Meet the Team - Joël

Here is Joël, he is the oldest member of our team and the most wise. The police force, pole vault and so much more...



Name: Joël

Position: Technician. I’m one of the ‘fix it’ men. Alongside Baptiste (last months Meet the Team) I make sure your apartment is in full working order.

Years in company: I’ve been working in Oxygène Immobilier for 5 years now.

Experience: Well, I have had lots of experience and am very hands on. I have in fact redone from scratch 2 apartments. I have also worked as a locksmith. I love a challenge and I really enjoy doing DIY and odd jobs here and there.

How long have you been in La Plagne? I’ve been in La Plagne for 5 years now, basically since I got my job with Oxygène. I didn’t know the resort before, however many moons ago I learnt to ski just over the other side of the mountain in Courchevel.



Where is your favourite place to eat in resort (and why)? The Petit Comptoir is hands down my favourite. I would often go here with my wife. They do excellent food, I would describe it as affordable, high-end French dinning, simple, fresh and delicious. The Vin et 1 is another great place to go. Great burgers and homemade chips!!!

Do you ski, snowboard or both? So, I learnt to ski when I was around 8 years old and did this for 32 years. Then at 40 I wanted to learn how to snowboard (I like a challenge!). For 10 years I stuck strictly to snowboarding, and then at 50 I started skiing again. I love both disciplines and it’s difficult to choose which one I like the most. Can I add another discipline too, ski touring!?! I started ski touring 3 years ago and it’s fantastic. The hike up gets my blood pumping and the ski down is simple for my pleasure ;)

Which is your favourite piste to ski/snowboard down (and why)?I really like the Inversens piste. It’s a red ‘natural’ run that comes down from the Roche de Mio. It’s great as you can play comfortably in the fresh snow on the sides of the slope. The snow conditions are often good here too. A no brainer!



What’s the best thing about working at Oxygène Immobilier (and why)? I love DIY, nothing is better than having a good challenge and finding a solution and at Oxygène I get to do this every day. The work I do is varied and it keeps me interested. I also really like Saturday changeovers, it’s a day that keeps us on our toes as we have to work fast between clients leaving and new ones arriving.

How do you like to start your day? Bacon, eggs and a tea (I like a good English style breakfast!).

What was your first job? My first ‘job’ was as a summer camp animator in Bretagne, however if we’re talking about my first ‘real’ job then I joined the French police force after I graduated from school. I did this job for 34 years and got to travel to many places including Corsica and New Caledonia. I am a trained lifeguard too and during the summer seasons I was often deployed to the west coast of France to work on the beaches.

What lead you to this career? It’s because of my wife I am here! We had both decided we wanted to work in the mountains and try winter seasons. I retired from the police force and my wife quit her ‘normal’ job and found one in Belle Plagne. I started looking once we knew and within 3 days of applying for the position at Oxygène Immobilier, I got offered the job. The rest is history :).



Fun fact about yourself? I am somewhat of a sportsman and from a young age I trained and competed in the pole vault. I have won many medals throughout my time, however at 50 years old I competed in the Pole Vault World Championships…and won! I have a beautiful medal and it’s possibly one of my greatest achievements.

Have you got a favorite expression or joke? ‘Dans la vie il faut savoir relativiser’. This translates to ‘in life we must understand how to relativise’. Basically, we are lucky to be here, we must understand that importance of our decisions and react accordingly to them.

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