A French ski instructor has been convicted after secretly filming a sex act inside a gondola at Courchevel, France, one of the world’s most famous ski resorts. The ski instructor received an eight-month suspended prison sentence from a court in Albertville on June 1 after a complaint was filed by the young woman involved.
The case dates back to February 2025. According to French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré, the woman only learned she had been filmed after the fact and had never consented to the recording. During the investigation, witnesses reportedly told police that the 21-year-old instructor had shown the video to friends and colleagues. Non-consensual filming in public or semi-public spaces is a criminal offense under French law, carrying penalties that reflect the severity of the privacy violation. The gondola — an enclosed, semi-public space used by hundreds of skiers daily — creates a particular set of legal and ethical questions about consent and privacy in resort environments.
The conviction has drawn a strong response from the French ski instruction community. The instructor was employed as a ski monitor and wore the distinctive red uniform of the French Ski School (ESF), one of the most recognizable institutions in alpine skiing. However, the National Union of French Ski Instructors (SNMSF) quickly distanced itself from the incident. “I condemn with the greatest firmness this kind of behavior that has nothing to do with us,” SNMSF president Éric Brèche said following the conviction.
Brèche said the union had launched an internal procedure and referred the case to its commission responsible for addressing sexual, physical, and psychological misconduct. The SNMSF also clarified that the instructor was not affiliated with one of Courchevel’s ESF schools but instead worked for another ski school operating within the resort. There are around a dozen ski schools operating in and around Courchevel.
The case is an unwelcome headline for Courchevel, the flagship resort of Les 3 Vallées, the world’s largest interconnected ski area. Known for its luxury hotels, extensive terrain, and international clientele, the resort attracts skiers from around the globe each winter. The SNMSF’s swift response suggests French ski instruction organizations are keen to demonstrate that such behavior has no place within the profession.
