Director of the La Rosière ski area for the past decade, Jean Regaldo shares with us in this interview his career path, his deep-rooted passions and his thoughts on the future of ski resorts. A man of action and challenges, he embodies a modern and committed vision of the mountains. He looks back on the highlights of his career, his love of the mountains in all seasons and his conviction that the mountains must evolve if they are to remain vibrant and sustainable throughout the year.
In this exclusive interview, discover an optimistic, passionate professional, driven by human dynamics, environmental conservation and a deep desire to make the mountains shine on the national and international stage.
Jean REGALDO, can you tell us about your career? What was your training and personal background to get to where you are today?
Jean Regaldo: I’m 44 years old and I’ve been Director of the La Rosière ski area for ten years now. Before that, I started my professional career in the building and public works sector, where I worked for several years. As far as my personal background is concerned, I was born in Paris by chance, but I’ve never really had a fixed place of residence. I followed my family’s professional migrations throughout France during my childhood and I studied engineering in Paris at the ESTP school, before starting my career in the construction industry, first in Paris and then in Haute-Savoie.
I have lived in the Savoy region for almost 20 years. In addition, I am the director of the ski resort branch that manages the La Rosière golf course and a high-altitude restaurant located on the golf course. In addition to my current responsibilities, I am also a mid-mountain guide, although I do not practice this activity.
In addition to my duties at La Rosière, I have also been a member of the board of directors of Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) since the Reims congress in October 2024. We recently set up a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) department within DSF, headed by Alexandre Merlin, who is vice-president. This unit is divided into three committees: Environment, Solidarity and OHS (Occupational Health and Safety). I will be responsible for chairing the Environment Committee, which deals with all issues relating to the sustainable development of ski resorts.
What are your passions?
Jean Regaldo: My first passion is of course the mountains, whatever the season. Whether in winter or summer, the mountains play a central role in my life. Skiing, of course, is an essential part of this passion, and it’s what led me to this profession. But my relationship with the mountains goes far beyond skiing, because I live them intensely all year round.
In recent years, another of my passions has intensified: cycling. It is not necessarily limited to the mountains, but is an activity that complements my lifestyle. These two passions, mountains and sport, define a large part of my daily life.
Besides sport, I also have other interests. Music is an integral part of my life, as is reading. I have a large collection of books on the mountains, which allows me to connect different passions.
Jean Regaldo, what are your main motivations, why do you get up in the morning?
Jean Regaldo: There are mornings when you tell yourself how lucky you are to be able to work in such a professional environment, in a ski resort. But what motivates me even more is leading a team. As a manager, it is extremely rewarding to see that you can, like a conductor, lead a team towards a common goal, concrete results and coordinated actions.
The greatest satisfaction comes from this teamwork, from the atmosphere we manage to create and from setting up collaborative work spaces. When you see the end result of all these efforts, you know you have achieved something important. What motivates me every day is meeting my colleagues in the morning, helping them solve the problems they face and challenging them on new goals. It is this human dynamic that drives me.
I think that without this human relationship I would not be able to work alone. I could not be independent, only running into customers or suppliers. I need to work with a team that shares the same goals. For me, corporate life and management are very much like a team sport. I get up every morning with the idea of leading a team, a bit like a team sports coach, to achieve a specific goal. Maybe it’s more complex than simply winning a game, but that’s what keeps me going.
What is your greatest satisfaction?
Jean Regaldo: Besides the job itself, one of my greatest satisfactions is having a great working environment. But if I had to mention one in particular, it would be the inauguration of Mont Valaisan. It is a highlight, a milestone for both myself and La Rosière. This extension allowed us to reach a peak of 2800 metres, opening up a new part of the ski area, a project that had been in the station’s plans since its creation. This project was realised while I was in office and, although I cannot claim full responsibility for it, it was an event of great importance, going far beyond the mere framework of the ski resort. It was really a project for the entire ski resort.
On a professional level, there will be many other defining moments, but this one will remain special for me. On a personal level, it is more difficult to identify specific moments. My greatest satisfaction is being able to build a personal and professional life that allows me to be aligned with myself. Living from one’s passions is a great achievement.
Do you have any regrets?
Jean Regaldo: In general, I don’t have many regrets, because I believe that failures are a source of learning. They allow you to improve and it is often through these experiences that you learn. So I don’t see failure as a pure failure, but rather as a learning opportunity.
However, on a professional level, there is one regret that comes to mind: the blank year because of the pandemic. I still cannot understand how we managed to close the resorts for an entire winter. It was an extremely difficult time for our profession and for the company, and it is something I deeply regret.
On a personal level, my regret would probably have to do with the passage of time. I realise that there are projects for sporting adventures or trips to discover the mountains in the 4 corners of the globe that I dreamed of realising, and that, due to lack of time, they are becoming increasingly difficult to realise. At the age of 44, with my busy professional life, some of these projects, such as trips around the world or adventures like crossing the Pyrenees (HRP), seem increasingly out of reach. It’s never totally impossible, but I know that I probably won’t get the chance to do them all. All those dreams of far-flung travels, which will remain unfulfilled, wouldn’t necessarily be compatible with my personal desire to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible anyway.
If you had a list of three wishes for the mountains, what would they be?
Jean Regaldo: My first wish for the mountains would be to see valleys that are more lively throughout the year. Today, the mountains are mainly tourist areas, very active in winter and a little in summer, but they lack dynamism throughout the year. In some parts of the French mountains, there are villages with a church, a square and a year-round market, but this is not the norm everywhere, unlike in other countries. I’d like to see French valleys more lively all the time, with shops open all year round, employees on permanent rather than seasonal contracts, and a stable quality of life, rather than activity concentrated over four months in winter or between 15 July and 15 August.
My second wish would be to put an end to ‘ski bashing’. This phenomenon gives a negative image to certain mountain activities, even though the mountains continue to attract people and make them dream. For me, the 2030 Olympic Games are an emblematic example of this dream. I was enthusiastic about the idea of us having the opportunity to host this major event, especially after the success of the Paris Olympics. I’d like to see those involved in the mountains shake off this negative image and embrace the dream and dynamism that such a project can bring.
My third wish concerns the mountain team spirit. Today, this spirit exists within certain corporations, such as Domaines Skiables de France, where we work collectively. However, between the various players in the mountains – mayors, ski instructors, socio-professionals, accommodation providers, ski areas, the specialist press – sometimes everyone stays in their own lane, in their own interests. From time to time, our interests converge towards a common goal, but that’s not always the case. I’d like to see the mountain ecosystem animated more often by a true ‘esprit de cordée’, with a collective will to work together for the good of the French mountains, and not just according to the interests of each corporation.
Jean Regaldo, where do you see yourself in 10 or 15 years’ time?
Jean Regaldo: In ten or fifteen years’ time, the only certainty I have is that I’ll still see myself in the mountains, nowhere else. However, as for knowing exactly where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing, I can’t say, and I don’t want to give a fixed answer to that question. At 44, I can’t see myself having a precise long-term plan. It’s not in my nature. I prefer to leave room for the opportunities, challenges and surprises that life has to offer.
I want to remain open to all the opportunities that come my way, and welcome unexpected surprises and challenges. So, even if I don’t have a definite plan, one thing is certain: I can’t see myself living anywhere but in the mountains. It’s a living environment that’s vital to me.
As I look to the future, I see a mountain that will have evolved and overcome certain challenges. We will have experienced major events, such as the Olympic Games in 2030, and I am convinced that they will be a success. The pessimistic speeches we heard in the 2020s will not have materialised as feared. We will have risen to the challenges, and I think we’ll have some nice surprises in the next ten or fifteen years.
On a professional level, within Domaines Skiables de France (DSF), we must continue to make progress on the environmental commitments we have made. Although these commitments have largely been adopted by the major resorts, there is still a lot to be done to support the smaller resorts, particularly on the complex issues linked to development and the environment. It is essential that the big resorts play a role of solidarity by helping the smaller ones, while learning from the local resorts themselves. This collective effort is essential to ensure a sustainable future for all the resorts.
Finally, it is vital to maintain clear, proactive communication about our actions, without resorting to greenwashing or allowing ourselves to be caught up in the criticism. We must be transparent about what we do well, but also about what we do badly and what we absolutely must improve, in order to create an authentic discourse that mobilises all mountain stakeholders.
