Alphonse, instructor in Grand Bornand

I come from Marseille, I grew up in the northern districts. I was lucky that in my neighborhood, there were places called "Maison Léo Lagrange". These establishments allowed the young people of the district to discover outdoor activities. This allowed me to discover a lot of leisure activities like soccer and rugby, which is my first team sport. It is also thanks to the Léo Lagrange houses that I discovered skiing. At school level, none of the orientations that were proposed to me interested me. I went into mechanics and the only training that suited me was in the Pyrenees.

Once I arrived in the Pyrenees, it was love at first sight. The mountains, the setting, the nature, I fell under the spell. I put on the skis and I went down for the first time on big slopes.

Shortly after, I arrived in Savoie and I had the chance to work in a high altitude restaurant, which allowed me to ski much more often. And then I started to catch the eye of some clubs and the technical director of the UCPA in Val Cenis.

They advised me to try racing. So I signed up for races and got licenses. The more I skied, the more I liked it. I was into it, every race. That's when skiing became my real passion.

At that time, I put aside all the projects I had in mind on the long and short term to start the ski instructor training at UCPA.

Just before taking my first exam, I had a discussion with the technical director of the UCPA in Tignes. He told me that I had a very good level, and that I could participate in the Olympics with the Senegalese delegation. It was very flattering, but I didn't believe it.

Moreover, I have always felt French. I never asked myself if I had Senegalese nationality or not. And I learned that since I was born in Dakar, I have dual nationality. It was in 1988, I sent a letter directly to the Senegalese federation. Everything was ok. I was qualified to go to the Olympics. From then on, the UCPA gave me a contract as a high level athlete. So I trained with all the teams that came to Tignes. That's when my level went up. It was really an incredible time. I learned a lot.

Thanks to these experiences, I understand skiing through teaching: with all the pedagogical input, all the ingredients needed to make a beginner progress. Besides that, I understand skiing through high level sport. So I know all aspects of skiing, down to the smallest detail.

From 1989 to 1994 I participated in the World Cup and the Olympic Games, especially in Albertville. I rubbed shoulders with the greatest racers of the time, Luc Alphand and Alberto Tomba among others. All this while continuing to teach in Tignes until 1992, then in Flaine until 1997. I moved around a lot after that. I taught in Avoriaz, La Clusaz, and Meribel where I was director of a ski school for 8 years.

Today, I am a ski, snowboard, telemark, and squale [or monoski] instructor in Grand Bornand. During my lessons, I make sure that the clients have fun. That's the most important thing! After that, I have the pleasure of teaching and the pleasure of the result. Seeing the client progress throughout the lesson is a great satisfaction.