The Ski Podcast

Today we focus on one of the most famous resorts in the world – Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Host Iain Martin talks with Chamonix locals to get behind what makes this resort so special, from history to high mountain, glaciers to guides. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this episode, including Bernadette Tsuda, Brad Carlson, David Webster, Sam Haddad, Sasha Rayazantsev, Benoit Borrell, Sam Morton and Iona Halley, as well as Nathalie Tortora.SHOW NOTESBernadette Tsuda is a heritage guide in Chamonix William Windham and Richard Pococke ‘discover’ the Mer de Glace in 1741 (2:00)The statue of de Saussure and Jaques Balmat (5:00)The statue of Michel Paccard (7:40)The mural at Place des Alpes (12:00)Marie Paradis was the first woman to summit Mt Blanc in 1808 (12:30)How to qualify as a mountain guide, with Brad Carlsson (17:30)ENSA is the École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme (19:00) How to become a member of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix (21:30) The ski areas (24:00) The Aiguille du Midi (27:00) Changes to the Vallee Blanche over the years, with David Webster (29:30) Dangers of crevasses, with Sam Haddad (31:00) The kit you need for glacier skiing, with Brad Carlsson (34:00) The Haute Route is a hut-to-hut ski touring route from Chamonix-Zermatt (37:00) The effects of climate change on the Vallee Blanche route (41:00) Visit the Glacorium (41:15) The impact of global warming on guides (41:45) The new Grands Montets lift, with Benoit Borrell (46:00) The Tour de Mont Blanc, with Sam Morton (49:30) Sam runs the Adventure Running Company (50:00) Changes in Chamonix from season workers to ‘daytrippers (51:00) Iona Hally runs Mountain Massage (53:00) Chambre Neuf and Elevation are both popular with locals (54:00FEEDBACKThere are over 300 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with – all available at theskipodcast.com. Just have a search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something you’ll find something of interest.If you enjoyed this episode, or if you have any comments, please let me know. You can do that by leaving a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on What

Today’s special episode is an interview with Rachael Oakes-Ash – founder of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading snowsports website, Snowsbest.com. Rachael – aka Miss Snow It All – is also a best-selling author, publicist, documentary producer, social media guru and podcaster. In this interview, we speak about her experiences reporting from the Winter Olympics in Italy, raising $200,000 for Snow Aid Australia, her work to promote women in the snow industry and her journey from novice to ski expert.  This episode is the latest in an ongoing series of interviews with high-achieving women in the world of snowsports. Previous episodes in this series have included conversations with Vicky Gosling, CEO of GB Snowsport, BBC Ski Sunday’s Chemmy Alcott, the first person to ski the seven summits, Kit DesLauriers, founder of YSE Ski, Fiona Easdale, as well as the Team GB freestyle skiers Zoe Atkin and Kirsty Muir. SHOW NOTESWinter Olympics mention-itis (2:30)Comparing Livigno with Pyeongchang in 2018 (4:30)Empty slopes in Livigno (7:30)Working alongside Team Australia (10:00)Why were Australia so successful at the Winter Olympics? (14:00) Working with Dame Edna Everage (17:00)In 2000 Rachael wrote the book ‘Good Girls Do Swallow’ (19:00) Rachael’s second book was ‘Anything she can do, I can do better (19:00) Skiing with the prime minister of New Zealand (24:00) Becoming Miss Snow It All (26:00) Starting Snowsbest.com (26:45) Running consumer webinars (30:00) ‘Women of Winter Snow Australia’ working group (30:30) Advice for anyone wanting to get into ski journalism (32:30) ‘Snow Aid Australia’ (34:00)            Selwyn Snowfield burnt down during the 2020 bushfires (34:30) Snow Travel Expo (37:00) The threat of climate change (38:30) Thredbo and Coronet Peak have added ‘Snowfactory’ facilities (39:00) Will ‘Snowtunnel’ open at some point? (41:30)  Will Australia see a post-Olympics bump attendance (44:00)FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on

We find out what it’s like heliskiing in Albania, learn about the ski resort of Champoluc in Italy, and hear about the last ski day of the season in Chamonix.We also have snow reports from Cervinia in Italy and Les 2 Alpes and Tignes in France.Host Iain Martin was joined by freelance journalist Katie Bamber and Editor of Snow Magazine, Tris Kennedy. SHOW NOTESKatie previously shared her experience of touring the Alps in a camper van (in Episode 167), the Haute Route (in Episode 172) and Geilo in Norway in Episode 204 (1:30) She recently skied on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Austria (2:45) Tris skied at Passo Tonale, which stays open until 03 May (4:15) Iain was at the Grands Montets for the closing day party (6:00) Check out the Pond Skim event video (7:00) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (7:45) Floss Cockle from the YouTube channel FreeFloFloss is in Tignes (8:30) Dave Burrows from SnoPros Ski School was in Cervinia (10:30) Samuel Equy & Mathéo Jacquemoud set a new ski FKT for Chamonix to the top of Mont Blanc and back (13:30) You can watch their video here Jaquemoud set a time of of 13h27m49s for the Haute Route earlier in April (14:00) Where is Champoluc? (16:45) What’s the ski area like? (19:00) Ski 2 went out of business in 2021 (23:00) Al Morgan reported from the SIGB ski test in Champoluc in Episode 303 (23:30) Tris travelled with Heliski Albania (26:00) Where is Albania? (26:30) Who is Norman Wisdom? (28:00) How to get there? (29:00) Pristina has statues of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton (29:00) Valbona is in the ‘Accursed Mountains’ (31:00) You don’t (normally) need to jump out of the helicopter (32:00) What’s the terrain like? (33:30) Best time to go (35:30) Check Tris’s <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/this-wint

Today we find out about the ski resorts of Risoul and Vars in France, report from the Dynastar X3 Triathlon in Courchevel and look at how you can improve your ski mindset. Host Iain Martin was joined by ski mindset coach, Lou Pode, and COO of The Ski Club of Great Britain and organiser of the London Snow Show, James Gambrill.  SHOW NOTESIain recently skied in Verbier (5:30)Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (6:30) Floss Cockle from the YouTube channel FreeFloFloss has been skiing in Val Thorens (7:00) Jen Tsang runs the website ThatsLaPlagne.com (9:30) Iain took part in the Dynastar X3 Triathlon in Courchevel (11:30) Lou learned to ski using the ski évolutif system in Les Arcs (15:00) Listen to Episode 229 for further discussion about female participation in skiing (18:00) Find out about Lou’s Ski Mindset Coaching (19:30) Lou can prepare you before their holiday (20:00) How to get there (26:00) Iain skied in Roccaraso, flying out to Naples (26:45) Size of the ski area (28:45) Who is it suitable for (33:00) James has been skiing twice this winter in Risoul and Vars (33:30)The Fashion Show is back at the London Snow Show for 2026 (35:00)There are also plans for to make Sunday a ‘Legends’ day (37:30)Find out more about the London Snow Show on their website (40:00) FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode you can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] You can also join our WhatsApp channel for exclusive material released ahead of the podcastHelen Keast: "I just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying the podcast — I’ve listened to every episode and look forward to each new one. I especially love the features on different resorts, and I really enjoyed the equipment reviews at the start of the season and the Olympic coverage!" Emily Ruth Givens: "Love the podcast" Col

We visit La Clusaz and find out about local freeride skier Candide Thovex’s new range of skis. We also go to Verbier to learn what it was like to become the first woman to work on their ski patrol.We have snow reports from Flaine in France, Via Lattea in Italy and St Anton in Austria, news on the class action lawsuit going on in the States and there’s a Team GB update as well. Host Iain Martin was joined by Victoria Jamieson, the first woman to join the Verbier ski patrol, and Tony McWilliam, the founder of Faction Skis and designer of Candide Thovex’s new line of skis. ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. --------- SHOW NOTESTony McWilliam is the founder of Faction Skis (2:00)Listen to Iain’s interview with Tony about his story Simon Burgess reports from Flaine (5:00) James and Sinead from Sauze Online are in the Via Lattea (7:00) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Travel is in St Anton (8:30) A class action lawsuit has been filed against Vail Resorts and Alterra (11:00) Read the excellent analysis by Stuart Winchester from the Storm Skiing Podcast (11:15) Kirsty Muir, Charlotte Bankes & Zoe Atkin won Crystal Globes in Ski Slopestyle, Snowboard Cross and Ski Halfpipe (12:00) Jim Duncombe lives in La Clusaz and was co-founder of The Ski Podcast (12:30) The new black run is named after home town hero Candide Thovex (16:20)Check out Candide on YouTube… (16:30) Candide has said that La Balme taught him everything and shaped his skiing (16:45) Philippine Bories works for the La Clusaz tourist office (18:00) Listen to Iain’s previous interview with Tony (22:30) Tony first met Candide when he was 16 and signed him to Faction Skis later (23:30) Faction supplied him with 27 sets of skis for his epic ‘Ski The World’  video (25:00)Tony worked with Candide on

We go on a ski touring adventure in Chamonix, staying an unmanned refuge at 3000m, and also take a closer look at some of the most spectacular Alpine refuges in the world. Plus we find out about the ski resort synonymous with Robert Redford – Sundance in Utah.We also learn of a post-Olympic spike in visitors to the UK’s snow centres, plus we have snow reports from Madesimo, Gausta and Les 2 Alpes, plus your feedback.--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. --------- SHOW NOTESKatja Gaskell was last on the show in Episode 242 when she reported on Saint Gervais (1:30) Aaron Rolph is founder of the British Adventure Collective (1:45) Aaron skied on the Dome de Miage (4:00) Claire Harrison reported from Madesimo in Italy (5:30)Mike Richards was in Gausta in Norway (6:45) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (9:00) The new Entry/Exit System EES with the EU will scale up to 100% on 10 April (09:15)Freddy Carrick Smith picked up the silver in the slalom at the Junior World Championships (9:30) Ian Brown, MD of The Snow Centre, reports on a bump in traffic in both Hemel Hempstead & Manchester (10:00)Iain was guided by Brad Carlson on a ski mountaineering 101 trip (14:30)Iain stayed in the Bivouac de l'Envers des Dorées (17:30) Brad was on the podcast in Episode 240 discussing the impact of global warming on the Mer de Glace (18:30) The kit you need for ski mountaineering adventure (20:45) Aaron’s bookis ‘Alpine Refuges: The Architecture and Culture of Mountain Shelters’ (25:45) What is a bothy in Scotland? (26:45) What is an Alpine refuge? (28:30) Choosing the 30 refuges featured in the book (29:20) The Bivacco Gervasutti is one of Aaron’s favourites (31:00) The Hannibal Bivouac (32:00) Aaron has visited around 60 refuges (34:00) Aaron is the founder of the British Adventu

Today we cover three countries: in France, we find out about Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise; we hear about a ski safari across the Dolomites in Italy; and about a ‘ski touring for softies’ adventure in Austria.Iain was joined in the studio by Ireland’s leading ski specialist, Catherine Murphy and freelance journalist, Simon Miller. ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. --------- SHOW NOTESSimon spoke about Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in Episode 291 We featured Deer Valley in the podcast in Episode 272 (2:20) Iain reported on his stay in Brides-les-Bains in Episode 306 (3:30) Betony Garner reported from St Gervais (5:45) Jen Tsang runs the website ThatsLaPlagne.com (7:00) Dave Burrows from SnoPros Ski School was in Lélex Crozet, France (8:50) Floss Cockle from the YouTube channel FreeFloFloss reported from Tignes (11:10) Neil Simpson has picked up Silver in the Men’s VI combined at the Paralympics (13:00) Zak Carrick-Smith made his World Cup debut in the slalom in Kranjska Gora (13:15) Iain visited Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise by train (14:00) Iain is writing an article about backcountry skiing for Fall Line Magazine (14:15) The British chalet company, Premiere Neige is a Sainte Foy specialist (14:40) Fiona Harvey-Jordan is the founder of Premiere Neige (15:00) Iain’s guide in Sainte-Foy was Nicholas Barel (24:00) Rachel Pilkington is the owner of Llama Llama in Sainte Foy (24:20) The backcountry in Sainte-Foy is amazing (27:15) Catherine went on the Specialismo Ski Safari with Inspired Italy (27:45) The route was Ortisei-Val Gardena-Passo San Pellegrino-Civetta-Lagazuoi-Alta Badia-Marmolada-Colfosco-Ortisei (29:00) Italian Rifugio are very different from what some people might think of when they think of refuges (29:45) The

We find out about one of Austria’s most famous ski resorts, Kitzbühel, plus go cat skiing in Georgia and consider if Brides-Les-Bains is the way to ski in Les 3 Vallées without breaking the bank.We also have snow reports from Courchevel, Les 2 Alpes and the Via Lattea and an Olympic catch up with Chemmy Alcott.Iain was joined in the studio by Anna Nirkow from Kitzbühel Tourism and freelance journalist Mike ‘The Snow’ Richards. ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESMike was last on the show in Episode 294, discussing skiing in Pra Loup (1:45) Skiing on Hay Bluff in Wales (4:00) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (5:00) Alex Irwin from YouTube’s ‘150 Days of Winter’ is in Courchevel (5:45) James and Sinead from Sauze Online are in the Via Lattea (7:15) This year was the 86th edition of the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel (9:30) Around 80,000 spectators attend across the three days of racing (10:30) Every year there’s a slalom race as well (12:30) Dave Ryding won in 2022 (13:30) There’s a gondola in Kitzbühel with Ryding’s name on it (14:00) You can visit the ‘starthaus’ at the top of the Streif (15:45) The ski area has 233km across 90 pistes (16:45) Bergbahn Kitzbühel is a regular winner of ‘World’s Best Ski Resort Company’ (17:00) The KitzSkiWelt Tour offers 88km of skiing in the world’s longest ski safari (18:00) Travel by train to Kitzbühel (20:00) Cross country and ski touring options (20:45) Anna’s favourite mountain huts include the Bärenbadalm, Melkalm, Rasmushof, Panorama Alm, Sonnenrast and BichlAlm (22:45) And for apres ski try the Legendencafe and The Londoner (23:15)

In our 10th and final Winter Olympics Special, Emily and Iain celebrate a bronze medal for Zoe Atkin in the Ski Halfpipe, discuss a photo-finish in the Men’s Skier Cross and look at the potential legacy from the Games for British snowsports.We also pick our highlights from the Games, with contributions from Rachael Oakes-Ash, Betony Garner and Zak, Luca and Freddy Carrick Smith. SHOW NOTESZoe Atkin won Bronze in the Women’s Ski Half Pipe (1:00)This is GB  Snowsports best ever return in a Winter Olympics (3:00)Men's Ski Cross (4:15)The photo finish for silver (7:30)Team GB is one only three countries that don't pay for gold medals (9:30) Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood on the legacy for GB snowsports (10:45) The closing ceremony (13:45) Olympic tattoos (15:00) The highlights of the Games… Rachael Oakes-Ash reported from Livigno for Snowsbest.com in Australia (17:00) Betony Garner was working for Team GB (21:00) Zak, Luca and Freddy Carrick-Smith (25:00) Finally, many of the athletes will be going home now as Olympians and will have memories that will last forever. There’s something lese that will last forever – an Olympic rings Tattoo? I think I’m right in saying that you’ve got one Emily – now tell us, is this something they offer in the Olympic village? FeedbackSo if you enjoyed this episode I would love to know. Just leave us a on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can get an additional discount if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied

Iain and Emily discuss the Women’s Ski Cross, Michaela Shiffrin’s dominating performance in the Slalom and a best ever Team GB performance in cross country, plus we look ahead to Zoe Atkin’s chances of a medal in the Ski Half Pipe and reflect just how tough Skimo looks!Iain Martin was joined by Olympian and former Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield. SHOW NOTESEmily commentates for TNT Sport on Skier Cross (0:30)Silver medallist Fanny Smith could have been winning a medal for Team GB (1:00)Ollie Davies is representing Team GB in the Men’s Skier Cross (2:45)Michaela Shiffrin’s margin of 1.5 seconds was the largest in Olympic alpine since 1998 (9:00)She is the winningest World Cup skier of all time with 108 wins (9:15)Andrew Musgrave and James Clugnet finished 5th in the Team Sprint Relay – Britain’s highest ever finish in cross country (10:00)Is Skimo ‘snow’s answer to triathlon’ (12:00)Emily Harrop won silver for France, but is another Brit that got away (13:30)The Men’s Ski Halfpipe features Gus Kenworthy, who qualified for the final in 9th place (14:00)Zoe Atkin goes for a medal in the Women’s Ski Half Pipe on Saturday, having qualified in 1st place (14:15)FeedbackIf you enjoyed this episode I would love to know. Just leave us a on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can get an additional discount if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied

We find out about the ski resorts of Isola 2000 in France - combined with a city break in Nice - and Stöten in Sweden.We also learn about ‘un/para/ld’ - a new project to improve outdoor clothing for disabled people and we hear how the recent SIGB ski test went with our equipment expert, Al Morgan.Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Ben Nyberg, MD at Ski Scandinavia, and Alice Sainsbury, founder of ‘un/para/ld’ ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESBen Nyberg was on the show in Episode 221, discussing skiing in Sweden (1:30) Ben skied in Trysil in Norway (4:30) Tim Hudson from Inspired Italy reports Val Gardena (5:00) Jen Tsang from That’s La Plagne is in La Plagne (6:40) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Ski is in St Anton (8:20) Huw Nightingale, Charlotte Bankes, Chemmy Alcott, Graham Bell, Ed Leigh, Eddie The Eagle have all featured in our Winter Olympic Special Episodes (10:00) Chapeau to Dave Ryding – listen to Iain’s interview with Dave in Episode 199 (10:45) Iain took the night train from Paris to Nice, spent a day in Nice, then went to the ski resort of Isola 2000 (11:45) Incredible views from the train on the Cote d’Azur (12:15) Caterina Prochilo speaks of the long history between Britain and Nice (13:00) After Nice Iain went to Isola 2000 (16:00) Iain was guided by Manon Degli Innocenti to the Tete Merciere (16:30) Ben is MD of Ski Scandinavia (17:00) Norway and Sweden are experiencing a surge in interest from British skiers (18:15) Ben is based in Stoten (19:00) Who’s Stoten suitable for? (21:45) The transfer from the airport is only 25 minutes (22:45) Is Sweden more expensive than the Alps? (24:00) Try ‘fika’… (25:00) Alice Sainsbury is founder of 'un/para/ld' (27:30) "The outdoor clothing industry has failed disabled people. It is time for something new." Iain spoke with Heather Davies from the <a href="https:

In our latest Winter Olympics Special, we discuss Kirsty Muir just missing out on a medal in the Ski Big Air, plus Chemmy Alcott shares her predictions for the Women’s Slalom. We also find out what life is like in an Olympic Village, plus we look at the new sport of SkiMo.Host, Iain Martin, was joined by Olympian and former Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield. SHOW NOTESKirsty Muir finished 4th in the Ski Big Air (1:00)Why Kirsty opted to go big for her final trick (2:00)“The judges have ranges for tricks. She had already nearly maxed out the available score for trick A and while the score for trick B was high, it wasn’t that clean a jump, so had more scope to increase. That trick has scored in the 96/7 range before. Plus on run three she tried to add in a new grab that, had she landed, would have asked serious questions of the judges.” Listen to Iain’s interview with Kirsty Muir (3:30) #pintrading (5:30) Spare a thought for Atle Lie McGrath (8:00) Chemmy Alcott shares her predictions for the Women’s Slalom (8:30) Zoe Atkin is taking place in the Women's ski half pipe (10:30) The SkiMo is a new event, look out for it on Thursday (11:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with British SkiMo athlete Iain Innes (11:45) Listen to Iain’s interview with Andrew Musgrave (12:00) FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode I would love to know. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can get an additional discount if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied

In our latest Winter Olympics Special, we discuss the first ever gold medal for Team GB on snow, after the win in the Team Snowboard Cross, plus we review Dave ‘The Rocket’ Ryding’s final slalom race. Host Iain Martin was joined by Olympian and former Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield. SHOW NOTESCharlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won Gold in the Team Snowboard Cross (2:00)Medals = Funding (5:15)Listen to Iain’s interview with GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling (6:45) Listen to Iain’s interview with GB Snowsport Head Coach Pat Sharples (7:30) Billy Major and Dave Ryding finished 16th and 17th in the Men’s Slalom (8:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with Dave Ryding in Episode 199 (8:30)Kirsty Muir qualified in 4th place for the Women’s Ski Big Air (10:15) Mia Brookes failed to qualify for the Snowboard Slopestyle final (11:00)FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode I would love to know. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected]. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.If you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can get an additional discount if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We preview Dave Ryding’s last Olympics in the Men’s Slalom, including an interview with Laurie Taylor, plus look ahead to the Mixed Snowboard Cross with Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes.Host Iain Martin was joined by ex-Olympian and Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield for our latest Winter Olympics Special Episode. SHOW NOTESWomen’s Snowboard Cross (2:45)The Mixed Snowboard Cross is on Sunday 15 Feb (4:45)Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes spoke with Iain (5:00)Kirsty Muir takes part in the Women's Ski Big Air: qualifiers on Sat, final on Mon (8:30)Mia Brookes is back for the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle: qualifers on Mon, final on Tue (8:45)According to the BBC, a lot of people are finding the drone sound annoying (9:15) Laurie Taylor interview (11:30) Dave Ryding’s chances (15:30) The Ski Podcast sponsors the Carrick Smith brothers Zak & Luca’s Slalom predictions (17:00)FeedbackYou can contact us via Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected]. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com you’ll get an extra discount. Take this link for your discount to be automatically applied]

Today’s episode is a special interview with Tim Wall, owner of Pub Le Ski Lodge in La Tania in France’s Les 3 Vallées ski area. During our conversation Tim shares his experience of running one the most famous bars in Les 3 Vallées for over 30 years. He reveals his favourite apres-ski bands; the annual opportunity to ‘Toss The Boss’; and some of the other businesses that he has run, including La Taiga, Lodge du Village and the Pit Stop. We find out how the La Tania charity day grew from to a massive event, hosted by Radio One’s Jo Whiley and the truth behind Tim’s appearance on ‘Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares’.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESPub Le Ski Lodge opened in December 1993 (2:30) Tim and Debbie previously worked in Val Morel for Neilson (3:30) Skiing in Valmorel (4:30) Building the Ski Lodge (6:30) Live music at the Ski Lodge, inc ‘Shibboleth’ and ‘Wild Turkey’ (10:30) ‘Superfly’…and ‘The Feeling’ (11:30) ‘Bring Your Sisters’ (13:30) ‘Toss the Boss’ (14:30) Tim blowing the horn (14:15) Slebs, including Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex  (17:30) La Tania Charity Day (18:45) The move to Meribel Village (21:00) Toffa from latania.co.uk was on the podcast in Episode 95 (22:30) Snow reports (24:15) “Get yourselves out here!” (24:30) Going to the FIFA World Cup (26:30) The Ski Lodge England flag (26:45) ‘The Pit Stop’ (28:30) Lodge du Village (29:00) La Taiga (31:00) Hotel Montana (34:00) Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares (35:15) Living in south-west France (41:00) Debbie (41:30)FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected]. You can also follow us on WhatsApp.Rob Fogg: “It’s great to hear about the Tirol - we are in the process of planning next year’s trip to either the Arlberg or Zillertal regions by train and all your episodes have been assisting us greatly.” Jack Harvey: “I visited Sauze last March and loved it. You can get a whole margherita cooked to order at Mavie’s in Sansicario for €8 with great views towards the French border. I’d avoid the

We discuss Mia Brookes ballsy attempt at winning a medal in the Snowboard Big Air, whether Lindsey Vonn is in denial and look at Charlotte Bankes’ chances of winning a medal in the Snowboard Cross. Host Iain Martin was joined by ex-Olympian and Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield for our latest Winter Olympics Special Episode. SHOW NOTESIain skied today in Isola 2000 (1:00)Mia Brookes finished in 4th in the Snowboard Big Air, attempting a backside 1620 (2:15)Listen to Iain’s interview with Ed Leigh in #296 to understand the language behind freestyle tricks (2:20)Mia Brookes: “It’s not like it’s a trick that I could do. I’ve only ever done it on the airbag and the last time I tried it was five months ago. So that was the first time I’ve ever tried it on snow. I think everyone will be just as stoked about me trying a 16 than me getting a medal.” Lindsey Vonn has a complex tibia fracture requiring multiple surgeries (4:00)“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever” (4:00)Makayla Guerke Schofield finished in 18th in the Women’s Moguls qualification (6:15)Watch the TNT documentary ‘She Who Dares’ (6:45)Charlotte Bankes competes in the Women’s Snowboard Cross on Friday (8:30)Interview with Charlotte Bankes (10:00) FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode – or even if you didn’t like it – I would love to know. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] If you’d like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do:     -          you can follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode  -          And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can get an additional discount if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied

Today Iain and Emily review Men & Women’s Downhill, plus Kirsty Muir’s 4th place in the Ski Slopestyle. We have contributions from Chemmy Alcott and Ed Leigh. SHOW NOTESLindsey Vonn broke her leg in the Women’s Downhill (1:00)Graham Bell’s predictions in Episode 293 were spot on (4:00)BBC’s Chemmy Alcott analyses the Men’s Downhill (4:40)Iain has been enjoying the split screen feature from Discovery+ (7:15)Kirsty Muir finished 4th in the Women’s Ski Slopestyle Ed Leigh on the Women’s Snowboard Big Air (11:30)Listen to Ed Leigh in Episode 296Chemmy Alcott on the Opening Ceremony (18:30)Snoop Dogg at the curling If you enjoyed this episode and you want to help the podcast, don’t forget that if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com you’ll save yourself some money. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

BBC’s Ed Leigh explains the terms used to describe freestyle tricks, as well as how the judges come up with their scores, in the third of our Winter Olympics special episodes.With Kirsty Muir competing in the final of the Women’s Ski Slopestyle tomorrow (Mon 09 Feb) and Mia Brookes taking part in the Women’s Snowboard Big Air qualifying today (Sun 08 Feb) and, hopefully, the final tomorrow, there’s no better time to get up to date with all the key terms.SHOW NOTESDirection of spin (1:30)Axis of Rotation (2:15)Number of rotations (3:00)Type of grab (5:00)The scoring system in slopestyle (8:45)PAVED = Progression, Amplitude, Variety, Execution, Difficulty (9:15) Listen to our previous Winter Olympic special episodes, including our downhill preview with Graham Bell and exclusive interview with Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards. If you enjoyed this episode and want to help the podcast, don’t forget that if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com you’ll save yourself some money. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

Host Iain Martin is joined by Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards – who at the 1988 Calgary Games became famous across the world for having the courage and determination to take on the challenge of Olympic ski jumping.His story was made into a movie in 2015, starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Edgerton. Eddie tells us about flying to movie premieres in private jets, how he’s disappointed that Team GB seem to disown him and the parallels he sees in the determination to compete shown by Lindsey Vonn. SHOW NOTESListen to Iain’s previous interview with Eddie from 2019 (1:00) Eddie has watched the ‘Eddie The Eagle’ movie over 150 times (1:30) Taron Edgerton nailed Eddie’s mannerisms and voice (2:15) Hugh Jackman asking for a selfie with Eddie (3:30) Memories of the Opening Ceremony at Calgary in 1988 (5:30) Readly - the digital magazine and newspaper app – has launched a retro Winter Olympics Games series (8:00) Readly’s survey placed Eddie 3rd behind the Jamaican bobsleigh team Torville and Dean in 1984 in a list of most memorable winter Olympic moments (8:30) GB Snowsports CEO Vicky Gosling said ‘The Eddie the Eagle days are over’ (10:00) Can British athletes draw lessons from Eddie’s experience? (10:30) Eddie on Lindsey Vonn (13:00)If you enjoyed this episode and you want to help the podcast, don’t forget that if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com you’ll save yourself some money.  Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We find out about Sauze d’Oulx and the Via Lattea ski area in Italy, as well as the resort of Pra Loup in the southern French Alps.We also get excited about the Olympics, hearing Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards’ thoughts on Lindsey Vonn – and go ‘Down Under’ to look at Australia chances of bringing home a record medal haul. Plus we have your feedback and our regular snow reports from around the mountains.Iain was joined in the studio by James and Sinead  from SauzeOnline and by Mike ‘The Snow’ Richards.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTES Mike was in Crans Montana for the World Cup racing (3:45) Lindsey Vonn crashed in the Downhill and ruptured her ACL (5:00)Claire Harrison reports from the Aosta Valley (6:30) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (7:45) Jim Duncombe is in La Clusaz (8:30) Betony Garner reported from Livigno, where she is working for Team GB (10:20) The first of our Special Olympics episodes was released on Wednesday (11:00) Former Team GB Skier X athlete Emily Sarsfield will be joining Iain for those episodes (11:30) Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards on Lindsey Vonn (13:00) Rachael Oakes-Ash is THE expert on skiing in Australia and New Zealand and is Livigno reporting for snowsbest.com (14:45) Australian team chances (15:00) Watch ‘Pipe Dream’ – Scotty James’ story (17:30) Indra Brown (19:15) James and Sinead run SauzeOnline (24:00) Visit the official ‘Via Lattea’ website (25:30) The ski area has 400km of pistes (26:30) Sauze d’Oulx used to have a reputation as a party destination (29:00) A UK company now owns lift systems in the Vialattea and Bardonecchia (27:15) Who is the area suitable for? (30:30) Gastronomy in Via Lattea…and low prices! (32:00) Mike visited Pra Loup in December 2025 (34:00)  The Pra Loup ski area has 180km of pistes (37:30) Ski touring tracks in Pra Loup (38:00) The Mercantour National Park (41:30) Pra Loup is a ‘dark sky reserve’ (42:00) Wolves are in the logo and <a href="https://www.

In the first of our special Winter Olympics episodes covering Milan-Cortina 2026, we preview this weekend’s big events - the men and women’s downhill - and look ahead to the Women's Ski Slopestyle. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by special guest Emily Sarsfield and down the line by BBC commentator Graham Bell and Ski Sunday's Ed Leigh.SHOW NOTESEmily Sarsfield first appeared on the podcast in Episode 3 (0:45)She represented Team GB in Skier X including at Pyeongchang 2018 (2:00)The opening ceremony takes place at the San Siro in Milan on Friday (4:00)Team GB’s flag bearers are Brad Hall and Lilah Fear (5:00)Download the ski/snowboard schedule - all the dates and timings for the skiing and snowboarding events (5:20) Graham Bell shares his predictions for the Men and Women’s Downhill (6:45) Lindsey Vonn has stated that she has an ACL injury, but will still compete (12:30)The Women's Freeski Slopestyle qualifications are on Saturday, with the final on Monday Ed Leigh shared his thoughts on Kirsty Muir’s chances (14:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with Kirsty Muir in Episode 171 (14:30) If you enjoyed this episode and you want to help the podcast, don’t forget that if you use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com you’ll save yourself some money. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically appliedCover Photo (c) Milano-Cortina 2026

Today we find out about La Tzoumaz in Switzerland and Jasna in Slovakia, plus we preview the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics including interviews with Vicky Gosling, CEO of GB Snowsports and Zak, Luca and Freddy Carrick Smith. We also have our regular snow reports and share our downloadable schedule for all the skiing and snowboarding events at Milan-Cortina.Iain was joined in the studio by Irish ski journalist, Catherine Murphy and Slovakia resident, Richard Patey.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESDave Burrows from Snowpros Ski School reported from Morgins (3:45) James Cove from planetski.eu reports from Revelstoke and Kicking Horse in Canada (5:00) Guy Beatson has been in Furano in Japan (6:00) The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics start on 06 February (7:30) Download the skiing and snowboarding schedule (8:00) Team GB athletes picked up a stunning five medals at the X Games in Aspen (8:45) Listen to Iain’s interview with Kirsty Muir (9:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with Zoe Atkin (9:15) Mia Brookes spoke to Iain in Episode 188 (9:15) Vicky Gosling is CEO of GB Snowsport (9:30) Watch the documentary ‘She Who Dares’ on Discovery+ (16:00) Watch the Carrick-Smith documentary ‘Beyond the Gate’ on Amazon Prime or YouTube (20:30) Catherine shared her knowledge of Innsbruck in Episode 257 (21:00) Find out more about La Tzoumaz in Switzerland (21:15) The name comes from Valaisan dialect (21:45) How to get there (22:15) Catherine stayed at the Hotel Papillon (27:45)We featured Slovakia on the podcast once before, back in <a href="https://theskipodcast.com/sustainability/243-going-east-slovakia-bulgaria-r

In this episode, we learn more about the resorts of Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in the Tirol region of Austria, how Swedish clothing brand, Peak Performance, design their garments and check in on the new Chenus lift in Courchevel. Host Iain Martin was joined by freelance journalist, Simon Miller and Ski Designer at Peak Performance, Marie Andersson ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESSimon has been skiing across Les 3 Vallees (2:45)Iain reported from Val Garden in Episode 242 (3:45) Marie will be skiing in Are, Sweden (4:45) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Travel is in St Anton (6:15) James from Sauze Online was in Bardoneccia (7:50) Chris from Freeride Republic is in Meribel (9:30) Why we are renumbering the podcasts (11:00) The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics start on 04 February (12:00) The Winter XGames take place in Aspen this weekend (12:30) Simlon was in Serfaus, staying at the Hotel Cervosa (13:15) Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is known as a family friendly resort (15:00) ‘We are Family’ (15:10) Find out about the Serfaus subway (17:00) Safe skiing and slow skiing was discussed in Episode 270 (18:45) Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is actually three separate villages The ski area has 214km of pistes and 69 lifts (20:00) Simon enjoyed the spectacular night show (22:30) Simon also tried the toboggan runs (23:30) Try the Schalber Alm for Kaiserscharnn (24:30) Simon also recommends the SkiHütte Masner (25:00) How to get there (25:45) The Apres-Ski in Serfaus is also excellen

We find all about the Zillertal region in the Austrian Tirol, as well as the new expansion in Deer Valley, Utah. We also hear how Val d’Isere are helping skiers to feel safer, and have snow reports from Japan, La Plagne and…Wales!Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Katie Seiringer, owner of Kate Seiringer International Language Service in Mayrhofen and Emily Summers from Deer Valley Ski Resort.--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.--------- SHOW NOTESRobin Shah reported from Japan (5:15)Robin is staying at Yukiumi House Jen Tsang runs the website That’sLaPlagne (7:00) Mike Richards is the UK’s Wales ski expert (9:15) It is now three weeks until the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics start (12:45) Listen to Iain’s interview with Kirsty Muir (13:00) Kirsty won her second event of the season at the Slopestyle in Aspen https://x.com/skipedia/status/2009716157398548971 Zoe Atkin came second in the ski halfpipe, also in Aspen (13:30) Listen to Iain’s interview with Zoe in Episode 238 (13:45) Visit the official Zillertal website (14:30) The Zillertal ski area consists of Fügen-Kaltenbach, Zell-Gerlos, Mayrhofen-Hippach and Tux-Finkenberg (18:30) All 548km of pists and 180 lifts are covered on the Zillertal Superskipass (19:00) The Hintertux glacier is open from October to early summer (19:45) For non-skiers there are 460km of winter hiking trails, 113km cross-country trails and 48 km toboggan runs (21:15) Find out more about ‘<a href="https://www.zillertal.at/en/information/holiday-i

Today is a special interview with Kirsty Muir – the World Cup winning British slopestyle and Big Air freestyle skier.Host Iain Martin spoke with Kirsty about her comeback from ACL and shoulder surgery to her first World Cup win last winter. We also discuss her journey from a dry ski slope in Aberdeen to becoming Britain’s youngest competitor at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 and look forward to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. This episode is the latest in a series of interviews with high-achieving women in the world of snowsports. Previous episodes in this series have included interviews with Vicky Gosling, CEO of GB Snowsport, BBC Ski Sunday’s Chemmy Alcott, Kit DesLauriers – first person to ski the Seven Summits - as well as fellow Team GB freestyle skier Zoe Atkin.SHOW NOTESListen to Iain’s previous interview with Kirsty in Episode 174 (2:00) Kirsty was on the show in Episode 242 after her slopestyle win in Tignes (2:30) Kirsty tore her ACL in Dec 2023 at the Big Air at Copper Mountain (3:15) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9yJucQDxfUQ Coming back from injury (5:45) Using the Red Bull recovery centres (8:15) The psychological side of recovery (10:30) Training again after coming back from injury (12:30) Kirsty was Britain's youngest competitor at Beijing Olympics  at just 17 (14:30) Starting skiing at Aberdeen Snowsports Centre (14:45) Discovering freestyle skiing (15:30) Being mentor to Sandra Caune – winner of the Big Air at THE European Youth Olympics (16:45) Competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics (18:00) Taking part at Milano-Cortina (19:15) The coaching team (20:15) Learning new tricks (22:15) Training in the gym (23:30) Listen to Iain’s <a href="https://theskipodcast.com/winter-olympics/258-reece-bell-team-gb-slalom-skier-

Today we find out more about the Arlberg ski area in Tirol, Austria – focussing on St Anton and Lech – plus we look at the rise of the ‘Slow Skiing’ movement. Austria for sponsoring The Ski Podcast and making this winter’s episodes possible.  If this is your first time listening, you’ve already missed out on some great conversations about Tirol. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Nicole Feliciano, founder of Ski Moms.--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. --------- SHOW NOTESNicole skied at Catamount in New England (2:00) Tim Hudson from Inspired Italy reported from the Dolomites, Italy (5:15) Jen Tsang from That’s La Plagne reported from La Plagne (6:45) Floss Cockle, aka FreeFloFloss on YouTube, reported from Tignes (8:30) Next week’s episode will be an interview with GB freestyle skier Kirsty Muir (10:15) Iain revealed in Episode 269 that he broke his scapula while skiing in St Anton (10:45) Find out more about the museum in St Anton (11:45) Yannick Rumler works for the St Anton Tourist Office Hannes Schneider founded the first ski school in the world (14:30) Find out about St Anton’s annual race ‘The Weisse Rausche’ (16:15) Gerhard Eichhorn is Sustainability Officer at the St. Anton Tourism Board (17:30) Iain travelled to St Anton by train (18:30) Lech is actually in the Vorarlberg region of Austria, but both resorts are part of the huge Arlberg ski area (21:30) Iain stayed in the family run Hotel Stafeli (22:15) The Stafeli is part of the ChangeMaker network of hotels Julia Fenneberg is from the Lech-Zurs tourist office (23:00) The annual ‘White Ring’ race (24:30) Discover the amazing <a href="https://www.lechzuers.com/en/culture-and-lifes

Today is a special episode covering the latest snow conditions in Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland and in Canada, plus we reveal the results and the lucky winner from our 2025 Listener Survey.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. ---------SHOW NOTESView results of our 2025 Listener Survey (1:00) James Fletcher was the winner of the prize draw (1:45) Zoe Atkin won the half pipe at Copper Mountain in the States (2:00)Jasmin Taylor took her first telemark win of the season in Pinzolo Lindsey Vonn became the oldest skier – at 41 years old - to win a World Cup race, in the Downhill in St Moritz (2:!5) I have picked up my own injury (2:30) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Travel is in St Anton (3:50) Listen to Iain’s interview with James Cove in Episode 261 (5:40) James Cove from planetski.eu is spending this winter in Canada  (5:50) James & Sinead from Sauze Online are in Via Lattea (8:!5) Tim Hudson from Inspired Italy is in the Dolomites (9:20) James Webb was in Selva Val Gardena (11:15) Dave Burrows from SnoPros Ski School was in Les Crosets (13:20) Al Judge from Alikats chalet company is in Morzine (14:40) Jim Duncombe is in La Clusaz (15:45) Betony Garner reported from St Gervais (17:20) Jen Tsang from That’s La Plagne is in La Plagne (19:10) Alex Irwin from the YouTube channel ‘150 Days of Winter’ is in Courchevel (20:40) Nicholas from Freeride Republic is in Meribel (21:20) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching reports from Les 2 Alpes (23:00) Mike Richards was out in Pra Loup (23:30) FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode – or even if you didn’t like it – I would love to know. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to

This is a special interview with Kit DesLauriers – the person to ski the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the planet’s seven continents.I read Kit’s book ‘Higher Love’ in the summer of 2025 and was blown away by her bravery, courage, determination and, quite frankly, by her incredible organisation.During our conversation Kit covers her background in skiing as a former Freeride World Tour champion, as well as explaining the logistical, physical and physiological challenges she faced while tackling the Seven Summits.This episode is the latest in a series of interviews with high-achieving women in the world of snowsports. Previous episodes in this series have included interviews with Vicky Gosling, CEO of GB Snowsport, BBC Ski Sunday’s Chemmy Alcott and founder of YSE Ski Fiona Easdale, as well as the Team GB freestyle skiers Zoe Atkin and Kirsty Muir.SHOW NOTESRead Kit’s book: ‘Higher Love: Climbing and Skiing the Seven Summits’ Kit learned cross country skiing first (7:00) Skiing in Verbier (9:00) Chamonix and Alagna (13:00) Kit worked on the ski patrol at Telluride (14:00) Moving to Jackson Hole (16:15) Joining the World Freeski Tour (17:30) Being sponsored by The North Face (19:00) Dick Bass gifting his book (21:00) Mt Elbrus (27:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Dan Egan (28:00) Vinson Massif, Antarctica (29:00) Using neoprene over boots (30:00) Aconcagua (31:00) Mount Kilimanjaro (35:00) Was Everest always going to be last? (38:00) ‘Complete autonomy’ contract with Dave Hahn (40:30) Buddhist blessings (44:00) A call from Megan Carney (47:30) Jimmy Chin (52:00) Skiing from the summit of Everest (53:00) Skiing the Lhotse Face (54:00) Becoming a parent (58:00) The Brooks Range of Alaska (59:00)FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Take part in our

In this episode, we find out more about Livigno, the host resort for the freestyle events for the 2026 Winter Olympics, plus we make our recommendations for the best ski gloves and ski socks for this winter. We also have snow reports from across the Alps plus the early results from our 2025 Listener Survey.Iain was joined in the studio by Betony Garner and Al Morgan. --------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. ---------SHOW NOTESBetony was last on the show in Episode 256 discussing ski touring in Tromso (1:00) Listen to our episodes on the Best Skis, Ski Boots, Helmets and Goggles for this winter (2:00) Dave Burrows from Snowpros Ski School reported from Pila, Italy (5:15) Alex Armand from Tip Top Snow Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes, France (6:20) James and Sinead Hanson from Sauzeonline are in the Via Lattea / Milky Way ski region in Italy (6:50) Complete our 2025 Listener Survey and you could win £400 of prizes (8:00) ‘The Secret Ski Seasonaire’ is a good stocking filler for anyone who worked in Chamonix, Tignes or Alpe d’Huez in the 2000s (9:00) Mia Brookes took first place in the Snowboard Big Air in China (9:15)Txema Mazet-Brown was 7th in the men’s Snowboard Big Air - a career best (9:30) Betony will be working for Team GB in Livigno during the Winter Olympics (10:15) Find out more about which events are taking place in which resort (11:45) Find out about Livigno (14:00) Aquagrande leisure centre in Livigno (14:45) Team GB best chance of medals (16:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with Vicky Gosling (18:00) What to look for when b

Today we learn about the Ski Juwel region of the Austrian Tirol, plus we find out about skiing in Gulmarg in the Indian Himalayas.We also have snow reports from Verbier, Zermatt, Megeve and Ischgl, plus we reveal news of a new competition, exclusively for listeners to The Ski Podcast, in which you can win goodies worth over £400. Iain was joined by Joey Pearson from Alpback and Krishan Anand from Secret Ski Party in Jammu, India.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. ---------COMPLETE OUR 2025 LISTENER SURVEY You could win over £400 or prizes including a full Terrawest backcountry pack with shovel and probe, Vallon Eyewear sunnies, as well as goodies from Les Arcs, Ikon Pass and more.  It only takes a minute or two to complete, so just take this link now ---------SHOW NOTESBetony Garner reported from Megeve (5:00)Robin Shah was in Verbier: check his Instagram here (6:00) Marco Ladner reported from the opening weekend in Ischgl (8:30) Find out more about Ischgl in Episode 263 of The Ski Podcast Complete the 2025 Listener Survey (9:30) Kirsty Muir won the first Ski Big Air of the season in China (10:00) Listen out for Iain’s interview with Kirsty going live next month (10:30) The full name of Ski Juwel is ‘Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau’ (12:00) Joey Pearson is Secretary of the Alpbach Visitors Ski Club (14:00) ‘Ski Juwel’ was created in 2012 when the gondola linking Alpbach to Wildschonau opened (16:00) The ski area includes 114km of pistes (16:30) How to get to Ski Juwel (17:15) Check the Ski Juwel piste map (18:30) Alpbach: Austria’s most beautiful village (19:00) Try <a href="https://www.skijuw

Today we find out about Carv - ‘the wearable ski coach’ - and learn about one of the world’s great ski resorts: Whistler Blackcomb in Canada. We also have snow reports from Tignes, Val Thorens and Cervinia.Iain was joined in the studio by Alex Jackson from Carv and Lauren Everest from Tourism Whistler, and down the line by Floss Cockle, Alex Irwin and Alex Armand.Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast. We’ve already covered Innsbruck, Ischgl, Tirol West, St Johann in Tirol and the SkiWelt area this winter, with more to come. Catch up now to learn about the different areas and the ‘‘Lebensgefühl’ – that Austrian way of life that connects them all together.  SHOW NOTESFloss Cockle from FreeFlo Ski Coaching reported from Tignes (3:45) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter skied in Val Thorens (5:30) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching was in Cervinia in the Aosta Valley, Italy Listen to interviews recorded at The London Snow Show (8:30) What is the Carv? (10:00) How does Carv work? (11:30) Listen to Iain’s interview with Carv co-founder Jamie Grant (12:30) The Carv dataset covers over a billion turns (14:00) How your Ski:IQ is calculated (14:30) The gamification aspects (19:30) New developments for this year: Ski:IQ™ Wasatch (21:30) Carv costs £199 for an annual subscription, or £99 for a single week (26:00) Where is Whistler? (28:00) Whistler is biggest ski resort in North America with 8171 skiable acres? (28:30) There are 200+ runs in Whistler Blackcomb (29:20) Whistler is celebrating its 60th anniversary (30:00) Hosting the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (32:00) Find out about the Peak to Valley Race (33:45) Can you tell us about the ‘Seven Wonder Routes’ (34:30) Whistler is owned by Vail Resorts and included in the Epic Pass (35:00) Buy your Epic Pass before the deadline (36:00) Try the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) for an apres ski drink (38:00)FeedbackIf you’ve enjoyed this episode – or even if you didn’t like it – I would love to know. You can le

Today we find out about the Tirol West region in Austria, plus we look at the best new ski helmets and goggles this winter.We also have an update from the Sheffield Ski Festival, news from Madonna di Campiglio and we hear about a best-ever British performance in the World Cup slalom in Levi. Host Iain Martin was joined by Simone Zangerl from Tirol West Tourism and ski equipment expert Al Morgan. ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there. ---------SHOW NOTESDave Ryding finished 7th in the slalom at the World Cup in Levi, Finland (4:30)Laurie Taylor recorded the fastest second run to finish in 4th place, just 4/100th of a second off the podium (5:00)Iain spoke with Andrea Busignani about the plan to cap skier numbers in Madonna di Campiglio (6:20) Sam Croft is from the Revive Sheffield Ski Village campaign (9:00) The Sheffield Ski Festival took place on 14-15 November Visit the Tirol West website (10:00) You can travel by train via Zurich to Landeck (10:45) How to travel to Tirol West (11:00) Tirol West includes the towns and villages of Landeck, Zams, Fliess, Tobadill, Grins and Stanz (11:30) Venet is the Tirol West ‘house’ resort (12:15) Tirol West is great for ski touring (13:00) You can book a €10 for a return bus transfer to any of St Anton, Lech/Zurs, Ischgl, Serfaus Fiss Ladis and the Kaunertaler Glacier (14:00) There are plenty of walking trails and snow shoeing (16:30) Try ice bathing at Tramser Weiher (17:00) You can enjoy a lot of free activities with the free TirolWest card (17:45) Simone recommends a Tyrolean Groestl (21:00) You can also try the Tiroler Edle local chocolate (21:30) Ski Helmets: ‘Fit is Key’ (23:00

Today we find out about Ischgl in Tirol, plus we learning about the new ‘Clean Miles’ campaign from Protect Our Winters.Host Iain Martin was joined by Cat Ainsworth, CEO at Protect Our Winters UK, and three-time Winter Olympian and Ischgl resident, Marco Ladner. ---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we’re are finding out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the Austrian way of life: ‘Lebensgefühl’ – that you’ll find there.---------SHOW NOTESCat skied in Valle Nevado in Chile and Ushuaia in Patagonia (1:30)Marco had an early opportunity to ski in Ischgl (2:30) Val Thorens will open on 22 Nov, followed by Les 2 Alpes, Val d’Isere, Zermatt and Ischgl the following weekend (4:00)Luca Carrick-Smith will make his World Cup debut at Levi in Finland (4:15) https://x.com/skipedia/status/1987897332348957133 Marco took part in the half-pipe at Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 (5:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Zoe Atkin (8:00) Ischgl is located in the west of Tirol (8:30) You can travel by train from Zurich to Landeck (9:00) Ischgl is located at 1400m going up to 2800m (09:30) Ischgl opens and closes each winter with a MASSIVE concert (10:00) Take a look at acts who’ve played at the Top of the Mountain concerts previously (11:30) Rita Ora is playing the opening of Ischgl this year (12:30) The ski area (13:15) Who does Ischgl suit? (13:45) This winter there are three new lifts (14:45) What’s it like for families? (15:30) Find out about Lego winter fun (16:00) Marco recommends a classic ‘Kaiserschmarrn’ (18:00) Ischgl is very famous for after ski (18:30) <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://74n5c4m7.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%252F%252Fwww.silvrettatherme.at%252Fen/1/010201992932f9b8-dc907f55-09d2-4cec-b595-49a452bbbb6b-000000/deJ91nagTHoZwFYLt-B8yN

Today we find out about SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental in Tirol, plus we look at a new women only ski touring to IcelandWe also have snow reports from the opening day of the season in Verbier and Sunshine Valley – the first ski resort to open in Canada.--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with ‘Lebensgefühl’ - the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ you can find there. ---------SHOW NOTESNickie Mabey is founder of Mabey Ski (1:45)Rob Rees reported on Slovenia in Episode 207 (3:00)Listen to Episode 186 for tips on autumn skiing in Austria (5:45) Robin Shah reported from Verbier (6:00) Check out Xavier De La Rue’s Insta from opening weekend (7:45) Kendra Scurfield reported from Sunshine Valley in Canada (8:20) In Episode 219, Laax was strongly linked as possible acquisition by Vail Resorts (11:00) Laax has now bought its own lifts as defensive measure (11:15) Where is SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental (12:15) How to get to SkiWelt (12:30) It’s easy to travel to by train – there is a Nightjet package (13:00) There are 275km pistes and over 80 lifts (14:00) Ski resorts in the SkiWelt include Brixen im Thale, Ellmau, Going, Hopfgarten, Itter, Scheffau, Söll and Westendorf The SkiWelt region was created in 1977 (14:45) You can ski the SkiWelt Tour circuit (15:45) Children up to the age of 15 get free lift tickets in low season (16:45) Another great idea is the Young Family Ski Pass SkiWelt uses 100% green electricity from hydro power (17:45) There are over 80 mountain huts in the SkiWelt (18:30) Austria's highest revolving restaurant is at the Hohe Salve (19:00) In Episode 256 Betony Garner told us about her all female ski touring trip to Tromso (22:00) Nickie’s connection to skiing goes back to 1912 (22:30) She founded Mabey Ski in 2017 (25:00) Maybe Ski is putting on a women’s only <a href=

A special interview with ski journalist, James Cove, founder of planetski.eu. We discuss his background working for the BBC, first in local radio, then political news, before he helped to develop their first digital coverage. James has also worked at the Ski Club of Great Britain, is a qualified instructor and has skied in literally hundreds of resorts around the world.--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there.---------SHOW NOTESFind out about skiing in Greece in Episode 101 (3:00) James was  a researcher at Madame Tussauds (4:00) He worked at BBC Radio Sussex in Brighton in the 1980s (4:40) James worked on three General Elections (9:00) He was based in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics (11:00) Alain Baxter won (and lost) Team GB’s first ever medal on snow (13:00) James first skied in Gargellen in Austria (17:15) He has skied in over 400 different resorts (18:45) James’ final years at BBC overlapped with the Ski Club of Great Britain (21:30) ‘Stocking filler’ films (22:30) Working on the new BBC website (23:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with ski journalist Arnie Wilson (23:30) James used to be a Ski Club Rep (24:00) Planetski.eu started in 2008 (28:00) Impact of climate change (35:00) The impact of collective passes, like Epic, Ikon and Magic (37:00) Spending ‘seasons’ in the Alps (39:00) Six weeks in Japan (41:00) James is spending 2026 winter in Canada (44:30)You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.If you’d like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: -          you can follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode-          you can give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify-          And, if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you save money on your ski hire with an additional discount by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

Today is a Snow Show special, recorded live at the London Snow Show at Kensington Olympia. Interviews include the UK’s no.1 racer Dave Ryding, BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott, GB Snowsport Head Coach, Pat Sharples. You’ll hear from the Carrick-Smith brothers, BBC commentator Tim Warwood, Snowcamp, Carv and plenty of other exhibitors from the show.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there. ---------SHOW NOTESIn Episode 248, we looked at plans to redevelop the closed Sheffield Ski Village (1:45) Revive Rewild are bringing skiing back to Sheffield in November (2:00) Dave Ryding is entering his final season as a professional ski racer (4:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with ski racer Reece Bell (5:00) BBC Ski Sunday’s Chemmy Alcott was enthusiastic about the show (6:30) Freddy Carrick-Smith will make his World Cup debut this weekend in Solden (9:15) Chemmy interviewed Zac, Freddy and Luca Carrick Smith on the Sunday (10:00) The Ski Podcast is supporting the Carrick-Smith brothers in their journey Pat Sharples is Head Coach for GB Snowsports (12:15) Listen to Iain’s interview with Pat about his career (14:00) The BBC’s Tim Warwood will be commentating on the freestyle events from Livigno (14:20) Listen to Iain’s interview with Tim about his journey from Tamworth to the Olympics (16:30) Listen to our ‘Best Ski Boots of 2026’ episode (16:45) Tord Nilson told us about the Stance Socks range (18:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Carv founder Jamie Grant (21:00) Iain spoke with Carv co-founder and VP of marketing, Alex Jackson (21:15) Check out the Carv highlights reel filmed in Chile (22:30) Dan Keeley told is about the new Snowcamp Futures project (24:00) Ian Brown is MD at The Snow Centre (25:30) Frazer Shand from <a href="https://profeet.c

Today we find out about the ski resort of St Johann in Tirol, plus we celebrate all things après ski, with a look at the fashions and styles of après over the years, some of the best spots to visit and even how to make your own après cocktails. We also have updates from Freddy, Zac and Luca Carrick-Smith – the GB Snowsport skiers that we sponsor – a report from the Icebreaker City Skim and your feedback.Iain was joined by Erin Isakov, founder of the clothing brand Erin Snow and author of the new book ‘Après Ski: The Scene, the Style, the Menu’, and St Johann in Tirol local, Fritz Minhard, owner of the tour operator Active World Holidays,--------- Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there. --------- SHOW NOTESDeer Valley is going through a terrain expansion (2:45)Fritz skied on the glacier in Hintertux (4:00)Solden will host the the first World Cup races of the season (4:30)Freddy Carrick-Smith will become the youngest male GB skier to race in the World Cup for 40 years (4:45)Zak Carrick-Smith is training in Solden (6:00)Luca Carrick-Smith is training in Pitztal (6:45)Find out more about the London Snow Show (7:30)Get free tickets to the London Snow Show (8:20) Amelie from Jibworx was on the podcast in Episode 245 (8:45)Find out about the Icebreaker City Skim in London (9:00)Fritz Minhard has lived in St Johann in Tirol all his life (11:45) Travel to St Johann in Tirol is easy, either by plane or by train (12:45) "Best Tourism Village - only location in Austria to receive an award from UN Tourism (14:30) My Yapadu means “happiness on your holiday” (15:00) St Johann in Tirol is great for families (16:30) There are 18 mountain huts (17:00) Dumplings are a speciality (17:45) Try the ‘Kaiserschmarrn’ (18:15) There are 3 free beginners ski areas (19:30) There are 170km of cross-country trails (20:15) The Dynafit Ski Touring Park is also open on some evenings

We review the Best Ski Boots for the new 2026 winter season, covering the best piste, all mountain and freeride ski boots.  Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan and Frazer Shand, Operations Manager at Profeet.This special episode has been made possible by the Profeet Ski Boot Lab, based in south-west London. Profeet offer expert ski boot fitting, custom insoles and ski boot modifications.SHOW NOTESWatch our ‘Best Skis of 2026’ videoSki Boot definitions and terms… Shell (4:00) Last (4:30) Mondopoint (5:45) Flex (7:15) Liner (8:45) BOA (10:15) Powerstrap (12:30) Walk mode and Grip Walk (13:30)Sustainability (16:30)Function, Fit and Footbeds (18:15)Find out about the fitting process at the Profeet Ski Boot Lab (18:45)  Profeet start with a biomechanical analysis and foot scan (19:45)Custom insoles (23:00)Customisation (24:00)Visiting the Dalbello factory (34:00)Get your free tickets to the London Snow Show (55:45)Profeet will be exhibiting at the London Snow Show (56:30)THE BEST SKI BOOTS OF 2026 Piste and All-Mountain Ski BootsK2 Cortex Zonal 120 BOA(26:30)£625SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 28.5VOLUME: LowLAST (mm): 96 – 98             WEIGHT (per boot): 2,179g (26.5MP)These are incredible boots, delivering a ton of support and superb hold, in a flex that will work far better for most skiers. K2 has offered single BOA on higher-volume boots previously, but the Cortex is the slimmest profile they’ve integrated this into, and this time you get the benefit of the dial and cable system on the shell and cuff, on the Zonal models.  Non-Zonal Cortex models have BOA only over the foot. The softer material over the instep makes it a tad easier to get into the boot, and aids shell wrapping, when you dial in the snugness. The heel has a slimmer internal profile than their other boots, and the lace-up liner adds to the excellent hold you get.  You also get a cam power strap, which is not that common on 120 flex boots, and I much prefer this strap to a Velcro option. There are two bolts on the spine, and you can remove the top one if you want a more forgiving flex profile. They offer the Cortex range right up to the £725, all-singing, all-dancing 140 flex model, which is the only one with pin inserts in the toe.Dalbello Veloce Space 120 Dual<

Today we meet Reece Bell - one of the rising talents in British alpine ski racing - plus we find out about Armana, a new company that see a future where ski lifts are autonomous vehicles and have no cables. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Reece Bell and Dennis Hettema, and down the line by Rachael Oakes-Ash in Australia and Guy Beatson in New Zealand.---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there. ---------SHOW NOTESMiss SnowItAll, Rachael Oakes-Ash runs the Snowsbest.com website (5:30)Guy Beatson, who finished off his season with a week at Whakapapa in NZ (6:30) Listen to our ‘Best Skis of 2026’ episode (7:30) You can also watch this episode on YouTube (7:45) The London Snow Show is at Olympia on 18-19 October (8:00) See the full agenda for the show here Use the code ‘TSPSSLMTN25’ for free tickets to the London Snow Show (8:30) Martin Bell recorded the best ever GB Olympic alpine ski result (8th at Calgary 88)(8:45) Ski Sunday’s Graham Bell took part in 5 Winter Olympics (9:00) Reece finished 20th at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach (10:00) Find out about Big Sky resort (11:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Zoe Atkin (12:00) Dealing with ACL injuries (12:30) Cardio and Conditioning training (14:00) Coaches (15:30) Reece is sponsored by APEX 2100 in Tignes (16:00) Dave Ryding acts as a mentor to Reece (17:00) How to break through into the top 30 (19:00)Take a look at this photo of the proposed Armana prototype (22:30) Find out more about Armana The Armana timeline (23:30) Robert Redford s

We review the Best Skis for the new 2026 winter season, covering the best piste skis, best all mountain skis and freeride skis. Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan. Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we'll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there. SHOW NOTESIain and Al will be at the London Snow Show in October (3:00)Best Skis of 2026 means the best skis of winter 2025/26 (4:00)What are the different types of skis (4:15)How important is that figure for width under your foot? (7:45)What is meant by ‘side cut’? (10:00)What is a ‘rocker? (12:00)How long should your skis be? (15:15)Is sustainability still important in ski production? (18:45)The Ski Sustainability Forum is organised by POW, Atomic and FESI (21:00)When and where did testing take place? (22:15)SIGB is the Snowsport Industries of Great Britain (22:45) Most testing takes place at SIGB’s annual ski test in La Clusaz (23:15) How much do bindings cost? (25:00)THE BEST PISTE SKIS OF WINTER 2026 K2 Blur 74 W (women) (26:30)£600 / 148cm-169cmBlur is K2’s new piste ski range for winter 25/26. The 74W has a little lift through the front and back, is built around their aspen wood core and uses Flax with channels milled into it. They only do this in this ski and the Blur 79W to enhance agility. It should also save a little weight, although the 74 is about performance and a perfect partner for advanced and expert female skiers shredding the groomers.  It has a 13.9m radius in the longest length and testers reported it as silky smooth, easy to ski yet snappy, with great boost turn-to-turn. It’s super reactive underfoot, quick to pivot and rotate for short turns. Nordica Dobermann Multipista DC FDT (29:00)£930 including binding, 160cm-185cmThe Multipista is new for this season, focussed equally on fun and performance. It may look similar to the Steadfast skis in its outline, but there’s a lot more going on than simply a curvy figure. It has Dobermann in the name, which hints at this ski’s powerful drive, and when you open the throttle you’re rewarded by the bucketload! The rise though the front and back, paired with the taper at each end, means you never feel like your locked into a turn. It can lay trenches on the groomers, but if you want to nip off the side, take on some slush or get a little airtime, it's as co

Iain speaks with ‘Repair Claire’, who heads up the excellent repair service at outdoor brand Montane. This continues the discussion from Episode 255 about sustainability and the importance of extending the life of our outdoor kit.Rather like Arcteryx’s ‘Rebird’ project, featured in Episode 218, it’s important to highlight the great work on sustainability that brands like Montane are doing. In this chat, Claire tells us which are the most common repairs, what happens if a garment is beyond help and why she doesn’t like patches in different colours!---------Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we’ll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there.---------FEEDBACKWhy not let me know what you think by leaving a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop Iain an email to [email protected] If you enjoyed this episode, why not follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode.Or if you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We find out all about Innsbruck in Austria, look at the Northern Snow Show and learn why ski company Peak Retreats is handing over ownership to its staff.  Host Iain Martin was joined by journalist Catherine Murphy; MD of The Snow Centre, Ian Brown; founder of the UK tour operator Peak Retreats, Xavier Schouller; and the company’s new MD Alison Willis.Tirol in Austria sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means that this winter we'll be able to find out more about some of the great destinations in Tirol, and how you can connect with the wonderful ‘feeling of life’ there. SHOW NOTESCatherine joined us in Episode 232 to discuss the new Jandri 3S lift in Les 2 Alpes (1:00) Miss SnowItAll, Rachael Oakes-Ash runs the Snowsbest.com website (6:00) Robert Redford starred in ‘Downhill Racer’ in 1969 (7:30)Chill Factore in Manchester and The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead are the same company (8:30)The Northern Snow Show takes place in October at The Snow Centre Manchester (9:45) Listeners to the podcast can get free tickets for the show here (13:00) Iain visited Innsbruck in 2017 after a trip to Kuhtai (13:30) There are many sites to see in Innsbruck (14:00) The most famous site is the Golden Roof (14:45) Catherine loved the Hofkirche (15:45) British architect Zaha Hadid designed the spectacular funicular stations in the city (18:00) Hadid also designed the Bergesil ski jump (19:15) Rob Rees reported in Episode XX on the ‘Four Hills Ski Jumping Competiiton’ (21:15) Innsbruck serves 12 ski areas (21:20) You can go night skiing in Kuhtai (22:00) Find out about the ‘SKI plus CITY Pass’ (23:00) Find out about Axamer Lizum (24:00) Nordkette ski area is immediately above Innsbruck, with amazing views (24:30) Peak Retreats are becoming the only UK ski c

Today we find out what it’s like to ski - and surf - in Nova Scotia, Canada. We discuss the new Valléen lift in Saint-Gervais, learn about Tromsø in Norway and we have all the latest news about the London Snow Show.There’s also snow reports from Down Under, your feedback and we exciting news about a new sponsor.Host Iain Martin was joined by Betony Garner and James Gambrill, CEO at SCGB and organiser of the London Snow Show.SHOW NOTESBetony was last on the show in Episode 65 (0:45) James was based in the White Haus in London for the recording of the show (2:45) Miss SnowItAll, Rachael Oakes-Ash runs the Snowsbest.com website (4:30) Guy Beatson reported from New Zealand (6:00) Tirol in Austria will be sponsoring The Ski Podcast this winter (7:00) Find out more about Ski Launch 2025 (8:45) Peak Retreats is now employee-owned (11:30) Is season four of The White Lotus going to be filmed in Megeve? (12:00) Find out more about Le Valléen gondola – the new lift connecting St Gervais (13:00) Find out about the spa – Les Thermes – in Saint-Gervais Le Fayet (15:00) The Thermes lift is powered by wastewater (17:00) James visited Nova Scotia (18:20) How about surfing in water that’s zero degrees? (23:00) Find out more about the London Snow Show Look out for Dave Ryding on the Saturday and the Carrick-Smith brothers on Sunday (26:30) Equipment expert, Al Morgan, and Iain will be talking about this year’s new kit (27:00) Iain will also be presenting on driving an EV to the Alps and what it’s like to ski on a live volcano Listeners to the podcast can get free tickets for the show using the code here (27:45) Betony went ski touring in Tromsø (28:00)FeedbackI always enjoy listener feedback and I love to hear what you think about the show. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to [email protected] Joseph Childs: "I also caught up on the <a href="https://thesk

We find out what it’s like walking to the Alps in ski boots, plus we have a focus on sustainability, looking at how different ski businesses are working together; what the UTMB are doing to reduce their impact; plus we have an interview with ‘Repair Claire’ from Montane.Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Heather Davies from the Re-Action Collective and by Reuben Gray and Matt Brinkley from King of the Hill, and down the line by Rachael Oakes-Ash in Australia. Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeIf you’re booking ski hire this winter, don’t forget that you can help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTES Miss SnowItAll, Rachael Oakes-Ash runs the Snowsbest.com website (3:30) Details of the apres ski bands for the London Snow Show have been announced (5:15) Iain and our equipment expert, Al Morgan, will be talking about this year’s new kit on Saturday Listeners to the podcast can get free tickets for the show (6:00) Iain took part in the OCC ultra marathon (6:30) UTMB have introduced some impressive new policies on sustainability (7:00) Iain spoke with Fabrice Perren, head of sustainability at UTMB (7:00) Find out about The Green Runners (7:45) UTMB are introducing a new system of compulsory offsetting (8:15) Iain used a Minimus Lite running jacket from Montane at the OCC (9:00) Listen to Episode 218 for more on Arcteryx’s repair work (9:45) Iain spoke to ‘Repair Claire’ from Montane (9:45 Heather is a co-founder of the Re-Action Collective (13:15) One Tree at a Time was set up by Gavin Ferney-Jones (13:30) Check out back catalog for interviews with Cirkel Supply, Montagne Verte, EcoSki and Whitestorm Find out about <a href="http

In this ‘flashback’ episode, Iain speaks with ‘ski instructor to the stars’ Warren Smith, from the Warren Smith Ski Academy. We talk about how Warren got into skiing and his journey to Verbier via the Hemel Hempstead dry ski slope and Seefeld in Austria.There’s plenty about the early days of the UK freestyle scene, working with many of the youngsters who have now become Olympians, as well as the celebrities that he’s taught over the years, including Laurence Dallaglio, Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, Louis Smith, Bradley Wiggins and more.Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeAs we are looking ahead to this winter, don’t forget that if you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTES  Warren learned to ski at the Hemel Hempstead dry ski slope, before it was recreated as The Snow Centre – an indoor snow slope His first snow experience was on a school trip to Saalbach in Austria, when the coach broke down Phil Gordon presents the ‘Legends of the Brand’ podcast (3:30) Warren’s first qualification was as a UK dry slope instuctor (4:45) He first taught on snow in Seefeld in Austria, before moving to Verbier in 1994 (5:00) Joyce Read from Ski Verbier was an early mentor (6:00) You can watch ‘Blizzard of Aaaahs’ – the famous ‘extreme’ ski movie – on YouTube Jamie Strachan designed top sheets for Volkl and brought Warren on their team in winter 1998/99 (8:45) Strachan also designed many of the legendary ChamJam posters (9:30) Listen to Iain’s interview with GB Snowsports coach Pat Sharples in this bonus episode of The Ski Podcast (10:15) Stu Brass and Spencer Claridge were behind the AIM Series of events and built the freestyle features for events like the London Ski Show and The Jump (11:00) Iain launched Natives.co.uk in April 1999 (12:00) Other early freestyle projects that Warren set up were the British Freestyle Camps and the Ride Series  Pat talks about the impact of the Salomon 1080 on the freestyle scene in this interview, as does Jim Adlington (founder of Planks) in <a href="https://theskipodcast.com/podcast/j

We look at Les Arcs in summer, find out about La Plagne’s new lifts and the ‘Flocon Vert’ – the sustainability award for ski resorts in France.There’s snow reports from Australia and New Zealand, as well as a special report on the new Soho Basin area in Cardrona from Ski Sunday’s Ed Leigh, plus we find out what it was like when the Tour de France came to the Alps. Host Iain Martin was joined by La Plagne expert, Jen Tsang and Claire Tollis from the Mountain Riders association in France.Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeWe haven’t quite started up winter yet in Europe, but I know people are booking their holidays, so if you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money on your ski hire this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTESFind out more about SnowCamp in Episode 249 (2:15) Miss SnowItAll, Rachael Oakes-Ash from Snowsbest.com reported from Down Under (3:45) Guy Beatson sent in his snow report from New Zealand (5:45) Listened to Iain’s interview with Ed Leigh in Episode 236 (7:15) Ed has been riding the new Soho Basin ski area at Cardrona, NZ (7:30) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter was in Courchevel for the Tour de France (10:15) Stage 19 went from Albertville to La Plagne (12:00) A new gondola has been proposed from Aime to La Plagne (19:15) The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held in France (20:00) The new Roche de Mio gondola will open this winter (24:30) Iain was in Les Arcs for ‘Le Trail des Arcs’ (27:30) There’s a lot to do in Les Arcs in summer, including chilling at Nama Springs (28:30) Find out about the ‘Her

In this special ‘Flashback’ episode, Iain speaks with Tony McWilliam - founder of one of the world's leading snowsports brands - Faction Skis. We find out what inspired Tony to start Faction, how he smuggled his first batch of 44 skis across the Swiss border to Verbier, meeting freeski legend Candide Thovex when he was just 16 years old and how he grew Faction to become one of the most famous ski brands in the world.Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeIf you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTES Tony designed my first brochure for my first business, Natives.co.uk You can listen to our Ski Podcast Special with Pat Sharples here Faction skis started in 2003 BoardX took place in Battersea for several years You can listen to our Ski Podcast with Jim Adlington here Other key contacts for Tony in the early years were Phil Martin, Gordy Hughes and Matt Reardon He worked closely with Peter Bauer, founder of Amplid The first range of Faction skis had a waist of 80-110mm Initially the skis were made in Annecy before production moved to Austria Skis like the Seth Pistol were an inspiration Jamie Strachan’s designs for Volkl were another influence The first run of Faction skis was just 44 pairs – they now sell 35,000 pairs every year globally Sam Smoothy is a NZ freeride skier Ski Service in Verbier was the first store to stock Faction Skis Tony first met Candide Thovex as a 16-year-old rider in Les Arcs Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D

In today’s episode Iain speaks with Fiona Easdale, managing director and co-founder of the Val d’Isere chalet specialist YSE Ski. She was racing downhill in the Winter Olympics at just 16 years old, then worked in sports management with World Cup winning footballers, before her return to the ski industry with Bladon Lines. There, she rose through the ranks to become managing director, before going off on her own to set up YSE Ski with John Yates-Smith – a company that’s now been in business for over 30 years. This episode is the latest in a series of podcasts I’ve been publishing focussing on women in the snowsports industry. Previous episodes have included BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott, GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling and former-Erna Low MD, Joanna Yellowlees-Bound.Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeIf you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTESListen to Iain’s interview with John Yates-Smith in Episode 231 (3:45)Read Iain’s summary of the latest Mountain Trade Network research (5:45)Fiona competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics at just 16 years old (7:00)Seba Johnson is the youngest Alpine skier to compete in the Olympics at 14 (7:30) Fiona joined the Downhill Only Ski Club in Wengen (8:30) Fiona finished 34th in Downhill, 37th in GS, 18th in Slalom and 10th in the Combined (11:30) “Nobody gives us a chance. Why should they against the Alpine countries? But we’re having a go!” (13:30) Konrad Bartelski was also at Innsbruck (15:00) John Curry won gold for Team GB in the ice skating (16:00) Fiona was injured in an Europa Cup race in Flaine (18:30) IMG is a sports management agency (20:15) Listen to Episode 252 about the Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines (21:45) Fiona rose from Contracts Manager to MD (23:00) How did it end at Bladon Lines? (29:00) The founding of YSE (30:00) Of 30 resorts offered by Bladon Lines, 60% of profits were in Val d'Isere (31:00)YSE is a Val d’Isere specialist (33:45)Dealing wit

In this special ‘Flashback’ episode, Iain speaks with Tom Greenall, one of the few British members of the ski patrol in France.Tom explains the long journey he had to go through to qualify as a ‘pisteur’ (ski patroller in France), starting off with racing against 11-year-olds (having had some training from Glenn Plake!) to learning how to ski with a blood wagon in his hands. Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeIf you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. SHOW NOTES Tom Greenall is founder of Idris Skis He ran a cat skiing operation in Japan for three years The first qualification required to become a ski patroller is a Fleche Vermillion Glen Plake has been coming to Chamonix since 1987 Tom passed the Test Technique on his fourth attempt at Puy St Vincent ‘Premiere Secours Equipe Niveau 1 weather and snow awareness; Rules and Regulations; taking the PSE2 first aid to the ski patrol environment; sled (‘bloodwagon’ practice); avalanche practice The course concluded with exams on rescue sleds; an avalanche beeper search; and first aid cases Listen to our interview with the producers of ‘Ski A&E’ in Val Thorens in Episode 43 Intersport Ski Hire Discount CodeDon’t forget that if you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money…all you need to do is to use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com.So simply use that code ‘SKIPODCAST’ or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4eE7knuk

In this special episode we look at the rise and fall of Bladon Lines – a British chalet company who in the mid-80s were the biggest ski company in the UK, but by the mid-90s had completely disappeared.It’s the story of two young men, who met at university and were sure that they could do ski holidays better. It’s about how their company rode the 80s boom and grew exponentially to become ‘the’ name in British skiing. Then new competitors came in and the market changed.The last glass of ‘Parrot Claret’ was served over 30 years ago now, but the Bladon Lines continues to hold a special place in the hearts of British skiers…SHOW NOTESMark Lines died in a car crash in 1990 (2:00)Simon Bladon met Mark Lines on his first day at Exeter University in 1971 (3:15)In July 1978 Simon was sacked from his job, leading to the start of ‘Bladon Lines’ (6:00)In year three, the company made a profit of £80,000 (9:00)Listen to Iain’s interview with John Yates Smith in Episode 231 (9:30) The famous red, yellow and blue Bladon Lines jackets led to the parrot logo (11:00) Bladon Lines offered ‘Parrot Claret’ and ‘Parrot Vin’ wines in their chalets (12:00) Alastair Scott from the Sunday Times, found the jackets ‘hideously recognisable’ (12:30) Amin Momen founded Momentum Ski – a corporate ski specialist (12:45) The dotted Ski West jackets were also famous (13:30) Ed Mannix is now owner of the Zermatt specialist, Matterhorn Chalets (13:40) Nick Morgan founded the chalet company Le Ski in 1982 (15:15) What are ‘Sloane Rangers’? John Yates-Smith: “It was the days of glorious amateurishness” (17:30) ‘The Bladon Lines Chalet Girls Cookbook’ is occasionally available on ebay (22:00) The standard of chalets in the 80s… (22:45) Simon Hoskyns worked for Bladon Lines before going on to co-found Alpine Answers (24:00) There were no mobile phones in the 80s… (23:30) Gareth Crump is now Sales and Marketing Director at VIP Ski (26:30) The days of the Telex… (27:00) Ed Mannix was the only member of staff with a ‘mobile phone’ (28:15) Simon Bladon s