Cycling from Chamonix to ski above the Arctic Circle | A Jean Rouaux adventure | Documentary

It's just like all the snow that's been here it's just gonna be really bad so there's not really much point of skiing. So depressing we're in an amazing place and if we can't we'll just uh yeah ride back and take the train back to Chamonix. Maybe we'll bet we'll have some better ski. Qu'est-ce qu'on fait mec? What shall we do? I'm Jean. I live in Chamonix. Mountaineering is all my life yet I decided to get into cycling. The idea is to create a line from home towards the far mountains and this winter I choose to head to the north of Norway. 4,300 kilometers and 40,000 meters of elevation gain in winter is going to be quite a mission. Day one of cycling from Chamonix to ski above the arctic circle. We have a bit of gear here. My snacks, the ski touring boots, the skis of course and the poles, my sacks and the bags. Every time I set off on my bike even if my legs are a little stiff at first I feel like nothing could stop me. Looks already quite a bit like winter. I'm curious of what it's gonna look when I'll be a lot more north. The first bit is definitely not the most thrilling part for sure. Raining outside it's gonna be a tough day. Well I mean crossing Germany in winter under the rain is quite a bold choice. I guess I look a bit funny in the middle of nowhere so far from any snow or any mountain range. We've officially reached Denmark and it's great. Sometimes I just think about all the kilometers that are left to do and it's not so good to think about it. Better keep this out of my mind. We've got a bit of snow. It's wonderful. It's not really easy to cycle in these conditions though but it's totally worth it. I am so happy to get those winter conditions. My clothes, shoes and a bit everything was all frozen this morning. It wasn't so easy but still did it. This is just amazing. Arriving in Norway marks more than just crossing a border. It's also stepping into the cold. The chill hits you as soon as you get there and suddenly everything changes. Riding in the cold is not so easy. Nights are long and morning takes real courage just to get out of my sleeping bag. It's hard. Sometimes it feels almost too much but there's something about facing these challenges that makes the adventure real. I'm literally starving. Let's get some breakfast. Every frozen sunrise, every effort to keep moving is definitely worth it. This is it. I parked my bike and I'm gonna climb over there. There's not much snow but it should be better on the top. It doesn't matter. I'm really happy not to cycle and just I know they weren't perfect but what a bliss to win those turns through all my efforts. Forever kilometers I've covered. That's a true gift. Feeling the snow beneath my skis, knowing I've worked hard to get there and savoring the poor pleasure of being off the road and looking at it from above. On day 27, my friend Hugo joins me to share and to film this project. It's so great to have him here but of course not everything goes according to plan. What's happening? What's happening Jean? My cassette is all fucked up. And I bet the snow is gonna be ---- tomorrow. Look at that. It makes you want to ride that. Tomorrow it's gonna be ----. The weather isn't giving us the best conditions for skiing for sure. That's the truth when you choose to travel by bike. It is not as simple as just heading straight to the resort. This is a slower journey when every turn is earned and every moment on the mountain has to be fought for. It's a different kind of adventure. Unfortunately the weather is pretty bad and it's gonna be quite insane for at least a week. Yeah it's part of the challenge you know. I've thought about this trip that I wanted to do in and here the winter is not so good to ski. The way up was just amazing. I've seen things that were like really worth doing it. Just like the feeling of cycling this much to ski even the is not so good. Yeah that was truly something. Cheers mate. I'm trying to get that. It's good that it's less than 5°C and the guy is wet. The technique to warm up the wet pants is squatting. Oh the knee. The knee doesn't have a good idea. We're going to have to change the mode of speed. Acceleration. I got away. Crossing six countries, facing the headwind, the rain, the cold and humidity. I'm in one of the best looking parts of Norway. I can't get bored of the scenery. That's really why I'm doing this. Also it's just about living at the fullest. One that teaches patience and reminds us to appreciate the journey. But we didn't came all the way up for nothing. We're still gonna give it a shot. I'm not using the bike to give lessons. I just hope it will inspire people to think outside the box. This project also highlights the paradox of skiing far from the Alps and finding less snow up north. Honestly it was incredible. It was cool. Yeah it was cool. The four turns. We do that for the adventure. The winter conditions, the summer conditions. We do that for the adventure. For the bike, for the views. It's beautiful. And for the few turns and four pit stops. Was there more snow in Chamonix or in Norway? It's especially colder in Chamonix than above the Arctic Circle. We were at the Arctic Circle and Santa Claus lied to us. Since the beginning. Oh man, it was in the Arctic Circle.