Instructor profile: Boris

Name: Boris
Nationality: French
Nickname: The Dinosaur – because I’m one of the oldest Oxygène instructors! 
Resort: La Plagne
Teaches: Ski, snowboard and skwal (a kind of monoski)
Best skis: Other people’s skis! I’m currently skiing on Oxygène skis, and they’re suiting me down to the ground. 
Best piste in La Plagne: Roclisse down in Montalbert
Best place to ski on days off: My favourite is the Combe de la Salla, over in Montchavin
Dream ski destination: Greenland
Favourite food: my mother’s cooking. My favourite is beef tongue, in her special spicy sauce with cornichons. Mmm. 
When did you start skiing? 
When I was two years old. My mum worked for ClubMed in Zinal, Switzerland – there were four chairlifts there and one bubble! It was cheaper for her to take me skiing than pay for a babysitter!
Why did you become an instructor?
Well, I passed my Baccalaureate, and went straight to business school. That lasted 5 days! I soon saw that business school wasn’t for me, so I set out to qualify as a ski instructor instead. 
Where’s best to eat in La Plagne? 
My favourite is the Bon Vieux Temps, just below Aime 2000 – and you can go there for lunch on the pistes, or for an evening meal. 
What’s the best thing about your job? 
The best thing: it’s when you’re skiing off piste with a group of customers, and they’re quite spread out across the slope so you can’t see them in any detail – all you can see is white teeth and big smiles. 

… and the worst thing? 
Worst thing? No, there is no worst thing – it’s all good. 
What are your favourite lessons to teach? 
Steep and Deep, definitely – you can get far away from the crowds, so you and your group are all alone in the mountains. 
What was your most embarrassing moment as a ski instructor? 
Oh, there’ve been a few! All to do with misunderstandings of my English accent! 

What are your other hobbies, besides skiing? 
Waterskiing. I compete a lot – last season I was ranked 99th in the world in my category. I also enjoy blackjack. 
What do you do in the summer? 
I spend my summers in Montpellier, where I work as a waterski teacher and play some blackjack too. I tried working as a barman – but I soon found that I prefer it on the other side of the bar! 
Winter or summer?
Honestly, I don’t have a favourite. I enjoy them both. 

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