the snowsports athletes’ friendship as they rely heavily on each other to successfully climb and descend mythical routes such as the Pain de Sucre, Mallory, Frendo, and the Nant Blanc.

Victor de Le Rue said of his fascination with the Chamonix Massif: ‘A frozen mind is when someone finds themselves fixated on an idea, a purpose – and do everything to achieve it. This trip has been my obsession and to successfully take on these demanding slopes with Pierre makes it that much more fulfilling.’

The pair find themselves regularly roped together as they ascend treacherous routes and avoid falling rocks. The technical climbs lead the athletes to explore in the purest forms, embracing the decent and capturing the joy of snowsports.