Olympic “Crisis” in France (Part Two)

The situation surrounding the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in the French Alps is beginning to simmer and appears rooted in the reasons that led to the Scandinavian story we just evoked that both perfectly parallel. These 2030 Games have recently become a source of palpable tension. Here's what I was able to gather, what’s happening and what are the main issues at stake in the dispute. 

The 2030 Winter Games were officially awarded to the French Alps by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 142nd session in July 2024. The award was conditional, but the French government provided the necessary financial guarantees. The project was for the competitions to be organized around an oversize geographical area and four main zones: Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Briançon (Hautes-Alpes), and Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), pretty much the entire French Alps from North to South! 

Just like for the 2034 Utah Games, there was a strong commitment to making maximum use of existing facilities that were a legacy of the 1992 Albertville Games. In dispute today are in fact three issues: Climate, Costs, and buying from the population. The dispute surrounding these Games is not about the principle of sport itself, but about the project's suitability in light of current climate, economics, and social realities in France. 

If we begin with the climate issue it’s directly related to planetary warming and environmental challenge, chief among them the risk of not having snow (something Utah doesn’t seem to worry about). In the context of climate change, holding the Winter Games in the Alps, even in 2030, is considered unrealistic and irresponsible by citizen groups and environmentalists. Their concerns is that it requires a heavy reliance on man-made snow that requires enormous quantities of water and energy, as well as the construction of infrastructure (roads, reservoirs, etc.) that could become obsolete after the events. 

Then there’s the official promise that these Games will be "sustainable" and will "respect the ecological balance". This wasn’t lost on the critics that argue that none of the "sustainability" promises are achievable given the current plan. Follows the precipitated decision or what’s been called the "Democratic Deficit". 

The bid was put together in a hurry at the end of 2023, following the withdrawal of other contenders. Critics denounce a rushed decision-making process conducted by a very small group (French National Olympic and Sports Committee, regional authorities, and the State) without prior public consultation of the affected populations. 

A citizens' group has even taken legal action to obtain a public debate. Finally there’s the issue of money and cost. Residents and local elected officials are questioning the transparency of the actual costs and who will truly benefit from the jobs and infrastructure. They fear that the long-term maintenance costs of the new structures will fall on local communities. 

More recently the dispute took a major institutional turn with the recent announcement (early December 2025) of the Savoie Departmental Council's withdrawal from the current organizational structure of the Organizing Committee. Savoie, where several key events are planned (La Plagne and Courchevel among others), is an essential partner. 

Its withdrawal, even partial, sends a very strong signal that could jeopardize the project in its current form and reflects political, budgetary, and climate-related doubts, even among those who traditionally support the Games. In short, the dispute revolves around the question of whether France can and should host the 2030 Winter Games, given the climate emergency and the need for democratic consultation and financial transparency, especially if it involves heavy investments in climate-vulnerable areas. 

Something we’ll have to watch closely.

Less appetite for the Winter Olympics? (Part One)

In recent years, Norway and Sweden, both historical powerhouses in winter sports that possess the needed expertise and infrastructure, have repeatedly withdrawn from bidding for the Winter Olympic Games. Their successive withdrawals (notably Stockholm for 2022 and 2026, and Oslo for 2022) are explained by a combination of political, financial, and cultural factors that reflect growing distrust of the modern Olympic Games’ economic model. 

First and foremost are the budgetary pressure and the taxpayer role, the most direct reason for the withdrawal of several bids, including those of Stockholm and Oslo (both for 2022). These Nordic countries have robust social systems and a strong tradition of prudent management of public funds. Citizens and politicians are very skeptical about promises of long-term economic benefits. They fear that the Games would only drain resources for a fleeting event.

There was also a widespread rejection of "White Elephants”, these specific facilities like bobsleigh and luge tracks that have no use after the Games and which maintenance would fall on taxpayers, especially in view of the Games historical cost overruns. Unlike countries like Austria or France, the Scandinavian countries have a strong culture of citizen consultation for major public projects like the Olympic Games, where bids are typically met with weak popular support, or even outright rejection in key referendums or polls. Residents do not see any direct benefits on their quality of life. 

There’s also a rejection of elitism in an egalitarian country like Norway. The opulence, lavish spending, and "elitist" nature of the IOC's (International Olympic Committee) demands are poorly received by a population that values ​​simplicity and equality. Furthermore the demands of the IOC have been criticized in Scandinavian countries as they’re perceived as excessive and sometimes disconnected from local realities, an arrogance that I have always deplored. 

This explains why these withdrawals of Scandinavian countries are not due to a lack of capacity to host the Games, but to a political and ethical choice. They simply refuse to spend billions of euros of public money on an event whose benefits they believe do not justify the cost, the environmental impact, and the demands of the IOC, which they consider too elitist. 

All this Scandinavian story to match a similar developing situation in France, where I recently learned that there was a lot of discontent broiling about the 2030 Winter Olympic Games planned for the entire French Alps. Tomorrow, I’ll try to explain what it’s all about.

What to do after complaining

Complaining is totally understandable and so human. We complain about the weather, pains of all kinds, traffic, cost of living and our politicians and the next obvious question would be, okay that’s fine but what can we do about it? Some areas can be more easily affected than others if we decide to do something against what bothers us, but in the vast majority of cases, efforts, even if they seem big to us, are in fact tiny in relation to what needs to be fixed. 

That’s precisely when we get discouraged and decide to give up and accept what ails us as some kind of divine fatality. That’s also when we need to change our paradigm and accept that there is no action that’s too small as long as we’re part of a system that is bent on changing things that are intolerable! To that end, 

I like to believe that just like the grains of sand that are thrown inside destructive cogwheels will eventually push the machine to slow. That is when we must be ready to build something better in its place. Complaining will spark awareness, resistance could slow or halt the damage, but renewal is what gives us hope. Every small act of kindness, every effort to connect, every attempt to improve our community goes toward building a better system. 

We may not change the world overnight, but we can change the tone of a conversation, the trust in a friendship, or the resilience of a family. These are victories too, and they ripple outward. So after complaining, let’s always remember to act. After resisting, let’s rebuild. 

And after breaking down what divides us, let’s strengthen what unites us. In this way, our voices become more than protest—they might become a song of renewal. With all this in mind, we should stop complaining about the things we’re unwilling to change.

Albert Camus and me…

If someone had asked me what Camus meant to me several years ago, I would have said that he was a famous French writer (1957 Nobel Prize of literature) who died in his Facel-Vega automobile in 1960. At the time, his publisher Michel Gallimard, was behind the wheel when the car hit a tree near Sens, France, following a tire blowout. 

At the time, I must have been more fascinated by Facel-Vega cars than Camus himself. Little did I know about his view on the meaning of life or lack thereof. Over the years I had read The Stranger and The Plague, but must have missed their meaning altogether. 

In fact, I’ve come to find Albert Camus' philosophy centered on the confrontation between the human need for meaning and a universe that is indifferent and doesn’t care about humanity, a concept he called "the Absurd". 

His central argument, was not that life was objectively meaningless, but that meaning was unattainable through traditional means like religion or absolute truth, something I agree with. Rejecting nihilism, Camus proposed instead that the only way to live authentically was to embrace and rebel against the Absurd. 

That concept isn’t something I share as I understand the irrational clash between our rational minds seeking order and a chaotic, indifferent world that I have little choice but accept as a given environment I must live within. 

Where I’d agree with Camus is by choosing to live intensely, in embracing the fullness of human experience on Earth, as this life is all I have despite the vagaries of life. I also agree with the need to liberate myself from the need for external validation or predefined purpose, something I continuously keep fighting for. 

I guess that just as Sisyphus, eternally pushing a big rock up a hill, I find ways to create my own happiness, because I’ve come to accepts my fate, owning my reality and making this struggle very much bearable. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been born, much better of as a human than any animal, I accept life’s absurdity and I even find ways to enjoy it.

Snowblowers and broken pins

It happens to me all the time. The snow around the house is too heavy or too thick to clear by hand with my shovel and I need the snow blower. 

As I run it against the edges of the driveway, I try to be “cute” and eventually get too close to the edges where I’ve placed some rocks, the machine’s auger seemed to feel them and get into them as if attracted by their shape and BAM! I hit one of them and broke the auger’s safety pin. 

It’s another cold morning and everything is snowy everywhere. I get down into my shop and find another replacement bolt and nut, and when I return to the blower, once again, I realize that the replacement pins bought through Amazon seem just a tiny tad too short to engage into the bolt. 

I struggle for an hour trying to tighten the whole assembly up to no avail, yet they worked last winter, the couple of times, even when I broke them then, but now I don’t understand. Evelyne, witnessing the commotion, does her best in trying to help me, but the two parts still won’t engage. So, that’s when I need to get creative. 

First, I decide to flat-file the face of the bolt A coming against the auger C, so I reduce the conical entry. I try it on the machine, the screw D that seem to stick 1 mm out of the auger still wont take, so I return to my workshop and file-flat the best I can the interior facing B of the bolt. 

When I return, I’ve removed enough steel that it finally begins grabbing into the bolt and I now can tighten the whole thing. Now, I just need to find longer bolts!

Struggling with soap dispensers

Do you have a soap dispenser built into, or next to your kitchen sink ? We do, and in fact the first one we had was 12 years ago when we built the house we’re now living in. I doubt the plumber even tested the device after it was installed, but what’s certain is that it never worked! In addition, after many fruitless attempts I never was able to make it function, so was the device dysfunctional, was I doing something wrong or just plain stupid? 

Well, soap dispensers are one of those deceptively simple devices that can be maddeningly tricky. If it hadn’t worked for so long, chances were it was either a design flaw, a clogged mechanism, or a small installation issue rather than anything I was doing wrong. 

There are in fact many possibilities for this. First the soap can thicken or dry out inside the straw/tube, blocking suction. 

Also, if the pump isn’t sealed tightly to the bottle or tube, it won’t draw liquid. Many systems like mine were attached to the bottle and if it wasn’t seated properly under the sink, the pump couldn’t reach it. 

Pump dispensers designs also vary and are notorious for failing after a short time. Some brands simply don’t hold up. Finally there’s the nature of the soap that can gum up the pump. Dish soap or thinner liquid soap works better. 

Recently, I finally decided to address the problem with more determination than ever. I first flush the tube after removing the pump and rinsing it with hot water until clear. Of course, I checked the straw and made sure the straw was fully seated and not cracked or too short. Then I refilled the bottle with water, primed the pump more than 30 or 40 times and nothing came out of the spigot. Crazy, isn’t it? 

So, after doing all this I’ve finally decided to replace the built-in dispenser with a new pump kit that will directly feed inside a detergent bottle located under the sink, on its floor and will make sure to switch to a thinner dish soap or dilute it some (about 30%) to make sure it flows better.

I’ll let you know how this goes!

Return on snow

The Park City resort opened up on December 5, but I didn’t make the time to get on my skis until late afternoon, yesterday, on Sunday after watching too much Alpine world cup skiing on TV. 

I was excited and ready to go! Thank god there was no big crowds on the “ribbon of death”, that narrow and dangerous strip of man-made snow that went from the top of the Payday chairlift, made my two runs on the beginning of my 73rd season on snow and when I was done, I went home. 

Everything worked perfectly well, I still remembered the drill, felt good about myself and was already imagining all the fun I was to have this coming winter!

Time for a new faucet! (Part Two)

After living around one dozen years in our most recent home, we needed to replace a kitchen faucet with a new one, and if possible more stylish. 

I picked one up at the store, paid just under $200 for it and asked my plumber to come and install him. 

He said he’d come within two week, but after the third one I called him and he said he’d do it for $300. 

To keep everyone honest, and knowing full well that plumbing isn’t exactly a charitable endeavor I checked around to see what I should expect to pay for the whole job (parts and labor) and came up with around $800 in the low range and most likely for $1,000 or even more depending on model complexity, ease of access and various other considerations. 

So, I didn’t feel so bad about forking $300 for having a competent plumber do it well in less than one hour. I spent less than $500 and considered myself fortunate. 

As I wrote yesterday, it pays to be a busy plumber in America!

Are plumbers the new doctors? (Part One)

In America, it used to be that "doctors and lawyers" were at the pinnacle of professions. Their positions meant high education, prestige, and excellent earning potential. 

Today, however, the lowly plumber is increasingly becoming a highly sought-after, high-income, and critically important professional in society. Perhaps these professionals haven't replaced the traditional white-collar status of doctors and lawyers, but plumbers are quickly becoming the “new tech workers" as a highly valuable skilled trade facing massive demand, limited supply, and comfortable earnings.

If we look at the financial aspect to these jobs, becoming a plumber often costs less than $20,000 for trade school or apprenticeship, and within 4-5 years, a person makes very good money ($150,000 to over $300,000 annually if they own their business, thus competing with the average lawyer. It costs more (often over $200,000) and takes much longer (7 to 10 years) to become a doctor or lawyer. 

Sure, their salaries can be even higher, often starting well above $250,000 and are a direct reflection of their longer training. As for their future employment prospects, plumbers have a pretty much recession-proof career as pipes will leak and get clogged for a very long time as aging infrastructure will take good care of that. 

On the other hand, doctors will still have plenty of good days ahead and shouldn’t worry too much, but lawyers are not as lucky as their profession is more sensitive to economic cycles (i.e. corporate lawyers) and relentless technological change (like today’s Artificial Intelligence in law). 

Tomorrow, we’ll discover how much you should expect to spend if you ever needed a new kitchen faucet...

What about Sketchers?

When I presented the Hoka story a few days ago, I forgot to mention Sketcher, another footwear company founded in 1992 by Robert Greenberg, shortly after his departure from L.A. Gear, a company he also founded. 

Initially intended as a distributor for Dr. Martens, Skechers quickly shifted focus to developing its own brand of casual, stylish street shoes. It also became widely discussed in the running community and by legal analysts, because Skechers kept on producing shoes considered to be copycats of Hoka, specifically in the Max Cushioning category.

That’s right, Skechers has been a "fast-follower" in the industry, which led to many lawsuits with other brands, including Nike and Adidas. No doubt that copying successful designs enabled Sketcher to be a better value than the design’s originator and just like Android phones are outselling iPhones worldwide. 

As a result, Sketcher is twice the size of Hoka in terms of sales. Now, how does the copy compare to the original? Both are in fact very close. Experts say that Hoka shoes might be better for longer distances and offer better stability, while Skechers are often perceived as having better padding or softer cushioning. 

Hoka are said to be better for activities requiring more support, whereas Skechers might be the right choice for a more comfortable, casual, everyday wear. I just got a pair of Sketchers and will soon tell you how well they address my metarsalagia!

Time to be grateful!

One week ago Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving, an American holiday rooted in gratitude. For me, it was a chance to reflect on the treasures of my life — beginning with my very existence, an accident of fate that became the greatest gift of all, especially because I was, just like my wife, an accident, so I was lucky that in those days there were no birth-control pills, no widely available devices or procedures that could have canceled our existence! 

Then, despite my big luck linked to my inadvertent existence, my parents lovingly took care of me and did the very best they could with their limited means to raise me. 

Like a cat with nine lives, I escaped countless accidents as a free‑range kid — each one having the potential to end my story early. More importantly, though had a headmaster at school, Monsieur Losserand, who spotted my talents, got me out of my hometown and hooked on travel. 

There was also a pair of skis my Dad carved out for me that also got me hooked on skiing. In a strange set of circumstances I got into the Cluses boarding school that straightened me out when I needed it most. Getting into the Avoriaz ski school was another big break that took me to Australia and shifted me almost seamlessly into the ski industry. 

In between, a few girls did their utmost to trade love and heartaches with me in the name of sentimental education while all the solid friends I made gave me the self-confidence I wasn’t born with. Then followed a steady streak of perfectly fitting pieces in a jigsaw puzzle that rounded up my career. All this went on until I fell for my wife and how we slid into America to create our own family with two wonderful kids. 

Sure, there were plenty of bumps and pot-holes along the way, but they were largely outnumbered by the great times we experienced. This, also is a measure of how lucky I am and I must be grateful for that, including the fact that my parents made me robust like a 4x4 and aside for seven broken ribs, I only had ligaments and torn muscles to worry about. 

That continuous stream of serendipity kept on coming and brought us were we are today, able to reminisce and be grateful for a fantastic journey, plus the ability to still keeping on doing more interesting stuff every day...

Hoka shoes (part three)

The way that initial skepticism turned into adoption happened in late 2010, near Madagascar, on the island of Reunion, during an ultra-trail race called “Diagonale des Fous.” As he was in the 70th kilometer of that race, Ludovic Pommeret a top-ranking French racer was having severe problems with his cheap Decathlon-made shoes that he had to switch to a pair of Hoka’s made Mafate shoes at one of the pit stops, and now with them on, found his second wind and ended up second in the race, a spectacular turnaround that brought the limelight on the strange looking product. 

From that unlikely victory came the Pommeret model that immediately was successful and became the talk in every trail racing circles, ushering a marketing strategy focused on trail running. On the eve of influence marketing, trail fans, promoters and bloggers became the mouthpiece used by Hoka to reach practitioners at all sporting events, especially local races that could hugely leverage the company’s very limited resources. 

This also led Nicolas Mermoud to focus immediately on the American market, a full 40% piece of the world’s business, by working closely with athletes, retailers and the press. Very soon, this international strategy allowed Hoka to reach the kind of critical mass and the image needed to convince the other world markets. 

Introduced in 2011, the Bondi shoe encountered a fast and huge acceptance, further polishing Hoka’s image as the product to race on. Initially embraced by ultra-marathon runners for their enhanced cushioning and inherent stability, the shoes quickly gained popularity among other active runners for that maximum cushion and minimal weight. It’s heart-warming to remember that the founders began that venture on a shoestring budget.

It’s on April 1st 2013 that the Deckers Brands, the parent company for UGG, Teva and other footwear products, took full control of Hoka One One for $1.1 million. For 2024 total Hoka sales reached a record $4.2 billion! Both original founders stayed with the brand, as Diard now oversees international distribution and pursues his innovative product development, while Mermoud continues to run the company’s racing program. 

What made that story even more interesting to me, in my current case of metatarsalgia that’s not quite over. It would appear shoes like Hoka could help address it due to their features like thick, cushioned mid-soles, wide toe boxes, and a rocker sole design that reduces pressure on the forefoot. The cushioning absorbs impact, the wider fit decreases compression, and the rocker geometry helps facilitate a smoother, more efficient stride, all of which can alleviate the pain associated with this condition. A compelling reason to step into a pair of Hoka. I’ll keep you posted ! 

Hoka shoes (part two)

So here we are in 2008 as Jean-Luc Diard gets together with Nicolas Mermoud, himself former marketing manager at Salomon who later worked at Rossignol. Both decided to start a joint venture. They believe that innovation has limitless potential in the outdoor sporting goods industry and they fit this opening. 

Working on running shoes is their goal and this domain is ripe for significant innovations, especially in view of the fact that minimalist shoes in trail footwear is the rage, but is too much performance-oriented and ignore masses chiefly looking for fun and comfort. They also believe that it’s not the runners’ responsibility to adapt to the terrain, but it’s their shoes that should, quite a paradigm shift! 

Still, starting a new shoe brand remains a risky endeavor as the world is just entering one of its worst financial crises. Still both men see a path to spearheading innovation and think that some “over-sized” design evolution as an attention-getter trend. From golf club drivers, to tennis rackets, wide skis or fat bike tires, over-sizing can generate a lot of consumers’ attraction. 

As a practicing trail runner, Mermoud knows full well that just like uphill sections, downhill segments on a race can be fraught with danger and injuries of all kinds and no manufacturer appears to address this. This triggers a search for a trail shoe design that could literally fly on the uphill as well as in the downhill part of a course. 

Another Salomon alumni, Christophe Aubonnet and Sébastien Mazars designed a shoestring and in just a few months a totally new sole that will be the foundation of the Hoka One One, which means “flying on earth” in Maori. This time the sole is the opposite of minimalism as its bulky look goes in the opposite direction. At the start-up company, all the principals are sure the shoe will be seen as revolutionary and be loved at first sight. 

Reality however will be drastically different when the shoe is officially unveiled before the industry and the press. Some quickly say that it looks like podiatrist footwear for older folks, a far cry from the youth and trendy image hoped for the product. Even racers who’re seen on the shoe get mocked, hearing they look like astronauts walking on the moon! In the next blog, we’ll discover how that view will soon be turned around...

What makes Hoka shoes so popular? (part one)

It’s only this year, through and quite randomly, that I became fully aware of Hoka shoes. I had seen them before but without much interest. It’s when I saw a septuagenarian, neighbor of mine wearing a pair and after I talked to him about his experience with that footwear that my interest sparked up. 

After some quick research, I learned that Hoka was founded in 2009 by Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, both former Salomon employees. This goes a long way in recognizing the reservoir of talent that Salomon truly was. 

Diard began with Salomon in 1981 and was promoted to marketing director in 1989, was put in charge of brand development in 1997, just when the ski company got sold to Adidas and began to lose its soul. In 1998, Diard became the company’s president and successfully developed its trail running division. 

Through 2005 Diard kept going in the complicated marriage with Adidas and finally the German based brand through the towel and sold Salomon to the Finnish group Amer that already owned Atomic skis, Wilson tennis and Suunto among other sport related brands. In 2008, the book “Born to Run” sparked running with "barefoot" or minimalist shoe designs and increasing interest in ultra-running and trail running, though some of its claims about shoes immediately created debate. 

The book popularized the idea that modern, highly cushioned shoes can cause injuries and that a more natural, forefoot-strike running style (as seen in the Tarahumara people) was healthier. This led to a boom in minimalist footwear, ultra-running events, and a broader interest in running naturally and for its own sake, rather than just for competition. 

In spite of athletic success with that kind of product, Jean-Louis Diard wasn’t so sure and at the same time, his relationship with Amer Sports deteriorating, he parted way with Salomon. Tomorrow, we’ll see how this would trigger the birth of Hoka.

On stopping a bully…

Stopping a bully early is everything. It ought to be done and someone should. 

This is the first thing I did when I moved to our new house in 2014 and was confronted by an irascible next door neighbor who had the audacity to “test me”, as all good bullies generally do, I responded forcefully and that was (almost) the end of his aggression (there was another incident that was repressed the same way). 

Had I not responded swiftly, the man would still be after me either because he disliked my face or my country of origin. At about the same time, in 2016, we had the Republican Primary debates, pitting Trump against a group of lackluster candidates. Two of them come to mind (Bush and Rubio) as they were copiously insulted by Trump.

Had either Jebb Bush or Marco Rubio grabbed Donald Trump by his lapels, shook him hard and told him to vacate the debate stage sine die, the US and the world would never have been terrorized by Trump and would be in a much better place than where we all are today. 

Just like Biden for running a second time against Trump, these two men bear an enormous, historical responsibility. Always stand to a bully when you experience one!