MILLY VOICE

Hello!

I feel like I should give more of an introduction (in case you are new here) but also, it has been a hot minute since I have posted content on the website. Life has been busy, and easing in to 2024 with projects ahead (gulp, UTMB) I have not been able to dedicate space here as I have wanted to.

But after polling on instagram, I can see where you guys would like to see content going forward which is a big help, and one of the things you seem most keen to read about is the lives of people in Sport (athletes, coaches, people in the industry etc). This is something I am more than enthused about, and after interviewing some great people already (check out the Hybrid Athlete post, as well as one of the coolest female PT’s I know and my Salomon buddy Matt’s most mad endurance adventures here). I feel very honoured to know some inspirational people in Sport that I really admire and look up to.

And this brings me to Sam.

I sometimes almost forget how Sam and I crossed paths, but I think mountain people find mountain people, somehow (although our mutual great friend Chloe definitely had something to do it). Sam is the brand manager of Dragon Alliance, which, if you do not know, make some of the coolest lenses going. Their main jam is the snowboard / alpine / freeride scene and are known for their notoriously cool, colourful and reflective aesthetic.

Dragon was started by someone who “dared”; Will Howard in ‘93 and the brand’s tag lines are as eye catching as the lenses. It’s all down to having the right “frame of mind”. They are a little bit different, edgy and stand out from the rest. A bit like Sam.

In one of our catch ups, I asked Sam if I could ask him a few questions about mountain life, having one of the coolest jobs in an alpine setting, and what it is like working with top athletes. Sam was kind enough to let us in to a little bit of his world.

Hey Sam, so I have known you through the alpine circuit for a few years.

How long have you been out in the Alps? What brought you here?

Hey Milly :) So obviously I’ve been coming to the alps a while, (Austrian & French mostly) since I was 18 - so almost 30 years, damn. I’ve now been based in Morzine since 2017, just after Brexit and now I’m a French resident and made it permanent with a renovation project last year, still going..

What made the move permanent was a pretty savage ski accident (only time I’ve skied) in Kuhtai 2016; ACL, MCL and displaced Meniscus - somewhere along the 10 month rehab I think I decided to stop chasing trips and going all in every few weeks and just thought, if I live out there permanently, I’ll take it easier and won’t be chasing the time out there, mountain biking had others ideas for me though :)

Even at 44 I don’t think I ever hold back and think maybe I should take it easy, just not the way I’m wired. I’m ok with that and whilst I don’t expect to be injured, I’ve accepted that being in the alps most of the time, it’s likely that it’ll happen more often than not.

It’s hard to pick, but where is your favourite place in the Alps?

Favourite place in the alps, tough - so many, Mayrhofen is where I cut my teeth and met the crew that helped me get in to the industry (thank you Hungerpain). Tignes is where I spent so many weeks with Neil McNair and the Dragon Lodge guys. Morzine is where I ended up because I knew it was easy to be English there and it suited my travel options, GVA to fly anywhere, and it’s easy to drive to Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, anywhere in Europe for my role with Dragon.

Because of its almost town vibe (over being in a resort) and snowboarding and biking accessibility Morzine is probably my favourite in terms of suiting what I like to do.. Still plenty of places to see and explore though and I’m sure I’ll not even get close to ticking it all off. Let’s go with TBC.

If you had to choose Sam: Snowboarding or Biking, and why?

I definitely moved for the snowboarding, and I’ve definitely stayed for the biking. I’d kinda forgotten about mountain biking having ridden a bit as a young teenager, but then the first summer after moving to Morzine I borrowed a DH bike and have been hooked since. I almost wished I’d never stooped mountain biking but then I think ‘learning’ something new later on in life is why I’ve got so keen on it. At the same time I also got into road cycling which surprised me - and I try and keep it 50/50 on bikes so I’ve less chance of nailing myself on the DH tracks, easily done… I’m sure as the years go on I’ll embrace road cycling and hill climbing way more, I feel pretty lucky to have come across something I know I’ll do well into my later years. For now I’m gonna say biking, I’ve almost turned into a fair weather snowboarder so need to find the love again for that certainly - some longer better winters would help but gotta be realistic. If I can do 2/3 weeks a year in the Japanese mountains, I’ve filled my cup for the season for sure, plus I still feel like I can get better at Mountain and Road biking…

You have worked with Dragon along time. Tell me a bit about that "alliance"? How did it all start?

It’s been a long alliance for sure, bought my first pair in 99’ in New Zealand, worn on/off for a few years then went to Japan in 06-07 with a Belgian/Dutch crew and got some pretty decent shots in Dragon goggles, featured in a few snowboard articles the following year wearing Dragon. Met someone at ISPO, got an email, sent some pictures of the coverage and that was it - sponsored for a little while then moved into the UK team manager role, then marketing manager, on to European TM/Field Merchandiser and then 4/5 years ago took on the full time role as European Brand Manager. I’ve been with Dragon for 15+ years, seen 3 different ownerships and still have so much passion for probably one of the most core brands out there. Obviously changing times have meant that we need to balance that core feeling with a commercially viable business element. Not easy but I think we do it well and I’m thankful I get to take charge in Europe with a great commercial team in Europe and plenty of trust from the Global brand team.

Describe an average Dragon day.

The day to day, looking after a few key accounts, 20+ distros, 5 regional agents, team riders - scouting for new opportunities; business, event, athlete and all the rest.

I’m constantly thinking abut the next 3, 9, 12 and 18 months for Dragon. I’m lucky I get to travel plenty, see our partners, get to go to great events; Laax Open X Games and also the more grass root ones. No day is ever the same, some are tedious, most are challenging, all of them are part of the job…

Favourite product at Dragon at the mo?

Honestly there are so many, we’ve recently started offering Magnetic goggle options, re- developed our retro inspired frames so they are bang up to date. Our sunglass line is killer, my aim is to expand on some new product lines, apparel and of course, mountain biking goggles and suns.. the favourite changes every season but mostly I wear the RVX Mag, DX3 Plus goggles and Rowan or Box sunglasses..

Any "pinch me?" moments in your career?

Too many, maybe a few in chronological order - a few front covers, DPS in Onboard magazine, taxi-ing Jamie Lynn in London. Finding killer riders to represent the brand and watching them fulfill their dreams (Mia Brookes > XGames Gold) signing Kevin Backstrom, getting signature-models developed for Mikkel Bang and Kevin. The travel is a bonus but is part of the job rather than a pinch me moment. I feel like there are more to come.

There may be no such thing as a bad day on the mountain, but what are the biggest challenges to working and living Alp side?

Maybe for me, the biggest challenge is not being that close to my family in London, sure it’s easy to get back these days but I deft see them a little less than I’d like. Language, I’m pretty stubborn and I’m sure this will grate on some people - I didn’t move to France for the people, I moved for the mountains and to be in that geographical situation 24/7. You can still get on with society without speaking their language..

Sadly living in the mountains means you get to see climate change first hand, it’s pretty hard to deny what’s going on after you lived in the mountains for 7 years. The gentrification and capitalist expansion you see in some resorts also feels a little selfish, yes I’m aware I may be part of the problem there - I think it’s foremost, up to local councils/governments to try harder at balancing this though and that doesn’t really seem to be happening. Large scale property development happens everywhere, not just in resorts, but it feels like these places are succumbing more to big corp catering to the rich holiday makers rather that preserving the more local feel that these mountain towns once had - probably not a conversation for here or one that I can express that articulately so I’ll move on. Getting older is a thing I’ve noticed, as I get older.. I’m sure there’s a tipping point for me where I don’t want to challenge myself snowboarding or biking anymore and I’ll just go and be quiet… somewhere quiet :)

You have worked with athletes for a long time. What do you find motivating about that?

I think that might be the favourite part of my role, I was never that good a snowboarder - but I think I understood how to talk to brands and to communicate within the industry at large and therefore better get the connection between an athlete and the brand - I’ve also tried not to offend too many people along the way - sure, you can’t be friends with everyone, actually I don’t want to be friends with most people lol.

But I love coming across/finding athletes, the special people who just have “something” - Mia Brookes is probably the best example there and someone I’ve known, watched and admired from 4 to 17.. Patrick Hofmann is someone I’m so excited to see where he goes, such a different, creative rider doing his own thing and his talent, like Mias’, seems to be infinite.

I also love working with heavily established athletes and understanding their mentality a little bit - getting to work with Gigi Ruf for a while, and recently pushing for Mikkel Bang and Kevin Backstrom to get signature goggles with Dragon has been pretty motivating.

Sometimes you lose out, and you can’t support everyone the way they, or I would like, or that that maybe deserve - it’s the game, but it’s also the business. I am still way more motived to do good with athletes than bummed about things or projects that didn’t work out.

What advice would you give anyone who wanted to up sticks and move to the mountains?

Being British, probably the tricksiest hurdle now is the whole visa situation, thanks Brexit.. so make sure you know how you’re gonna deal with that. We moved after Brexit and eventually I got salaried through the French office of our business so where there’s a will, there’s a way.. I’m sure that’ll trip people up though so get that bit dialled.

Otherwise.. language, job, paperwork - if you choose right none of these things are essential or should stop you considering it, they didn’t for me, just do it and if you love where you live, you’ll find a way to make it work.

Will I see you guys at UTMB this year? Where can we find you?

We’ll be there, but with Nike Vision (a licensed brand for the larger company that owns Dragon). Trail isn’t somewhere Dragon really plays so it’s cool to get involved in other categories, with other brands - after all it’s still outdoors, and it’s still the alps.

As ever, thanks Sam- you’re a true legend, and look forward to catching up at UTMB :)

More about Dragon lenses can be found here