BIOGRAPHIES of Stephane & Johanna

Johanna Kalari

I am 32 years old sportive girl from Finland. I have lived in France for almost seven years and before that I have lived around the world. Since December 2003 I have been working at the Carlton InterContinental Hotel, Cannes, in the Front Office.

Since I was young I have enjoyed being in the nature and challenges that it offers. When I was 17 years old I climbed the Mt Kilimanjaro (5896m, Tansania), the highest mountain in Africa. This was an Expedition with a Danish company and Scandinavian participants. Being on top of the Africa was un unforgettable moment and since that I have been planning on going higher. On September 2006 I climbed the Mt Blanc (4808m, France), as a training for Aconcagua and on the 8th of February 2007 I was standing on top of Aconcagua (6962m, Argentina). What a dream come true!

My hobbies have always included extreme sports; I competed in alpine skiing until I turned 18 years old and passed my instructor lisence. The competition training included also ski jumping from 70m tower. During the winters I try to spend around 25 days on the mountains in France, Italy, and Switzerland, skiing in glacier in high altitudes as much as possible. Most of my time off in the summer I spend hiking and camping here in Alpes Maritimes, in the Mercantour National Parc and l’Esterel. When I lived in Finland I used to go for few day hikes in the wilderness of Lapland. In Lapland I have also been dog sleighing during the winter. Other sports that I have practiced include parachuting (first jump alone, never a tandem), rollerblading (I was the Finnish Champion for two consecutive years in speed rollerblading), and when I lived in Florida (USA) I got my scuba diving certificate and learned to windsurf. I have done scuba diving trips to the Red Sea, Eritrea, Africa, South side of Cuba, and around the Florida Keys. I have also tried “parapente” and Via Ferrata and I do canyoning during the summer.

I use to be a danser in a musical, in an American company called Up With People, with what I did a world tour “Festival” 1995-1996. More than 110 shows in a year, around the USA, Europe, and Turkey. In Finland I have participated in a reality TV show summer 2001, called the “Great Adventure” (similar to Kohlanta or Survivor). The show was filmed during the month of June in Lapland on a small island, the water to wash yourself was 4°C, and the sun stayed up 24h. I stayed in the game for 21 days instead of 30.

Although I have always done sports I did study a little bit. I have an AS degree from Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale (USA) in Travel Industry Management and a Maitrise d’Hôtellerie from Institut Vatel in Nimes (France). My Baccalaureat I passed in Lahti (Finland) and a Professional Tourist Guide Certificate in Helsinki (Finland). I have also done some studies in Communication in Finland.

Stephane Gullaud

I am a 29 years old French guy. After my studies in Grenoble where I got my ENSIMAG Software Engineer degree, I moved to Sophia Antipolis where I’m working at Amadeus as a Software developer for a little more than five years now.

I’ve always been very sportive. I have been practicing alpine skiing since I was 5 years old. During my studies in Grenoble I took advantage of the location to go to the mountains every week, skiing mostly in Les 2 Alpes, les 7 Laux, and Chamrousse. During these years I developed a real passion for the mountain sports which I continue to practice as often as possible. For the past 3 years I’ve been enjoying the facilities provided by French Riviera and the nearby mountains for outdoor sports: skiing a lot during the winter with a focus on freeride and freestyle (around 30 days of ski every season), also including glacier skiing in Switzerland and Italy. As soon as the ski season is over, I turn to other sports: mountain biking, hiking, and camping in Esterel and Mercantour National Park, or speed water sports like canyoning and canoe-rafting in the Vesubie, Var, and Roya valley. My camping trips vary from few days to more than a week at a time. Doing sports on the mountains is very challenging and takes a lot of physical preparation, but this is something I enjoy. It is also the adrenaline and the good feeling afterwards combined with the nature that thrives me to do them. And when the mountains are not accessible, I spend my freetime on the sea side kayaking and occasionally windsurfing.

Working in Sophia also gives me the possibility to practice different sports during my lunch time like football, squash or beach volley. I try to practice a good variety of sports, and I’m always eager for new challenges.