Daan & Sophie(30)

Sophie and I were both addicted to the mountains. Every free weekend we drove from Amsterdam to the Alps — twelve hours one way for a weekend of skiing or climbing. At some point Sophie said: "Why don't we just live there?" I was a ski instructor in my side job, she a physiotherapist with an affinity for sports rehabilitation. Chamonix, the mountaineering capital of Europe, was the obvious choice.

We started a SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) — a more flexible company form than the SARL, ideal for two partners. Setting up cost €2,500 through an avocat (lawyer) in Annecy. Our company offers guided mountain experiences: snowshoeing, via ferrata, trail running and ski touring. We had to obtain a brevet d'État — the French diploma for mountain sports — which took six months of intensive training at ENSA (École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme) in Chamonix itself.

Living in Chamonix is expensive. It's a tourist resort and the housing market is tight. We rent a 50m² apartment for €1,100 per month — a lot for a mountain village, but market rate. The alternative is living in a neighboring village: Les Houches or Servoz, where rents are 30% lower. We chose Chamonix for the proximity to our clients and the atmosphere: the village buzzes year-round.

The seasonal rhythm determines our income. Winter (December-April) is busiest: ski touring, snowshoeing and avalanche workshops. Summer (June-September) is about trail running, climbing and via ferrata. The in-between months are quiet — we do maintenance, marketing and admin. Our annual revenue is about €85,000, of which 60% in winter. URSSAF collects our monthly cotisations sociales: about 40% as gérant of a SAS.

The Sécurité Sociale in the mountains is essential. Our activity is high-risk, so besides basic insurance via CPAM we have extensive prévoyance (disability insurance) and responsabilité civile professionnelle (professional liability insurance). The latter is legally required for mountain sports. Sophie had her physiotherapy diploma recognized through the procédure de reconnaissance des qualifications — it took four months but now she can also work as a physio in the off-season.

Chamonix is more than a ski resort — it's a way of life. The mountain sports community is tight-knit, international and passionate. We know our neighbors, we ski before breakfast and we see Mont Blanc every morning from our window. The bureaucracy was heavy — setting up the SAS, obtaining the brevet d'État, arranging insurance — but now that it's running, we're living our dream. Every day at the office is a day in the mountains.