Meet the Dream Team: Florentin Guinnefollau

Meet our adventurous alpine Frenchman who swapped snowy peaks for the classroom—only to trade it all in again for the rugged terrain of the rockies. Growing up in the Alps, he was skiing and climbing before most of us could tie our shoes. He's a former mountain warfighter turned all-around sports guru, who happens to be a certified Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit coach.

What “personal touch” do you bring to SkiUphill / RunUphill?

My Personal knowledge on gear, a French touch without the moustache, the hat and the “French baguette”.

What other sports are you interested in?

Doing a lot of ice climbing in the winter time and dry tooling/road biking/mountaineering in the summer time. Put me on a lake with a STUP and you will make my life wonderful too.

Where are you from?

France

Tell us a little about yourself?

Grew up in the middle of the French alps. (Close to La Grave for those who would know a little bit this majestic place). I spent most of my time playing outside skiing or climbing. After university, I went straight into the military to work as a mountain warfighter team leader. Teaching and practicing most of the mountain sports. After 5 years of duty, I left and decided to become a sport trainer and went back to school for a year to study anatomy, biomechanics and physiology where I ended up being certified to coach Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit. The following year, I arrived in Calgary, worked as a boot fitter and recently moved in Canmore almost 3 years later.

What sports did you practice as a child?   

Alpine ski racing, rock climbing, mountaineering.

What brought you to the mountains?

I was born and raised in the mountains, I would not survive very long anywhere else :)

What “personal touch” do you bring to SkiUphill / RunUphill? 

My Personal knowledge on gear, a French touch without the moustache, the hat and the “French baguette”. 

What other sports are you interested in? 

Doing a lot of ice climbing in the winter time and dry tooling/road biking/mountaineering in the summer time. Put me on a lake with a STUP and you will make my life wonderful too.

What is your favourite area to run/ski?  

I actually like the 93 north for ski touring as well as Yoho NP but I am still new in the area and have still a lot to explore. For running, anything around Canmore will do the job.

What are your other hobbies/interests? 

Like to read interesting books, listen to some podcasts or just chill out not doing anything…we’ll, not really!

What’s your ideal day out in the mountains? 

In my old job, we like to say that when it’s cold, windy and crappy weather, it’s a good time for us to be outside. That’s how you feel closer to the elements right?

What’s your favourite piece of ski gear?

Love my Zero G 95 w/ ATK race binding. Fast and Light is a thing isn’t it?

Favourite coffee/tea? 

Double espresso shot please