‘We’re trying to change skiers’ perceptions of who God is’

No one reads the Bible anymore. That was Lara Sussman’s assumption. The busy 40-something mother-of-four was running a successful ski chalet business in Méribel, France with her husband, Will. She wasn’t looking for faith, and didn’t know any Christians. 

But after bumping into two friendly women on a walk near her home on the Isle of Wight, she went along to the church toddler group at their invitation. Later, at a coffee morning, she was “shocked” to see her new friends getting their Bibles out. “But I really enjoyed it, so I carried on going,” she explains. Eventually, she gave her life to Christ and “everything changed,” she says. “I had peace, I had joy, I became a better wife and mother. It was transformational.”

Her husband, Will, concurs: “I literally saw Lara change before my eyes. So, I thought: I need to know what’s going on here.” Raised Jewish, Will began to read the Bible too and eventually also became a Christian. 

From that point, they began to ask God what he wanted them to do with their lives. For Lara, the answer was obvious. Before she became a Christian, she had assumed people who went to church were old and that the Bible was irrelevant; now she knew this to be untrue, and she wanted other people – particularly those in the ski community where she and Will were based for six months of every year – to know that too.

Small beginnings

In 2019, they started inviting chaplains to Méribel, and approached the local priest to ask if they could use the tiny chapel at the heart of the village for a weekly service. It started small – “literally six people and our dog,” says Will. “We got a lot of vitriol,” adds Lara. “Some really vicious Facebook posts, which I hated, actually. We were new Christians. We were buzzing, and we really didn’t like people slating [Jesus]. It was painful.”

Around the same time, Lara and Will began helping people who got into trouble on the slopes when coming out of the pubs and clubs. After having a few too many drinks, some were unable to locate their skis or get back down the pistes safely. “We’d pick them up, put their skis back on, give them a hug if they were crying - and that’s how Ski Angels started. It was completely by accident.”

Now, five years later, Lara and Will have trained more than 60 ski angels – mainly young gap-year students, called Altituders, who come out for a ski season cum missional adventure with them. Over time, barriers have been broken down. “The turnaround - of going from being hated to finding favour - it’s incredible,” says Will. “I went to the pub the other night, and you’re just welcomed in with open arms. The owners are pleased to see you back for the season.”

Love in action

“One lady said to us: ‘You’re the best PR for Jesus that I’ve ever seen!’” laughs Lara. They describe their work as “street pastors on skis” and the heart behind Altitude Mission is to show God’s love in action. “I think Jesus would be in those clubs helping people,” says Lara. “He went for the broken, the lost, the vulnerable. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Getting drunk up a mountain can be extremely dangerous. In one incident, they had to help a young man down after he drank too much and became unconscious. They called the emergency services, who took 45 minutes to stabilise him before they could transport him to hospital. When Will finally got through to his mother on the phone and told her what had happened, he ended the conversation by saying: “God bless.” She replied: “I’ve just done an Alpha course. I’ve just become a Christian and I can clearly see that God has been working in this to keep my son alive.” 

Home from home 

Will and Lara also have a heart to reach the seasonnaires who come to work for the winter. Often, these young people are away from home for the first time and work hard, but party even harder. At their 24-bed chalet, where the Altituders live and serve the guests who come to stay as well as the local community, they host a weekly gathering called ‘Beer and Burgers’ which often sees 200 people attend – for the free food, but also to connect. As they are preparing each person’s burger, they get to chat, says Will. One guy, totally unprompted, confided that he had no purpose in life. “I said: ‘OK, we need to meet up.’” After meeting weekly for a while, they started reading the Bible together. At the end of the season, he got baptised. 

One lady said: ‘You’re the best PR for Jesus that I’ve ever seen!’ 

The Sussmans also host regular worship nights as well as weekly church gatherings. “We try to make church accessible,” says Will. “We don’t Bible bash. Gen Z don’t want to be told,” he continues, “so we build up a relationship.”

On one occasion, Will got chatting to a doorman, JC, at a local club, who was raised Catholic but had converted to Islam. One day, to save him the long drive back to his apartment before returning for his night shift, Will invited him to their chalet and gave him their last bed – in the prayer room – to rest. “He burst into tears”, says Will. 

Later, he told them that the previous night, his flatmate had threatened him with a knife. He had gone to work that morning knowing he couldn’t return, but not knowing where to go. “He stayed the rest of the season,” says Will. One night, while they were hosting a worship evening, JC emerged from his bedroom to tell them that he had been lying in bed and could see a light. “I said: ‘Jesus is the light’”, and he said: ‘Yes! Jesus is the light!’” recalls Will. He recently asked the Sussmans to baptise him.

“We’re trying to change people’s perceptions of who God is, what Christians are,” says Lara. They are often surprised that Christians can ski, that they might go to the pub; that they are young, she explains. “These are rich people. To ski, you’ve got a certain level of income. We’re reaching the leaders of the next generation. They’re all either going to uni or have just come out of uni. They could be in government, in business. If they become Christians and learn who Jesus is, then it could change so many lives.”  

Find out more at altitudemission.com