A crazy Idea that became reality

Bringing together mountain communication pros, tourist office directors, digital agencies and outdoor brands around in-depth conferences, hands-on workshops… and skiing? On paper, it sounds like a dream. On the morning of March 12, at the Salle La Musardière, that dream became reality. Attendees poured in from 7:30am for what promised to be a packed day and it delivered.

The morning kicked off with a bang with a conference by Armelle Solelhac (CEO of SWiTCH), who delivered a hard-hitting analysis of the major outdoor trends leading up to 2035. Key figures, counterpoints, perspectives — enough to send chills down your spine and fill your head with ideas all at once.

Following that, the teams from the NOIISE agency (Maylis Dufour, Jean-Charles Mermet, and Kévin Roure) analyzed the evolution of Search in the era of ChatGPT and Gemini. Is it the end of Google or just a shift in the landscape? Spoiler: the reality is far more nuanced than LinkedIn posts would have us believe.

The “Biggie Small” roundtable, hosted by Élise Gentit (Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise Tourist Office) and Charlie Lichnowski (Head of Digital Communications for Châtel), then put the spotlight on those who achieve a lot with limited resources. Concrete insights, directly applicable ideas, and a great collective energy.

Christine Llamas-Crapiz, from Maison Bouquet Crozat, stylishly reminded us that creativity doesn’t only happen on a screen, the “magic of paper” had its moment in the spotlight. A welcome reminder.

The morning wrapped up with a lively roundtable on AI: limitless potential or inherent limits? Aurélien Astre, Grimaud Valat, and Benoît Osterberger shared and challenged their perspectives, all punctuated by a WTF moment from Armelle Solelhac highlighting times when AI goes completely off the rails. Hilarious—and insightful.

In the afternoon, seven parallel workshops took place: SEO/GEO/Ads with NOIISE, outdoor photography with Tristan Shu Lebeschu and Mathurin Vauthier, graphic design with Guillaume Delage, territorial influencer campaigns and PR in the age of AI with White Mirror, and video production with Thibaut Gachet. Hands-on masterclasses, straight into the practical work, far from endless PowerPoint slides.

At the end of the day, the Boarderline Awards ceremony highlighted the best mountain communication campaigns of the year, a standout moment combining recognition and inspiration.

• Best photo portfolio: Les Deux Alpes.

• Best Video: La Plagne
• Best Facebook post: Vallée d’Aulps
• Best Instagram post: Alpe d’Huez
• Best Tik Tok: Cauteret
• Best Linkedin post: Les Gets
• Best AI-generated post: Sainte Foy
• Best Biggie Small post: Avoriaz
• Most “boarderline” post: Les Arcs

And to wrap things up in style: the Barderline, the event’s official party, kept the celebrations going well past midnight. Networking and good vibes in the purest tradition of memorable events.

Friday, March 13 took on a completely different pace. Head to the Portes du Soleil ski area for a family-style visit day. Because when talking about mountain communication, you also have to experience the mountains. Skiing, lunch on the slopes, and informal exchanges—these are often the moments that spark the best ideas and meaningful collaborations.

See you next year!

BOARDERLINE first edition: check. The event laid strong foundations, with an engaged community, high-quality content, and a unique atmosphere blending serious work with genuine enjoyment. There’s no doubt the next edition will be even bigger. The date is set.