Julien Favre: Co-Managing Director, Oxygene Ski and Snowboard School, La Plagne

Whilst the ski instructors themselves very often steal all the glory and adulation out there on the slopes, the guys who actually run the business side of the show are the silent heroes who guide and direct the professional side of the operation. As part of our new series of interviews with La Plagne Local Experts, we decided that it would be very timely to sit down and have a chat with Julien Favre, the co-Managing Director of Oxygene Ski and Snowboard School in La Plagne to find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a ski school in the Alps. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself - how long you’ve been working with Oxygene and what you do for them…

I am tall, dark and pretty… No really, I was born in La Plagne and I’ve been with Oxygene now for 18 years. I started working as a ski technician at the very beginning and in 1997 I began my training to become a ski instructor. Since then I have more or less covered every job there is in Oxygene…I suppose you can call it hands on experience!
I now co-manage Oxygène Ski & Snowboard School and Ski Shop in La Plagne and for this winter season I will be running our brand new Belle Plagne Ski & Snowboard School site.

Give us some background on Oxygene as a company - how did it start and how has it developed along the way?

Oxygene Ski School opened its doors in La Plagne in 1992 and expanded to Val d’Isere five years later in 1997. A third branch was set up in the Three Valleys in 2004 and this year our fourth Ski & Snowboard School branch in Belle Plagne has been set up.
The idea of Oxygene began because Pierre & Bertrand (the founders) saw English clients were looking something different than what was being offered in the early 90's. They also wanted to work on a more personal level with their clients, being able to offer more flexibility.
Now Oxygene offers a variety of snow activities, including alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, telemarking, off-piste skiing & guiding - all of which can be done on either a group or individual basis.
We also offer a number of additional ‘après-ski’ activities such as our Moonlight Ski evening in La Plagne, our Superluge Derby sledgeride, Snowshoe Excursions, a Snowboard Taster session and our Taxi-ski for anyone and everyone!

What do you believe makes Oxygene different to other ski & snowboard schools?

This is a question we are asked very often by clients and Tour Operators that we work with and it’s taken us some time to find the ‘right’ answer - however, we all agree that the spirit of Oxygene is different. As a ski instructor we all have the same training and qualifications, but at Oxygene it is what we aim to do with them that sets us apart. At Oxygene we listen to our clients and focus on answering questions to create a product that people want. As we are a family run business we are able to offer an approachable, family friendly, English speaking, and personalised service.

Oxygene is an ESI ski school - what is the difference between the ESI and the ESF?

Oxygene is part of the ESI syndicate which includes over 90 different independent ski schools in over 50 resorts & 3 different countries - France, Switzerland and Italy.
ESI and ESF are basically two different associations/ groups of ski schools. ESF stands for Ecole de ski Francais and ESI stands for Ecole de Ski International.
Back in the day when ski resorts started opening, the ESF was the first ski school created for the public. Afterwards ski instructors began opening up additional schools but not under the name of ESF. Then in 1977 the association of ESI began and allowed ski schools to come together under one bracket allowing each to develop its own image and style. The aim is to provide high-quality ski instruction via smaller group sizes as it guarantees higher quality instruction as well as better relations between students and their instructors.

How many employees do you have, what kind of roles do you offer and what credentials do you look for in your staff?

Oxygene now employ over 100 people between our three main sites in La Plagne, Belle Plagne & Val d’Isere. Job positions include instructors, receptionists, marketing, ski technicians, accounts, drivers, logistics etc.
First and foremost, staff must be friendly, approachable, good communicators and organised. As a large number of our clientele are English, a very good level of English is understandably required. As we are in France and also have an increasing French market they must also be able to speak French. On top of that other languages such as Dutch, Russian and Spanish are a bonus.
The success of Oxygene is that we work as a team and therefore being able to work efficiently both individually and as part of a team is extremely important to us.

What is the best thing about your job?

I have the most beautiful office in the world! Being serious though, it is the contact with people. This is such a fantastic job because it allows you to mix with people from all over the world.

What are the most challenging aspects of your role?

Waiting for the snow to arrive is the hardest thing as it's completely out of your hands! The second hardest would be working a season in general - it takes a special person to be able to do it! Every year we go from over 100 staff to around 7 and it can be a shock when the season finishes and everyone goes back to their other lives. We all work our bums off for 7 months for a season that lasts 5 months. Crazy hey?

Tell us about the skiing in La Plagne and some of your favourite runs in the area...

La Plagne offers a huge variety of skiing, from beginner to expert terrain, you can ski the forests, wide open spaces, at high-altitude, and great off piste. We also have one of the longest off-piste ski areas called the North Face which it is possible to reach via a lift (and an expert who knows the terrain). It has a vertical drop of 2,000 meters!
La Plagne is also a sunny resort as its ‘protected - we have some magnifcant views and I would say probably the best view of Mont Blanc of all the resorts.
As we are a high resort we also have guaranteed snow, even the notoriously rubbish winter season of 2010/11 couldn’t stop us here in La Plagne!

What are Oxygene staff’s favourite hang outs in resort?

It really depends what you’re after as La Plagne has something for everyone. As I was born here I go everywhere, during the day I like the Verdon Sud restaurant, in the evening I like to relax with a beer and the other instructors in the Croq’neige. If I’m looking for a party night with live music I head to Scotty’s in Plagne Centre.

What’s new for Oxygene this year?

New this year for Oxygene is our Ski & Snowboard School based in Belle Plagne. We have a lesson meeting point, a dedicated beginners' area and an Oxygene reception point in the Licorne Residence.
We also have a brand new Ski & Snowboard School and Equipment Hire shop in Val d’Isère which I’ve been working on.
We’re constantly trying to improve ourselves and this year we have added a new Snowshoe product to our portfolio - the aim of which is to show people an alternative side to La Plagne.

What do you think of the move towards compulsory helmet wearing in the ski insurance world?

I think it’s a great idea! Actually we were one of the first companies to offer a helmet to children back in the day and as a ski school we have to reinforce safety. Now we make helmet wearing obligatory for all children and snowboarders who take lessons with us, and we highly recommend it to everyone else.
Nowadays skiing involves better runs, harder snow (due to less snowfall than 20 years ago), artificial snow made from snow cannons, better equipment which means people go faster, and there are more people are on the slopes in general. This all adds up to a bigger and increased risk factor. I have just one question: would you go on a bike at 50 km/h without a helmet?
Historically in France, the mountains are a free place where people are free to make their own decisions, but please do not complain to me if it all goes wrong! Plus, now we’re lucky as they make cool helmets so there should be really no excuse.

You offer sit skiing lessons/hire - tell us more about this, is it a new ‘product’, and do you see a real growth in this sport?

We have been running an ‘adaptive ski’ programme for around 10 years where we have trained a number of our instructors up on how to use a sit ski. We began it as a client of mine refused to ski with anyone else! What it means is that we can take anyone from beginners to experts and can even go off piste. Being able to use a sit ski is a real sport within itself and it is something that has a special feeling to it. I definitely see this as something that will grow, and the evolution has already begun.

For a ski school you are very proactive - tell us about the Fresh Air Campaign for Kids - how it started and which charities you support...

Our Fresh Air Campaign is committed to working towards a better world for children everywhere and was created to raise awareness for three chosen charities: The Huck Cancer Foundation, VOS Alpine Snowkids and the Turikho School in Pakistan.
Oxygene has always supported Huck Cancer since it was created in 2008 as it was a client of ours who set it up, after that we got in contact with the VOS Snowkids at the London Ski Show, and then from that another friend of ours at Ski Olympic began the Turikho School project. It’s something that means a lot to us and being able to help spread the word about them and what they do is very important!

Do you have any personal goals for winter 2012-2013 either on or off the snow? 
To make the winter of 2012/2013 best season ever, to take Oxygène to the maximum, and enjoy the snow!

A huge thanks to Julien for taking the time to answer our questions.

For more profiles on La Plagne's key players, be sure to check in regularly with our Leading Locals section.