Request Information
Apply Now
Campus TourText version of the
Living in Durango video with Matthias Giraud
This video interviews Matthias Giraud, a recent Fort Lewis College graduate who is working as the marketing assistant at Durango Mountain Resort. Matthias talks about skiing near Durango and Silverton. Rich Fletcher from Inside Durango TV produced and created this video.
Matthias Giraud '06
Major: Business Administration – Tourism & Resort Management option
Hometown: Saint Gervais Blanc (French Alps), France
Career: Marketing Assistant at Durango Mountain Resort, competitive & professional skier
Je m'appelle Matthias Giraud
"My name is Matthias Giraud. I'm 23 years old. I live in Durango, near Electra Lake, which is up in the woods. I'm a big mountain skier and skydiver. I'll be a base jumper pretty soon.
"My job is marketing assistant for Purgatory (also known as Durango Mountain Resort). That's what puts bread on the table. The rest of the time, I go to school. Then I ski. That's pretty much how I am living my life right now.
"I wanted to be a pro skier since I was about 14 years old. It was hard to make it happen over in Europe. Companies don't really give you a chance unless you are a big name in the industry.
"I had the opportunity to transfer to Fort Lewis College. So I thought I would enter the industry by moving here and working for the local resort.
"The Durango community is amazing. If you compare a mountain town over in Europe and a mountain town here, it is really different.
"In the Alps, it would take you two to 10 years, depending on if you are a good skier or not, to be accepted by the locals. Here it took me a week. I went to a party and met some kids. They were local skiers. They took me up the mountain that weekend. That's it. I felt like I was a member of the Durango community.
"The best part about skiing in Durango is the fluffy powder and the face shots. I didn't know what face shots (splashes of powder in your face) were until I moved here.
"Typical day in my life is waking up and checking on the weather, looking at the forecast for the day, calling for the avalanche report, putting my gear in my car, driving up the Red Mountain pass to Silverton, climbing up to the peak with a friend, and skiing down the fall line. Then I go home, have a good dinner, chill with the wife and the dogs, watch a good movie and do it the next day.
"Last thing, I want to say is have fun, go up on the mountains, tear it up, and enjoy living in Durango because it's a great place to live. That's it. Have fun.
