All Images: François Marclay | Skiers: Laurent De Martin and Sampo Vallotton
A discussion on the philosophy of ski movies, artificial intelligence and conscious experience sounds like a prompt created by Robert Pirsig and Sean Pettit, if the two ever sat down for coffee. But Pettit is too busy to drink coffee and Pirsig passed away a decade ago, so who can we turn to for this interesting blend of topics? Leave it to the crew at Simply. Recreation Club.
"inefficient joy_" is the third creation from the mind of Laurent De Martin (LDM) and our friends at Simply. Following in the footsteps of "OIWAI" (2024), this project challenges the notion of what a ski film can be, leaving you wanting more while questioning what exactly you just watched. Since the brand's inception, Simply.RC has not wavered in its commitment to aesthetic purism. This latest project is no different.
On the surface, the movie follows a few skiers, namely LDM, Sampo Vallotton, Daniel Loosli, Jenn Folkesson, Anouck Brodard and Alice Michel, from Switzerland to Japan as their motivations are questioned by a mysterious narrator. The cinematography is captivating, the sound design is like a velvet embrace for your ears, and the skiing is consistent with the unbelievably smooth and discernible style we've come to expect from LDM, Sampo and friends.
But beneath the cinematic mastery, we're met with questions that push well beyond the normal scope of ski films. Why make these projects at all? What is the net gain we get from sliding on snow, and can it ever be quantified? Our narrator, an AI model voiced by Gina Wagner, dissects the actions of these skiers with prompts derived from both the minds of the Simply crew as well as real answers from Large Language Models like ChatGPT. The concept might sound contrived on paper, but we beg you to hold your judgments until you've watched the full feature, preferably with a good sound system and dim lights.
In an age when engagement times and raw numbers have become the standard metric for quality, it's refreshing to see a group raising a red flag to these quantifiables, forcing us to think about how we evaluate what we consider a good use of time. As the narrator points out, ski movies are wildly inefficient on paper. But who could argue that the results aren't worthwhile when, ideally, these films cultivate community and inspire passion in a wide audience.
There's a lot to cover here, so instead of endlessly musing we decided to call up the man himself, LDM, to hear about the process behind the creation. Check out the interview and FULL movie below.
Thanks for sitting down LDM. Skiing, artificial intelligence, Japan, pow turns; when did you realize you wanted to make a film with this premise?Â
LDM: It all started with Jackson Lana, our DOP. Working together really pushed us to create something beyond just an action movie. We all agreed it felt like the right moment to add another layer, a story, a narration. When we started we didn’t exactly know what it would be, but we knew we wanted to try something new.
We finally dialed the concept in at the end of spring, when we began watching all the clips from winter 2025 with Jules Guarneri, the editor for "inefficient joy_". At that point, we were asking ourselves a lot of questions: namely why are we making another ski film? It was a good question since this one was even more complicated, using bigger cameras, a more cinematic vision and very limited resources, but through it all we had intense motivation. We filmed for 55 days [laughs].
After thinking about it for a long time, we started talking with ChatGPT almost as a joke. We asked it, "what should we be doing with this project?" But as we pushed the discussion further, it became fascinating to hear this very pragmatic perspective on the inefficiency of what we do. Anyone who's made a project knows that you put in so much effort for just a few seconds of footage. When ChatGPT said, “I can’t define joy,” that’s when we realized there was a real concept to be had within that theme.
Through that process, we understood that we could use AI as a tool, or a counterpoint, to express our own feelings and the joy that skiing brings us — not by defining it, but by revealing everything that makes it impossible to fully explain. After many long discussions and a lot of writing, we finally arrived at the final narration.
So the narration is written by humans but influenced by AI?
Correct. We thought it would be better that way.
The film covers a lot of terrain (literally) from piste to halfpipe to groomers to pow. Which was your favorite to film and why?Â
Spring groomers and side hits, for sure — that felt like home. It’s relaxing. You know the process, everything flows, and it was in those moments that we wanted to further bring a new flavor to the table. We mixed the carving vibe with some side hits, which I don't see often. That’s the kind of riding I do the most at home with my friends in Europe.
On the other hand, Japan was absolutely insane in every way. The powder was incredible, of course. But trips like that can also be pretty brutal when you have to organize and manage everything for a big crew in a foreign country while juggling tons of logistics. But I'm so glad that we did it.
With that in mind, do you have a favorite shot in the movie? Perhaps one that you had to work extra hard for or one that came together in a beautifully spontaneous way?
That nose butter 7 off the roller comes to mind. It's a natural feature right there. I’d been thinking about this one for a long, long time. The spring conditions in March were perfect at my home resort, Région Dents du Midi, and it was the perfect time to make it happen.
Jackson absolutely killed it behind the lens as well. He had to go straight down a slope full of big bumps with the big camera and stabilizer. To nobody's surprise, he lined it up in the best way possible, keeping the shot centered and framed well even through the runout.
Editor's Note: For reference, this clip occurs at 3:43 in the film... but don't skip ahead, you're better off just watching the whole thing!
Is this your favorite project by Simply.RC to date? If so, why?
Yes... by far. It’s the first time I can watch the movie over and over again. Normally, by the end of the editing process, I find myself pretty burnt out.
For me personally, this is the project I’ve put the most effort into — not just for the skiing, but for everything around it, all the way to the narration, which ended up being the biggest challenge we faced. I guess you could say it really represents what I feel. On top of that, Jackson captured some of the best ski shots I’ve ever had.
And of course, having Jules edit the movie again is always something special, since we started Awone Films together almost 20 years ago. Man, time flies!
Let's get philosophical. Towards the end of the film, the narrator explains, “I’m a system… a digital mind trying to make sense of something human.” Do you think digital minds will be able to comprehend the emotions we humans pride ourselves on, or is there something innate in a human mind that cannot be replicated no matter how much time and practice is put into an AI model?Â
What a question! I think it’s always going to remain theoretical. I'm not sure how you would prove that a machine has emotions, but perhaps it will get there one day. But no matter what AI becomes, I think that we, as humans, need to hold true to our own visions no matter what. I believe we are meant to live experiences that actually make us feel alive, as opposed to just going about our daily habits simply for the sake of getting through the day. This is an important distinction.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, it’s very easy to lose sight of that. But there are a lot of people out there who recognize this. The joy or rush of feeling alive can come through many things. There's no right answer, and it's different for everybody. For us, it’s being in the mountains, riding, and creating with the people we love.
That's a good answer. Maybe AI will spare you after it rises up.
[laughs] I guess we'll see.
Which would you take: surfing gullies in Switzerland (left) or blunt 3s in Japan (right)
LDM finds Japow (left) The dynamic duo, LDM and Sampo, find Swiss spring stashes (right)
Another part of this project that stood out to me was the sound design. Clearly, you all put a lot of time into it. Why was that such an important part of the film?
Coming from the cinema world, Jackson really wanted to take it to the next level with color grading and sound design... and he was absolutely right. It truly added so much, and that attention to detail from a trained eye is part of what made this film so special.
It’s so important in a movie like this to make you feel the riding, the flow, the moments, and I think we accomplished that. We worked with Rob from JingleJungle on this. He’s done a lot of snowboard movies, and learning about his creative process was very interesting.
What Simply.RC ski models can be seen in this film?Â
All the models are in the movie — from the Carver on the groomers to the Celebration in Japanese and Swiss powder. But my overall favorite is still the Recreation, the resort banger, because it brings our freeski vision to resort riding and carving.
Any plans for the coming season? Per usual, we're excited to see what you cook up next.
Yes, lots of plans! Going to Japan with Klorklor [François Marclay] to take pictures and enjoy the powder. Besides that, I’ll be filming for a 686 project, hopefully make it back to the USA, and maybe work on a documentary as well. But in general, I want to focus more on riding and creating — I’m so hungry for skiing. See you on the slopes!
