Let me tell you a story about a silly Swiss man with a massive love for skiing. Just two short years ago, we had the good fortune of being introduced to a guy who wanted to help us bring TREW to his community in Europe; a place where snowsports have a rich history and deep-set roots that are engrained in the lives of so many calling this continent home, etched into the giant peaks like contour lines marking the sports long and storied past. This guy's name is Gilles Sierro and we are thrilled to have such a legendary skier (and all-around human) proudly wearing the Thumb's Up and helping us build both our product line and our brand into something bigger and better. Skier, guide, father, and so much more, Gilles joined our team and quickly became a fixture in the TREW family. He's not only putting our products through some incredibly rigorous testing as he takes friends and clients into the Alps day in and day out, but he's tackling some really fun projects with us to make our lineup better than ever in the next few years. Keep an eye out for an all-new TREW jacket coming out SOON, inspired and designed all around Gilles and his mountain adventures. But before I get too wordy and end up writing a mediocre biography on this dude, let's turn things over to him. I asked Gilles to share a bit more about himself, his work, his goals, and really anything and everything so that we could all get to know him better....and here's what he had to say: Katherine: Okay Gilles, I'll keep this quick. Who are you? What do you 'do', what do you enjoy, what makes you tick? Give me the run down. Gilles: Gilles Sierro, 43yo (1979), born and raised in Hérémence/Valais/Switzerland. I grew up in that small alpine village nested between Verbier and Zermatt (aka in the #Magicvalley). I am a single father, skier, and IFMGA mountain guide. K: What got you into guiding, and why do you love it? G: I once heard someone say, “that’s the perfect plan, take other people's money to continue skiing in the best places" but really I'm guiding because I like sharing with people, I enjoy seeing people realize their dreams or have a good time! And I enjoy skiing of course ;)) K: What's the perfect day look like for you in the mountains? G: My perfect day as a guide in the mountains is SSD: safe, steep, deep. On my own it’s either steep, or very steep….exposed and if possible, exploratory. But the best days lately have been spent watching my first son learn to ski! K: We've got the elevator spiel, now share with me some of those fun facts... G: I ski in boots that where discontinued 6 years ago, and still have several new pairs. I'm a wildlife geek, I love stalking and taking pictures. I used to be a freestyle skier. I hate black ski boots. I pretty much only drink coke when I'm out in the field. I studied architect design for 4 years. My steep skis are the K2 Dispatch 101 in….168cm (I'm 1.8m tall). K: What's the gear you're loving these days, both from TREW and from other brands? G: I love the Cosmic Jacket and the Pack Jack (sadly no longer available). For bibs, I wear the TREWth and the Capow - both I'm choosing according to the activity. The longer I tour, the more I favor the Capow. But I like the more rugged TREWth for heli days and slack country...and also for traveling, when I don’t know what’s going to happen. I'm deeply in love with the new K2 Dispatch skis which I helped develop for the last 3 years alongside Marty [Shaffer]. I rely on the BCA Tracker 4, with the rugged “bumper” as I'm not the most careful person. K: I know you are working on developing and designing a new jacket with us...can you tell me a bit about 'Le Skieur', and what you are looking for in a new TREW jacket in the future? G: My dream is to have one super simple, minimalist jacket. Ideally, I'll guide in it summer and winter with just downsizing for summer. But it would need to be light and packable enough without foregoing any key features. In general, I prefer a longer jacket which cover a good share of my (skinny and often chilly) bum. *Like I said, keep an eye out on the TREW channels for more info on this brand new jacket coming soon! A sneak peek at the Le Powfunk. Photos by D Carlier. K: Aside from helping TREW grow and create new products, what do you have going on and what does the future hold for you? What does your guiding business and Winter season look like? G: I'm in the process of actually starting a company, but for now you'll find me self-employed and on Instagram @gillesleskieur. My business model is somehow old school, with less than 10 clients to book my whole winter. All of these relationships have evolved into friendships over the years through the shared experiences. I also work with K2 Skis to help develop and test skis for touring and soft snow. My season typically starts end of November and extends into May. I guide primarily in and around my place, the #magicvalley (Arolla-Zermatt-Verbier areas) but take my clients around the world. Sweden, Alaska, Japan, Kamchatka, Turkey, and more. Just 3 weeks ago only, I was in Albania checking out some new terrain! Follow along with Gilles' fun and adventures on Instagram, and you can also peep his awesome wildlife photos here. We'll also be sure to keep everyone looped in with all of Gilles' product development stories, so stay tuned for more info - and the official release of his brand new TREW 'pro model' jacket -coming soon! Photos by David Carlier.
