Action sports have always been video-native.

We film our runs, our turns, our tricks. We replay them on chairlifts, in parking lots, at the end of sessions. Video is everywhere in ride culture.

And yet, when it comes to actually progressing, video is still largely underused.

Most progression remains intuitive, based on feeling, repetition, and occasional feedback. Structured coaching exists, but it’s often expensive, time-bound, and still surprisingly under-equipped digitally given the potential of video.

I see this gap constantly watching progression unfold across sports like skiing, skating, and surfing. Video captures the moments, but without structure, it’s hard to turn them into lasting learning.

At the same time, other sports have moved faster.

In golf, video combined with AI is already a standard tool for improving technique. Products like GolfFix show that the technology is mature and actionable.

Applying that logic to action sports feels obvious.

Not simple, but obvious.

Outdoor environments, moving cameras, speed, weather, terrain variability: the constraints are real. But so are the opportunities. Action sports are inherently visual, social, and progression-driven.

Most people film to show.

Very few film to improve.

Video also plays a social role in action sports.

We ride together, compare styles, challenge each other, and progress through shared references. Yet most videos remain isolated moments, disconnected from any collective sense of progression.

Turning video into a tool for learning together, not just watching alone, is part of what makes this problem worth solving.

RideLvL starts from that gap.

RideLvL is a video-based progression platform for action sports, starting with skiing.

The focus is deliberately narrow:

No hardware.

No sensors.

No change to how people already ride.

We’re starting with skiing because it’s a structured environment with clear technique markers and a strong coaching culture. It’s the right terrain to learn what actually works before thinking bigger.

This reflects where RideLvL stands today.

We’re in an early build and field-testing phase, working directly with ski instructors and riders.

We’re testing a first MVP of what we call an “augmented instructor”: a mobile-first way to capture, annotate, and reuse video feedback during real lessons.

One thing is already clear.

The hardest part isn’t the technology. It’s making this useful enough to be used consistently on real terrain.

If it adds friction, cognitive load, or post-session work, it fails.

The product is being shaped by these constraints, not by a fixed roadmap.

RideLvL is built by a small, hands-on team.

I’m Charles, former ski instructor and exited B2B entrepreneur. I’ve spent years building products for professionals and organizations, and I’m fully aware that consumer products bring a different set of challenges. RideLvL sits at that intersection, with a strong B2B2C component from day one.

I’m working with Alonso, whom I’ve known for over 15 years since my previous company, where we first met at Télécom Paris’ incubator. He holds a PhD in image processing and AI, is a serial entrepreneur, and brings deep experience in turning complex technology into products that actually ship.

And with Gautier, a highly solid full-stack developer trained at 42, based in Annecy like me. We connected around skiing and action sports, and the collaboration quickly became obvious thanks to his ability to execute fast and clean on real-world products.

This is not a solo project, and not a slide-driven one.

Along the way, we’re working closely with ski professionals and athletes.

Not to showcase them, but to learn with them.

Athletes help us push the limits of what meaningful progression feedback should look like when performance, repetition, and real constraints come into play.

This Substack is also a place where we’ll occasionally share what we’re learning from that collaboration: what holds, what breaks, and what actually helps progression when theory meets the terrain.

This Substack exists to keep things simple and transparent.

Here, we’ll share:

We won’t share:

We’ll write when there’s something worth sharing.

If you’d like to follow RideLvL as it evolves, you can subscribe here.

We’ll share what’s worth sharing, as the journey unfolds on real terrain 🤙