Gérard Brémond, 1937-2026

Born in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt on 22 September 1937,Brémond met the 1960 Olympic champion Jean Vuarnet † in the early60s and with him developed the Avoriaz ski resort near Montriond, my home town.

This new ski spot wasn’t easy to conceive and develop given its extremely rugged setting and terrain. In fact, Avoriaz came to be asa perfect confluence that happened from a resort concept without automobiles, just like Zermatt (Vuarnet’s idea) and the integration of the architecture that would seamlessly hug the cliffs and the natural surroundings (Bremond’s vision). 

He didn't follow the easy path of developing resorts along the line of  Les Arcs, La Plagne, Flaine or Le Corbier that were totally unimaginative and, let’s admit it, woefully cheap looking and ugly. 

Instead, Brémond seeked a creative architectural team headed by Jacques Labro, Jean-Jacques Orzoni, and Jean-Marc Roques that made the site unique in its field, and probably ended up costing much more than planned, given its complexity when it opened up in 1967. 

Eventually, it evolved into simpler, easier to build buildings as it expanded. In 1973, Brémond introduced the "Pierre & Vacances" vacation lodging concept that went on to achieve remarkable success, barely slowed by the 2020 COVID pandemic. 

Although I never had any personal contact with Gérard Brémond, his pivotal role in the creation of Avoriaz had a positive influence on my young years and played a significant role in launching my professional career. He also leaves behind a legacy of construction projects that innovated the leisure and tourism industry, while remaining closely integrated with their natural surroundings.

A tough, white beard (Part two)

 

Beyond natural wear, several hidden factors cause blades to give out too soon. Leaving your razor in a damp shower causes microscopic rust (oxidation) that eats away at the blade's edge before you use it again. 

In addition a little patience helps: Shaving dry or without adequately softening the hair creates intense physical resistance, which causes the ultra-thin steel to bend and chip rather than slice cleanly. If, like I do, you live in an area with hard water, mineral deposits can leave microscopic debris on the blade's edge, increasing friction and dulling its power. 

Then it’s crucial to rinse out hair, shaving cream, and dead skin cells after each pass, as these corrosive elements get trapped against the metal, accelerating breakdown. Good intentions often lead us pressing the shaver down too hard on the skin and force the blade's sharp edge to violently scrape the skin rather than glide across the surface, which causes the edge to micro-chip. Finally, I’ve found this advice on Reddit helpful and I might try to follow it. 

Clearly, water is the enemy. Finicky people will use a hairdryer on high for 10-15 seconds to evaporate micro-drops from the blade. Some men dip their razor head in a small container of Athena Club rubbing alcohol or mineral oil between shaves to prevent moisture corrosion. Plenty of water will soften your hair following a shower. A high-quality pre-shave oil will reduce hair stiffness, giving the blade an easier job. I am using shaving cream, but how it interacts with the blade depends heavily on its ingredients and how it’s rinsed. 

Blades can easily get clogged with heavy oils, silicones, and thick emollients that form a stubborn film that’s difficult to rinse off. Some aerosol gels and creams also contain propellants or high alcohol content that will accelerate the degradation of the blade. Too thick a lather can trap water against the cutting edge even after a quick rinse, leading to microscopic rust, so it's always a good idea to rinse the razor frequently under hot, running water during your shave to liquefy and dislodge soap residue. 

Don’t forget the backside and direct the water stream there as well to push out trapped cream and hair. Finally don’t just wipe the blade edge with a towel or finger to remove cream, as this can bend and dull the microscopic edge, instead dunk the blade head in rubbing alcohol after your final rinse to completely dissolve remaining soap films and displace water. 

If you apply all these tips, you’re a Saint, and have just wasted twice as much of your precious time shaving instead of doing fun things!

A tough, white beard! (Part One)

Because my beard is white, I decided that it was a wonderful excuse for shaving as often, and since I’ve adopted this (dubious) habit I’ve observed that I’ve gone through more blades. 

After investigating the situation, I’ve learned that white beard hair goes through razor blades faster due to its lack of melanin (pigment), which makes the individual strands structurally more wiry, brittle, and significantly tougher to cut without chipping the blade. 

The main reasons for this accelerated dulling include: 

Micro-Chipping: Scientific studies show that human beard hair can be nearly as strong as copper wire of the same thickness. Because white hair is brittle, it acts against the microscopic edge of a razor like a hard fiber, causing tiny micro-fractures and chips rather than smoothly slicing through. 

Longer Growth Time: Waiting longer to shave means cutting significantly longer and denser hairs. When a beard grows out for several days, it requires multiple passes, causing friction and quickly wearing down the blade's delicate edge. 

Corrosion Over Time: If you aren't shaving often, your razor might be sitting out in the humid bathroom environment for extended periods. Even "stainless" steel is highly vulnerable to microscopic rust and corrosion when left wet between shaves, which accounts for up to a third of blade dulling 

This said, premature dulling isn't always a sign of a cheap or defective blade; it largely comes down to environmental damage, friction, and your prep routine. Tomorrow we’ll try to explore what happens in that area...

Automotive treasure in the sun

 

One of my neighbors could be called an eccentric. That might start with his pair of St. Bernard dogs that are quite a sight when he walks them and they love to get close to us, get petted while drooling all over our legs and chests. 

In addition to these animals however, the man has quite a collection of sports cars that he loves to literally pile up inside the three garages that his house include elaborate car stackers. 

As we walked by the other morning by his house on the golf course, four of his cars were on display in front of his house, like we see laundry hung in front of Mediterranean houses. 

I snapped a picture and then asked AI to identify the vehicles and give me an estimate of their worth. I check with two (2) AI sources and I retained the most conservative estimates: 

1. The Silver Convertible (Far Left, Driveway) is a Ferrari 360 Spider, produced from 2001 to 2005 carrying an estimated market value from $80,000 to $130,000, even north of $150,000 if it’s a factory 6-speed gated manual version. 

2. The Vintage Red Targa (Middle Left, Driveway) is another Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, made from 1972 to 1974, worth between $350,000 to $550,000, the absolute crown jewel of that collection. 

3. The Metallic Silver Convertible (Right, Driveway) is also a Ferrari 458 Spider made between 2012 and 2015 that’s worth from $220,000 to $280,000. Some low-mileage, pristine examples can push up toward over $350,000. 

4. The Dark Blue Metallic Convertible (Foreground, Street) is obviously a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (997.1 or 997.2 Generation) made between 2008 and 2012, worth from $85,000 to $140,000. 

The total estimated value of that display collection amounts roughly from $735,000 to over $1,100,000, depending entirely on the respective mileage and whether the manual-transmission premiums apply to the 360 and the 991. 

This still pales in comparison to the house that would easily fetch around $4 million! From what I know, that now divorced septuagenarian who owns all that stuff used to be a divorce lawyer in Hollywood, so that might give those considering divorcing an inkling as to where a large portion of the couple’s wealth is going to vaporize...

Creativity, time and money…

It’s astonishing how far creativity alone can take us! The right idea doesn’t just make a difference — it changes the entire equation. Like a veggie garden, an idea thrives when it has time, the right environment, and a bit of tender care. Under those conditions, money becomes the least important ingredient. 

Creativity designs the path, time matures it, and money simply tags along if needed. Hard to argue against that. True, creativity is the ultimate force multiplier. When it’s present, time becomes an ally, and money becomes optional rather than essential. Ideas grow the way living things grow — not by force, but by conditions. 

Good ideas are cheap. Good environments are priceless. In fact creativity is not just the spark, it’s the architecture. It’s true that most people think creativity is the “aha moment”, but the real magic is that creativity designs the path so that time and money don’t have to work as hard. 

We all have different levels of creativity, and natural talent for that resource can vary widely, but anyone can be creative and find ideas in just avoiding waste, bypassing obstacles, re-framing most daily problems and turning constraints into advantages. It’s not just the seed — it’s the blueprint. As for time, it’s not a passive entity, it’s a real ingredient. 

Do like I do, treat time like soil, and that’s exactly right. Time reveals to us what’s essential, it filters out the noise, matures most ideas, eventually exposes shortcuts that weren’t visible at the start. If money can accelerate, time does transform. Money is the least creative resource and this is the part that people rarely want to admit. It only solves problems by adding, while creativity solves problems by subtracting. 

 If money buys hard work and effort, creativity buys elegance and it always wins in the long run. When I add “well intended”, I mean that intent is the hidden nutrient that’s also the quiet heart of the idea. In fact, intent keeps the idea aligned, prevents ego from hijacking the process and ensures that the result feels meaningful, not mechanical. 

A creative idea without good intent is just a weed. With good intent, it turns into a garden!

Jacques Martin, 1944-2026

Jacques Martin passed away on June 15 at age 81. He was one of three partners in Sidas, a company founded in 1975 by three French ski instructors, including him, Loïc David and Gaby Pellicot and based near Grenoble, France. 

 David, the company’s visionary, got the idea from seeing a human footprint on some Hawaiian beach and thought that similarly looking molded insoles would make ski boots far more comfortable. Lacking specialized tools, he famously molded his very first prototype inside a kitchen oven dish. 

This initial ingenuity grew into SIDAS, and the subsequent launch of their Conformable brand, which became synonymous with custom footbeds. It later expanded into the medical fields as well as into sport-shoes. 

In 2003 as the founders retired, the company was sold to a new management group that is still running it to this date. Before that transfer, Jacques Martin was the administrative and financial guy, while Loïc David was the front marketing man and Gaby Pellicot handled the technical and production side of the enterprise. 

When I was distributing Koflach in the US in the mid 90s, I seriously considered becoming the distributor for Sidas in America, and was in close contact with Jacques and Loïc for a while, but in the end, I decided against it as I determined that the business potential was too limited for the work involved.

Getting to know meditation (Part Four)

Even though the downsides of meditation are few and far between (I haven’t experienced any) much, they remain a possibility. Rather paradoxically, meditation can sometimes initially increase anxiety. When people stop distracting themselves, they may become more aware of fears, worries and unresolved emotions and while it’s temporary for some, it can be distressing for others. 

Meditation can also uncover grief, trauma, shame and unresolved conflicts, something that’s not necessarily harmful, but that can be overwhelming without proper support. 

Beginners sometimes believe they are meditating when they are actually worrying, replaying arguments or obsessing over problems and this can reinforce distress rather than reduce it as they would hope. 

A small minority also experience feeling detached from themselves, disconnected from reality with a sense that the world is unreal ; these effects are usually temporary but could be frightening to some. Practitioners could also become less engaged with family, work and relationships as meditation is taken as an excuse for disengagement. 

There’s also the case of practitioners avoiding difficult conversations, therapy, emotional work and using "acceptance" as an excuse to ignore problems. More concerning is excessive self-focus as some individuals become overly preoccupied with their thoughts, emotions and their inner states. Instead of increasing freedom, practice can become self-absorption. 

Ironically, meditation is found to sometimes increase self-criticism if expectations are unrealistic. Interestingly, long-term practitioners often describe a different outcome as meditation does not necessarily make their life easier but enhances their experiences. That increased visibility can feel pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant depending on what is being observed. 

I must admit that I’ve never felt any of these negative effects. I must be just a very lucky guy!