Tammy Esten

Born in England but raised in the Alps, Tammy started snowboarding back in the days of using ski boots and hard bindings and wearing neon in the early 90s. She immediately got the bug and as soon as school was out spent winters in France, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland before eventually settling in Morzine. She started instructing over 20 years ago and was one of the first British Snowboard Instructors able to work in France. In 2006 she moved to Morzine and founded MINT Snowboarding as one of the first specialist snowboard schools in France. Tammy has been a brand ambassador for Roxy and for Protect Our Winters (POW) as well as working closely with Burton Snowboards to promote snowboarding for kids.

Tammy’s passion is in the backcountry, organising exciting new backcountry trips & guiding the MINT Backcountry Program. Her spare time is spent splitboarding… hunting out powder, the steeper and deeper the better!

From: UK / France

Spoken Languages: English, French

Number of years snowboarding: very many!

Number of seasons instructing: 21

Number of seasons you’ve worked for MINT: 17 – since the beginning!

Favourite type of lessons to teach: I love teaching all levels and all ages. Mixing it up is fun. As long as people are motivated to learn, then I will love teaching them.

Favourite country/resort to snowboard (outside of Portes du Soleil): arctic Norway & Alaska

What board do you ride: depends on the day but my splitboard is my favourite

Favourite mountain pocket snack: a Wispa bar is a dream, but you can’t buy them over here so any chocolate will make me smile

How you spend your days off when not teaching: splitboarding or working behind the scenes at MINT

Favourite Run in the Portes du Soleil: Ideally I’d be in steep and waist deep powder somewhere, but if not then the side hits on Prolays are always fun!

Favourite lunch spot in the Portes du Soleil: I do love a savory crepe at Mamos in Lindarets

Your dream snowboard holiday: Something a bit different like exploring Albania on a splitboard