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Dancing in the Streets:
Jean Robert Barbette
a wild man, but he’s serious about what he does, says
a client of Jean-Robert, one of Aspen’s hottest personal
trainers.
The intensity with which he approaches everything
is unusual...but maybe that’s what he shares with a lot
of Aspenites. He’s a bunch of contrasts.
Ahhh, Aspen...
where a blond Belgian monoskiing model and trainer
(recently of Courchevel,Chamonix, and St.Tropez) is
just another run-of-the-mill resident...even though he
runs his own gym (replete with Jacuzzi in the corner)
and a flock of devoted clients willing to follow him trust-
ingly into new and trendy sports (such as in-line skating).
If Jean-Robert, age 29, is unique, it is only in that remark-
ably familiar Aspen way.
Jean-Robert (pronounced Zshan Rowbear) seems
made for Aspen. Maybe it’s the hair, or the accent, or
his laid-back intensely focused demeanor. Whatever, he
has tapped into Aspen’s fitness obsession. He doesn’t
just ski, he monoskis. He doesn’t just blade, he dances
on skates.
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According to friends and clients, Jean-Robert makes
fitness interesting and understandable, gearing his
sessions to a clientele desirous of quality results...now.
We train people who understand that fitness com-
municates strength, energy, confidence, even power,
reads the brochure for his gym. ?Some come here look-
ing to lose weight and end up advancing their careers.
Jean-Robert’s philosophy stresses flexibility and
alignment as well as strength, and his underlying goal is
to motivate people to move their bodies more freely. I
take their build into consideration, says Jean Robert.
If Rollerblading can give them something they need, I
incorporate it into their personal fitness program. His
clients often request an hour of blading instead of a
traditional workout. You use a lot of muscles you don’t
use when you bike or run...after one hour, your stomach
is ripped.
Jean-Robert should know of what he speaks. He
grew up surrounded by body sculpture at his father’s
gym in Belgium. His skating style reflects that upbringing.
Trippping through the West End on his Rollerblades...
with or without clients... Jean-Robert uses the pavement
like a dance floor, his technique perfectly suited to cruis-
ing Aspen’s neighborhoods. It is less suited to the steep
grades outside town, which require more agressive
(and conventional) turns to control speed.
Pumping the heel brake is not a foolproof method for
Aspen’s hills, as Jean-Robert is the first to admit. He
lost his brake once on Maroon Creek Road, forcing him
to make emergency turns to control his speed. He made
it, but the experience reinforced his preference for the
flats, where he can skate more freely, and where the
price paid for mistakes is not so high.
I cannot afford to break my body. It’s how I make my
money, he says. It’s all I have to sell.