Christoffer Vorre from Nørresundby was five years old when his parents introduced him to a pair of skis - and it was love at first snowflake! Flash forward to today, 27 years later, he has made a career out of skiing, powder snow and mountain peaks.
Together with his partner, Ottar, he now runs the company Snowminds, which - since it was founded in 2012 - has grown into the world's largest training school for ski instructors, that offers job guarantee.
"I really thought I was going to be a lawyer, like my grandfather, who has always been my idol. But before I entered law school I juuuust had to do one a season of skiing … which quickly became four - I simply couldn’t get enough," says Christoffer Vorre, 32 years. Christopher and his friend Ottar both became ski instructors, and it was an amazing experience being employed by the local ski resorts.
A part of the culture
"It was much more cool, compared to my work as a Danish employed ski guide. I was much more a part of the local resort and therefore better integrated into the local culture. Ottar and I wanted to help other young skiers get the same experience as a ski instructor. That's why we established Snowminds - and it enabled us to get even more skiing into our lives, "says Christoffer with a big grin.
The two friends started the company, while Christopher studied international business at CBS. In the first season Snowminds trained 51 instructors, all of whom got jobs at the local ski schools in Austria, proving that there was a market for Snowminds. Last year the company trained more than 450 instructors, primarily from Denmark and the Netherlands, who are currently working on five continents - from Europe to Canada and Japan to Africa and New Zealand.
Working with the mountain
In a season, Christoffer gets up to 8-12 weeks of skiing himself, when he goes out to meet Snowminds' instructors and their employers. And if you ask him to talk about what is so great about living a life in the snow, his words become slower, and his voice more dreamy:
"It is about being out there – in the wild ... In recent years, my love for freeride and off-piste has grown, because it takes you further away from the slopes and the noisy apres-ski places. All the way out. And that is where I experience the feeling of being a small individual surrounded by huge mountains.
I feel in a way that I work with the mountain, while I’m out there and you must be respectful of the nature and not leave other traces than the tracks from your skies. Out there is where I feel free, which I don’t elsewhere."
Christoffer, who previously worked 24/7 as an Internal Consultant at Coloplast, says that skiing and being in the wild, has allowed him to relax more – the experience is almost meditative, he explains.
The simple life with LOOW
"Recently, I was on a plane from Copenhagen to Aalborg, a trip that takes 25 to 30 minutes. On the plane with me, were two gentlemen in suits, who - right after takeoff – immediately turned on their computers and started working, instead of just talking or relaxing. They got maybe eight minutes of work in, before they were told to pack again, as the plane got ready for landing. I just sat there in my own little relaxed world and looked out at the clouds, in my army green LOOW T-shirt. I realized that I used to be like that - and became aware of how happy I was with the life I now have. "
Christoffer first encountered LOOW in a Facebook ad. He had heard of merino wool, and when he read an interview with Anders, he went on to the web shop.
"It only took half an hour from when I saw the ad, until I bought two T-shirts. I was absolutely sold!” says Christoffer smiling. Beyond the short sleeve models, he also have long-sleeved, which he uses when skiing, because they are eminent at transporting perspiration and they keep him warm at the same time.
"I'm super impressed with these T-shirts. I have been accustomed to wearing T-shirts made of cotton. And you need to wash them every day, otherwise they will smell. Not so with LOOW. I have drastically reduced my clothing consumption since I bought four T-shirts from LOOW, and they are virtually the only ones I use. I aim to simplify my life - and LOOW reflects that. "
Portrait by: Martin Kaufmann
Other photos by Christoffer Vorre, Snowminds
Christoffer is wearing a LOOW long sleeve T-shirt in the colour Forest - Large (185cm/80kg)