WE ARE TMSA!
Camille
👋 First name (nickname)
Camille, Camcam, Camess, Camour—but Michel works too.
📍 Where are you from?
From the land of the Bretzel—Alsace and near the Vosges mountains.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
Almost 15 years in Savoie, 10 years in Tignes/Val d’Isère.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
I grew up skiing from a young age—years of competition until I was 20, then a long break, then rekindled love… (Sounds like a love story, right?)
🎿 Specialty
More skier than snowboarder, but when alone I enjoy snowboarding.
I love teaching confidence and first sensations. You can progress at any age!
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
Skiing with my family and seeing my daughter enjoy herself.
Powder fields with friends.
High-speed cruising on a freshly groomed piste at sunrise—magic.
🏔️ Favourite spot?
Starting early from Tignes les Brévières and enjoying the morning calm on the Aiguille Rouge chairlift.
⛷️ A good ski lesson?
Putting myself in the student’s shoes, understanding their mindset, assessing abilities, giving all the tips needed to progress and rediscover the joy of skiing.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
“Teach me to do it myself.”
Adapting to the child’s development and giving them the tools to progress independently.
🧤 Essential item
Sunglasses and my headset.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
Two girls with green jackets and a penguin on the back—I’m the more blonde one who speaks the least loudly.
🌍 Languages
English, American, Irish, Scottish…
And in German I know how to say “guinea pig”—which not everyone can!
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
None—I’ll take a good moussaka.
🌴 Summer?
Take our penguin, give him waterskis and a palm tree → The Beach Ski Academy in Limousin, where I spend 6 months a year.
🎒 Anecdote
I met my partner on the slopes. Anything is possible on skis!
Jérémy
👋 First name
Jeremy and my nicknames: Spart, Duplo.
📍 Where are you from?
Blaye, Gironde—land of vineyards and a Vauban citadel.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
About ten years in Tignes/Val, after exploring many French resorts.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
I wanted to become a psychologist at first, but I quickly realized office life wasn’t for me—I would’ve become sicker than my own patients 😉
I need to be outdoors, always moving.
🎿 Specialty
I love teaching everything, every age. Each discipline and audience has its own charm.
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
Off-piste, without hesitation.
🏔️ Favourite spot?
In Tignes, definitely, Terre Rouge in touring/off-piste.
For the restaurants: La Ferme des 3 Capucines, or L’Armailly in Tignes Les Brévières.
⛷️ A good ski/snowboard lesson?
No fuss—fun to progress.
My goal: make you autonomous everywhere.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
Respecting development stages to adapt our speech and approach to each student.
🧤 Essential item
My Opinel corkscrew knife. Nothing else needed.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
I’m like a labrador chasing a ball.
🌍 Languages
French and English.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Pork gums. 😉
🌴 Summer?
Waterski instructor.
🎒 Anecdote
I love playing a terrible song in the morning so my friends have it stuck in their head all day.
But often they… resist, prove that they exist…(French song)
Sophie
👋 First name (nickname)
Sophie, fisso, mazette, soso… but no need to call me, I’ll always be with you 😉
📍 Where are you from?
Born in the flatlands, but I discovered the Alps at age 7.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
3 seasons in Tignes and Val d’Isère—yet I know every rock under the snow!
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
I wanted to be a ski patrol explosives technician, but a friend suggested I try the instructor test… I passed, he didn’t.
Thank you Émile, I’ll never thank you enough.😉
🎿 Speciality
I love all sliding sports but I’m stronger in skiing.
I love teaching everything, but dislike routine.
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
Off-piste adventures.
🏔️ Favourite place?
Anywhere with fewer people.
⛷️ A good ski lesson?
“There’s no good or bad ski lesson, I think that…”
Seriously: a good lesson is the one that suits you, the one that makes you want to come back to the mountains.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
An approach adapted to each age, psychologically, mentally and physically.
🧤 Essential item
A neck warmer.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
Not by sight… more by sound.
🌍 Languages
English—well, I try.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Lasagna, my favourite dish.
🌴 Summer?
I’ll be happy to rent you a boat, with or without a licence, or any watercraft on Lake Annecy.
🎒 Anecdote
My colleague Florent, nicknamed “Gamin”, wears pink underwear.
But shhh, that’s a secret.
Gaël
👋 First name
Gaël
📍 Where are you from?
I’m from Font-Romeu, the most beautiful ski resort in the Pyrenees.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
It’s been 7 seasons now in Tignes and Val d’Isère, and 18 years in the Tarentaise Valley, which I particularly love for its huge resorts and endless mountain potential.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
I come from a family of ski instructors and mountain enthusiasts, so it was only natural—and out of passion—that I passed my instructor certification to pass on the joy of sliding sports.
🎿 Specialty on snow:
I love teaching and sharing all types of sliding: technical, playful skiing, freestyle on skis or snowboard, and—with great pleasure—monoski!
🧭 What do you prefer to do on skis when you’re not teaching?
With friends: skiing, snowboarding, speedriding, freestyle, freeride, ski touring, snowpark, technique or flat.
🏔️ Your favourite spot on the resort (piste, off-piste, restaurant…)?
My favourite spots… far from the ski tracks and all the people. Going against the flow of the crowds and eating in authentic and friendly places. For that, you’ll have to follow me. 😉
⛷️ Your idea of a good ski lesson?
The perfect ingredients: motivation, pleasure, the desire to push oneself, discovery, and sharing.
👧🏼 What does Montessori on skis mean to you?
With children: a playful approach focused on their personality, abilities, and individual needs.
With adults: psychology is key—to reassure, encourage, boost confidence, and maybe even push limits.
🧤 An essential item in your outfit
Always in my backpack: sausage, knife, fruits, sunscreen stick, spare gloves, sunglasses. (Truthfully, the list is long—I could do the GR10 with what’s inside!)
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you on the slopes?
“My little extra” is the Yodel. You’ll hear me before you see me.
🌍 Which languages do you speak ?
French, English, and some basics in Spanish.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Raclette, fondue, veal liver, beef cheek, beef bourguignon, French blanquette, cassoulet…
🌴 What do you do in the summer?
I’m a boat drive in Annecy. We do suggest lots of different tour to discover the Lake.
🎒 Anecdote to share?
A little joke I once made at the top of the Grande Motte:
“No, that sea of clouds in the distance is not the Mediterranean…” 😉
Sam
👋 First name:
SAM
📍 Where are you from?
Marseille
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
I’ve been riding in Tignes and Val d’Isère since 2003.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
By accident.
🎿 Specialty on snow (and what you prefer to teach/practice):
Snowboard, but I’m not racist toward other sliding sports.
🧭 What do you prefer when you’re not teaching?
Going out with friends (ride & good food).
🏔️ Favourite spot on the resort?
In Tignes, Les Brévières and in Val d’Isere, Le Fornet, the Pisaillas Glacier.
⛷️ Your idea of a good ski lesson?
TECHNIQUE:
A perfect cocktail. A good instructor teaches the basics without drowning you in jargon.
Putting weight in the right place, feeling the edge bite into the snow, moving fluidly as if dancing with the slope.
FUN:
The fuel. A good lesson makes you smile even when you fall in powder. Mini-challenges, jokes, games—fun = progress.
PSYCHOLOGY:
Skiing is 50% legs, 50% mental.
A good instructor adapts tone, rhythm, and approach to transform fear into confidence and confidence into pleasure.
In the end, a good lesson: you learn, you laugh, you share, and you want to go back up again.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
Not a classic lesson.
The student becomes an explorer, the instructor a caring guide.
No pressure, no comparison—just you, the snow, and the joy of progressing freely.
🧤 Essential item
My neck warmer. Never without it!
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
Thanks to my obvious charisma on green slopes.
🌍 Languages spoken
French, English, and some Spanish.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Fondue, absolutely!!!!!
🌴 What do you do in the summer?
I’m a chef and soon semi-retired.
🎒 Anecdote?
Too many… some funny, some eyebrow-raising, some only told over a drink.
I wouldn’t know where to start.
Florent
👋 First name
Florent, but Flo is simpler.
📍 Where are you from?
Loir-et-Cher, home to the Loire castles like Chambord.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
5 years now.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
Out of passion—I find snowy landscapes very calming.
🎿 Specialty
Ski, snowboard, and telemark.
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
Runs with friends—on piste and off-piste.
⛷️ A good ski lesson?
Students should feel better at the end than at the beginning.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
A playful and fun learning experience in a safe environment.
🧤 Essential item
My beanie and sunglasses.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
Always a mask on a green beanie.
🌍 Languages
French, English, and a tiny bit of German.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Tartiflette—I love cooking it.
🌴 Summer?
I renovate old houses.
🎒 Anecdote
Gliding over a mountain on a chairlift feels like being at a funfair.
Martin
👋 First name (and nickname)
Martin, a.k.a. Martinot for close friends.
📍 Where are you from?
Originally from the Paris region, but let’s say Normandy—it always sounds better 😄
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
About ten years in Tignes, and already my 4th winter living here.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
I’ve loved winter sports since I was a kid.
I started as a sailing instructor during holidays and loved mixing work, passion, and teaching.
Naturally, that path led me to ski instructing.
(And also for the office 😅)
🎿 Specialty on snow:
I teach all levels—beginner to expert—on piste, off-piste, and ski touring.
As long as we share pleasure, I’m happy.
🧭 What do you prefer when you’re not teaching?
I spend little time on classic pistes.
I love steep couloirs and committed lines, whether skiing, mountaineering, or ski touring.
And I never go alone.
⛷️ Your idea of a good ski/snowboard lesson?
Understanding expectations, adapting to the level, building confidence and autonomy.
I adjust teaching style based on the student: child, adult, athlete, or beginner.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
Patience, adaptability, pedagogy, autonomy.
🧤 Essential item
My glacier goggles.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
I’m always kind, and always smiling!
🌍 Languages
French, English, learning Portuguese.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
None. I’m team croziflette.
🌴 Summer?
I’m a sailing instructor again, and I enjoy surf, kitesurf and wingfoil.
Johan
👋 First name (nickname)
Johan, known as Djo because it’s more dynamic—and so am I!
📍 Where are you from?
From Lyon, but I’ve bounced between Chamonix high mountains and the Lyon plains.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
15 years in Haute-Tarentaise—almost half my life!
I now know every slope of every resort.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
Because of three things:
1. Mountain-loving parents
2. A boarding high school near La Clusaz
3. That unique sensation—freedom!
🎿 Speciality
Ski and snowboard, alpine or freestyle.
I adapt to your needs: confidence, pedagogy, pleasure, fun.
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
Depends on conditions and mood:
Good snow + friends = off-piste
Need to fly? → snowpark
Ski, snow, sled, touring… everything!
We have the best natural playground in the world.
🏔️ Favourite spot?
In Tignes, it will be the Vallon de la Sache—wild, preserved, stunning, with over 1000 m of vertical drop.
⛷️ A good ski lesson?
When the student feels what they came for.
Every student is unique; my goal is to adapt pedagogy to personality: trust, sharing, laughter, understanding.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
Observation first—understanding needs through an attentive eye.
No robotic teaching—we bring originality and expertise at every step.
🧤 Essential item
A helmet—once unimaginable for me, now essential.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
I’m the smallest of the team—with solar energy you can feel from afar!
🌍 Languages
French and English.
I’m of Spanish origin so I have some basics.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Team raclette (raw-milk). Classic, effective, never disappointing.
🌴 Summer?
Mountain bike instructor in the making!!
Otherwise: tree pruner, lumberjack, landscaper, or construction.
🎒 Anecdote
I live in the village where part of Les Bronzés font du ski was filmed (the gnôle-tasting scene)!
Jules
👋 First name
Jules, Julio, Jul, gentalu.
📍 Where are you from?
Gex, in the Ain region.
🧭 How long have you been riding here?
I’ve lived in Tignes/Val for 15 years.
🧭 How did you become a ski instructor?
My parents are ski instructors, and I was in the ski club from a young age.
My passion for skiing naturally brought me to the job (my grades wouldn’t have allowed for long studies anyway).
🎿 Specialty
I love teaching in general and I love diversity—different personalities, equipment, expectations.
I love off-piste, pedagogy, human interaction.
I love finding the right solution for each student.
🧭 What do you prefer when not teaching?
My snow specialty is ballet skiing.
My father was Olympic vice-champion in 1982 in Sapporo.
And I have many (true!) stories.
When not teaching, I ski for myself—mainly off-piste—and I do a lot of aerial sports: speed riding, paragliding, skydiving…
🏔️ Favourite spot?
Many…
The Fornet sector for peace and restaurants.
The Sache black run and the Aiguille Percée area—my favourite spot in the whole Killyresort.
⛷️ A good ski lesson?
A perfect balance of fun and progress.
Clear answers, reassurance, and lots of laughter.
👧🏼 Montessori on skis?
Innovative and effective.
Learning in a harsh environment among others requires adaptation.
Play and challenges quickly make students autonomous.
🧤 Essential item
A backpack with enough to survive 2 days completely autonomously.
🦸♀️ How do we recognize you?
Skis wider than I am, a backpack, impeccable technique, and a chameleon style.
🌍 Languages
French, English, Spanish.
💬 Raclette? Fondue? Or veal kidneys?
Veal kidneys—I’m becoming lactose intolerant (really).
🌴 Summer?
Split between craftsmanship, test pilot, stuntman, and vacationer.
🎒 Anecdote
Camille thought the Gypaete bird had a 20-meter wingspan.
My whole life is an endless flow of anecdotes.