A day in the Alps

Team Salewa athlete Yannick Boissenot takes us on a day trip to his home in the French Alps. He reminds us just how "at home" we feel when we're lucky enough to live in an environment so rich in scenery, each more impressive than the last!

Yannick Boissenot un athlète de la team Salewa

From family man to skier in just a few steps

Every father knows that there's only one way to get out of his children's bedroom late at night or early in the morning: on tiptoe, one step at a time, without making the slightest noise. He presses the handle millimeter by millimeter, crossing his fingers so that it doesn't squeak. If the floor is parquet, he moves with the grace of a cat.


Yannick is used to sneaking out of his children's bedroom in the early hours of the morning. Because as well as being a father, Yannick Boissenot is also a skier. When you live in Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, adventure awaits you on your doorstep: you don't have to travel thousands of kilometers to find snow in the New Zealand Alps, or tread the iconic Japanese powder on the island of Hokkaido. When you live in Chamonix, between October and July, everything is within reach - you just have to find the time.

Charmonix

It's all a question of time

And any father knows that with two children, time can be scarce. The choices we make, the way we decide to use our time, define us as human beings. Our identity truly belongs to us when we have the means to live it: you have to ski to be a skier, and to be a father you have to love your children, play with them and teach them what's important to you. Our identity lies in the things and people we dedicate ourselves to.

Yannick goes down to the kitchen. Léa has already prepared him a steaming cup of coffee, which he gulps down with satisfaction. "Don't be late," she reminds him gently. Yannick nods as he devours a few slices of bread with jam and pulls on his socks. "Of course, Léa, don't worry. I'll be home early this afternoon. We'll bake a cake and get out the sledges."

Léa smiles as she watches Yannick pack his backpack and grab his skis. She follows him with her eyes as he heads for the door, blows her a kiss and continues to watch her from the window, her face blurred by his breath as it condenses in the biting air. It's not easy to construct one's identity. It's not easy to figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life. And once you've figured it out, it's not easy to give up those hard-won parts of yourself.

Charmonix avec Yannick BoissenotYannick Boissenot à Charmonix

It's all a question of choice

But sometimes, there's no need to give up. Sometimes, it's enough to live in the right place, where it's possible to be a good father and a good skier, to juggle between the children's bedroom and the Argentière glacier, between the garden swing and the Aiguille du Midi. Let's choose to live in the right place, and make the effort to do what it takes to continue being ourselves, without giving up any of the things that matter to us.


Because at the end of the day, the famous Japanese powder and the New Zealand Alps aren't that important. It's the sensations that are: the feeling of hurtling down the slopes in complete safety, making perfect turns, and the feeling of taking care of the people we love.

Yannick quickens his pace. Far to the east, the sun is showing its first rays.