I don’t like to follow the herd. I prefer to choose my own path.

- A new breed of Heretics featuring Arno de Jong -

I met Arno in the french Alps as he was skilfully guiding our group of entrepreneurs during a week. I saw in him passion, generosity, subtlety and wisdom, and got curious about his story. Here, he shares with us what it takes to be a Heretic far away from his homeland.

What makes you a Heretic?

When I was young, I did not have the ambition to find a corporate job and earn loads of money. In my imagination, ideally I would turn a hobby into work. This is the reason why I was admiring for example professional windsurfers, who could just live from the wind. 

What makes me a Heretic is the fact that I don’t like to follow the herd. I prefer to choose my own path. Rebelling a bit against dogma’s and norms and aiming for a life away from the crowds and off the beaten track. 

This is one of the reasons why I liked to leave Holland; spreading my wings to follow my heart. In Holland I felt ‘lived’ by others, while now in the French Alps I live my own more simple life, together with my wife and kids. Holland is a busy and densely populated country. 

I always had the feeling that one’s decision making was rather based on other ones opinion, instead of taking a decision based on ones own values. Living in France our decision making process is less influenced by others and society and more based on our own opinion and values. 

For me this is freedom, which is one of my strongest values.

Tell me what is your biggest act as a Heretic ?

Leaving Holland for a new and more adventurous life in the French Alps. Since I met my wife she knew about my wish to change Holland for another country to live in. For my then employeur I organised different events and trips and one of them was a winter sports holiday. What I could do for them I probably could do for others as well, so I decided to give up my job and start my company AlpAdventures. Instead of organising trips from behind a computer I thought it would be way more exciting to live on location where the trips would take place. 

When visiting the Giffre Valley in the summer as well, we saw the beauty and potential of the area and decided to choose Samo?ns to set up our basecamp. Our initial plan was to find a chalet which we could run as a catered chalet or chambre d’h?te to accommodate our guests to undertake different kind of alpine adventures. But as we did not find anything suitable we set up our business as an intermediary and loved the freedom which this gave us. Through the years we have been organising all kind of different ‘off the beaten track’ adventures. Instead of focusing on holiday makers, we have been focusing on ‘change makers’ recently. I find it very satisfying to facilitate a mountain experience that is often eye-opening, always inspiring and sometimes even life changing.

Through the years I realised that being outdoors in nature was what I like the most. Every time I organised a mountain bike trip, I had to rent a local guide to take our guests around. How cool would it be if I could do this myself? After getting lost on the internet, I decided to knock on the door of the french ministry of sports to ask how to become a mountain bike guide. They persuaded me to become a mountain leader with a mountain bike qualification. Different voices whispered that it would be ‘pas possible’ to become a french mountain leader. My french was crap, my mountain knowledge poor and I still felt like an urban Dutchman lost in the Alps. 

Luckily another voice was stronger and able to shut my demons up. This one told me that where there is a will there is a way, or rather a mountain path. We can succeed way more than we think as long as we fight those ‘pas possible’ demons. I gave it a go and after two challenging and inspiring years I could call myself a french certified ‘Accompagnateur en Montagne’, including a mountain bike guiding qualification.

Tell me what is difficult for you in making a choice?

I am bit of a perfectionist and like to make the best decision. Sometimes I hesitate too long to take a decision, wondering if this will be the best one. It takes confidence to make a choice! It sometimes takes me some time to take a decision, but when I do, I never regret. I can not remember any big decision in life which I regret now. Life is too short to look back and regret things you have or haven’t done in the past.

What advice would you give to future Heretics?

Be aware of the demons that stop you following your dreams. What are your fears that stand in the way to live the life you would love to live? 

We are all domesticated. We grew up and learned stuff which we believed were facts and the truth. But actually it is just our perception of reality. A good example is the power of words: Someone told you once that you were not capable to do anything and you decided to believe it and started acting upon it for the rest of your life. Sad but true; this is the way our mind works.

Ask yourself the question: Is my decision based on domestication? Am I leaded by norms, dogma’s and other ones opinions? Or is my decision based on what I really want and matching my own values and dreams?

Make sure that you won’t regret things in the future because of any decision you did not dare to make in the past. Listen to your heart more, because our ratio seems to be based on facts, but these facts aren’t facts, it’s just our perception.

What would be the word that represent the Heretic in you?

Mountains: the mountains made my life changing radically and I am really grateful for this. It gave me a lot and I really love the metaphors related to mountains: Life is like undertaking a mountain journey. 

Some mountains seem impossible to climb, but as soon as you start doing some research you’ll find a trail up to its summit. You prepare your tour, you pack the right gears, you do some more research and you go for it when the weather looks stable. On forehand you plan an itinerary on the map, but as soon as you start hiking you realise there are many other small paths to choose from. Some might lead you to the summit, while others lead you into the unknown: an adventure! 

It’s up to you to decide which path to choose, but remember: It’s not about the summit, but it’s the journey that counts!

Arno de Jong, born in Holland, crafting tailor made adventures in the French Alps with his company www.AlpAdventures.com, snowshoe, hike and mountain bike guide in Dream Valley; the place where we make the alpine dreams come true!

Arno is married to Jessica who also turned passion into a job, being a successful private chef in Samo?ns and they have 2 kids together: Sven and Vince.

a new breed of Heretics

a blog and collection of interviews of XXIst century heretics, those who are “able to choose” — [?h???t?k : from ancient greek α?ρετικ?? “able to choose”]