17.01
2018
Lifestyle
Meet Guerlain Chicherit, ex professional freeskier from Tignes.
The mountains have been my backyard all my life. Growing up here laid the foundation for my entire professional skiing career, and gave me the perfect playground to train in. Whether I’m on foot, on skis, on motorbikes or in cars, I can always manage to find new ways to explore and push my limits.One of the best ways to clear my head is to grab my friends and spend a couple of hours on our motocross bikes, exploring some of the most difficult trails around the mountain in the summer. The mountains are a constant motivator. Just when I think I’m completely out of energy or creativity, they seem to inspire and reinvigorate me. It’s like a friend who is always watching, always encouraging you to go that one step further.
While I was preparing for my World Freeski Championship I was doing conditioning training by jumping into the freezing Tignes lake. Many people thought this was absolutely crazy, but after that, I won my first World Freeski title. During the world freeskiing championship in 2001 in Tignes, I did one of my most dangerous runs and I had a crash over 80 metres off a cliff. I couldn’t ski for six months after that, so I had to look for other ways to fulfil my need for adrenaline and excitement. I managed to do that when I planned to flip a car 360 degrees in the air in Tignes- one of my favourite stunts. It proved that the mountains are always there to get me back on my feet.
Living in Tignes offers so many opportunities for myself and my entire family. There’s always a new sport to try and to master. I love to show people the variety of different things you can do here- from diving under the lake or taking a heli-ski trip over to Italy, to trying out our amazing restaurant. Although I lead a fast-paced life, really I like to keep things quite simple and I’m really motivated to build my life around where we live. What I really love is my family, building my business and being creative. The mountains give me all three, so I’m happy.
As a native Tignard, I have seen the resort develop and grow throughout my entire life. It’s really amazing to now be a part of that growth with my chalet business. It was a bit of a risk, but it really has worked out well. I think with any business, you have to take a risk. You have to know that it might win, or it might fail. Despite the challenges, we have continued to persevere. No challenge is too much with a little passion, and commitment.
The mountains have given me so much, and as a native of Tignes, it makes me really happy to contribute to the growth of the area. I enjoy giving more people a chance to experience the mountains like I have my entire life. I feel so lucky to have been able to live in such an amazing place, and now I get to share that with my family as well.
I enjoy giving more people a chance to experience the mountains like I have my entire life.
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