The Ski Podcast

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 theskipodcast@gmail.com 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com 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 Re-Action Collective in Episode 255 (31:00) Working with Re-Action on a film shoot (33:30) Alice and the 'un/para/ld' project will be at the Paralympic Winter Games (34:00) How can people get support UN/PARA/LD and get involved? (35:15) Al Morgan reports from the annual SIGB (Snowsports Industries of Great Britain) ski test in Champoluc (37:40) Listen to our previous equipment special episodes  FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.Glyn: "I really enjoyed your interview with Tim Wall! (Episode 299) I discovered the Ski Lodge in its first year, stayed in La Tania for the last 27 years, including many full seasons. Got to know Debbie and Tim pretty well - wonderful people and hosts!"There are now 303 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination, listen to an interview with an athlete or find out about the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something of interest to listen to. 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 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 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com. 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com. 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'.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 theskipodcast@gmail.com. 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 busy cafe at the top of Cessna/Claviere on your way to Montgenevre though.”There are now 299 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination, listen to an interview with an Olympian or find out about the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something there of interest.  Don't forget, if you're booking ski hire this winter, you can save yourself some money by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com or use this link for that discount to be automatically applied.

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 theskipodcast@gmail.com 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.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 in the park (43:00) Find out about the proposed new slope in Merthyr Tydfil (44:00)FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.Xomorph: “Enjoying the pod, but could you do an episode on what to do when you are bored with all the pistes in your area... I can ski all the slopes in my local resorts and now I don't know how to keep on having fun” Ian Brown: "Avid listener of the podcast. I just finished the Serfaus episode this morning, it's an area on our list that we'd like to explore for sure"If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to. 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 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 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 Episode 243 covering ‘Going East' (29:00) Where is Slovakia? (29:30) Read Richard's blog post about the transformation going  on in the High Tatras (31:00) ‘Slovakia is entering its “Austria-in-the-90s” phase' Jasna is the biggest resort (33:30) Richard (and the ‘Going East' crew' skied at Stary Smokovec (35:00) The GoPass  covers all resorts as well as other benefits (36:30)Tatranska Lomnica and Štrbské Pleso are also in Slovakia Follow Richard on InstagramFeedbackIf 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. David Flynn: “I'm an Irish/French listener, love the podcast. It's become a stable diet in my household and are a life-saver for the walks with the dogs on the beach” Gavin Marsden: “I love each and every episode.” Andrew Wilson: "I am a regular listener. I only took up skiing at the age of 50, 4 years ago and love it." Andrew Brannan: “Iain, your podcast is excellent. Thank you for going to the trouble and not just reading out the latest press releases from Crystal.” There are now 292 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 149 of those were listened to in the last week. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to. 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 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 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 excellent (27:00) Try the Patschi Bar or George's Bar (27:30) Iain spoke with Philippe Mottier, General Manager of 3SV – the Courchevel lift company – about the new Chenus lift (29:45) Marion Guillemot from the Courchevel Tourist Office acted as translator Read Iain's article on the Chenus lift on welove2ski.com (34:15) Marie's journey into design (34:45) Working for Peak Perforrmance (36:00) How does the process of design work (36:45) What is the lead time for products (37:15) The R&D Helium Loop Anorak recently won an award at ISPO (38:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUeSelbRyb0 What is ISPO? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hTZS_gae84 Peak Performance published their sustainability report last year (41:00) FLO stands for ‘fabric leftovers' (41:15) Iain upgraded to a Vislight shell jacket this year (44:00)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 theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Lara Rosenbaum: “I hope you're feeling better after your fracture. I admire your spirit and love the podcast!” Claire Harrison [Mentioned last week had asked about Zillertal]: “A great piece on the Zillertal, thank you! Particularly looking forward to the Tirolean cuisine! Thank you for a great podcast: it's endlessly interesting.  I loved 267 the episode on gloves and socks and bought a pair of the Level Iris glove on Al's recommendation”  Ed Hopkins: “Absolutely loved episode 270 on St Anton, Lech, sustainability and slow skiing. So interesting and learnt a lot!” Ross: “I just discovered The Ski Podcast - really enjoying the insights on snowsports!”  There are now 291 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you'd like to find out more about a particular destination, would like to listen to an interview with an athlete, or get advice on what kit to buy, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something that will tick that box. 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 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 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 ‘Snowbombing' (22:45) Mayrhofen hosts ‘The Brits' - British Snowboard & Freeski Championships in March (23:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Brits' organiser Stu Brass in Episode 245 Try the Tristenbachalm mountain hut (24:00) Kate also recommends the Bichlalm in Tux (25:00) She also suggests you try the HolzknechtkrapfenUtah has ‘The Greatest Snow on Earth' (26:30) The average snowfall at Deer Valley is 762cm/300 inches (27:00) Find out more about the new lift expansion (29:45) Coming up with the names of new runs (34:00) The new East Village Express gondola is designed by Doppelmayr (37:00) Deer Valley East Village will have seven luxury hotels (39:00) Deer Valley is on the Ikon Pass (39:50) The 2034 Winter Olympics will be hosted in Utah (40:20) Nicole Feliciano spoke about the ‘Slow Skiers Club' in Episode 270 (41:30) Cecile Ferrando from Val d'isere speaks about their new ‘Ski Tranquille' zones (41:45)Feedback (47:30)You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Colin Tierney: “Episode 270 was interesting: I always go at a speed that I feel safe with for me and people around me”Stuart Campbell: “The podcasts are brilliant, and I've enjoyed the range of topics. The ability to pull so many different people from different countries together is what makes it brilliant. I've just found your piece on St Anton by train so hoping to repeat something similar if I make it out in the spring.” Robert Fogg: “Been catching up on all the podcasts I have missed. Thanks from a wet Cairns in Australia” Jim Duncombe: “I was on the cable car in La Clusaz this morning, and ended up chatting with a Norwegian who lives in Annecy. Turns out he is a fan of the podcast.”There are now 290 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to. 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 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 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 interview with Reece Bell (25:00) Plans for this season (26:00) Do you keep your high-value tricks hidden? (26:30) FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. There are now 289 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you've enjoyed this episode, then go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find plenty more to listen to. 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' when you book at intersportrent.com. Simply take this link in the show notes for your discount to be automatically applied.

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 Lech Skyspace (26:30) Iain spoke with Angelika Kaufmann about avalanche blasting (28:00)~ Iain tried Kaiserschmarn at the Sennhutte in St Anton (34:00) He also has a superb Gröstl at the magnificent Verwallestube at the top of the Galzigbahn (34:30) In Episode 225 Nicole shared the results of your ‘Ski Moms Happiness Survey'(36:30) Earlier this year Nicole founded the ‘Slow Skiers Club' (36:45) Nicole's Instagram post launching the club went viral (38:30) Why does slow skiing matter? (39:00) Nicole conducted a survey to find out more (43:00) Listen to Episode 229  Kimberley Kay & Carol Porter discuss ‘The Fear Project' (46:00) Nicole spoke to Chemmy Alcott on her SkiMoms podcast The First Rule of Slow Skiers Club (49:00)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 theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.Judy Matthews: “Thank you for all your wonderful work, been really enjoying your pod.” Colin: “267 was another great episode: I've been considering a trip to Sauze and Livigno was already on my wish list”Chris Weer: “Thanks for the podcast. Wishing you a speedy recovery!”There are now 288 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to. 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 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 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 NOTES View 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) Feedback If 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  Matt Hayes: "Episode 267 was great. I appreciate all the work that goes into these."  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  There is so much in our back catalogue if you would like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to.  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 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

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 NOTES Read 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) Feedback You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  Take part in our 2025 Listener Survey and you could win £400 worth of prizes. There are now 286 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you've enjoyed this episode, then go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find plenty more to listen to. 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' when you book at intersportrent.com. Simply take this link in the show notes for your discount to be automatically applied. 

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 NOTES Betony 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 buying ski gloves (19:00) For more technical info, listen to our 2024 episode on gloves (22:15) Glove v. mitten v. lobster claw (22:30) THE BEST SKI GLOVES | WINTER 2026 Kombi Tactical Gore-Tex Leather Glove, £180 (23:45) Level Iris Glove, £110 (26:00) Dare2b Indicator Index Waterproof Gloves (3-Finger), £70 (but currently on sale at £35) (27:30) THE BEST SKI SOCKS | WINTER 2026 Sidas Ski Protect V2, £40 (29:30) Darn Tough Edge Over-the-Calf Midweight, £37 (31:30) Stance Jimmy Chin Ultralight Ski Socks, £27 (33:15) Find out more about heated gloves and socks in last year's ‘Best Ski Socks' episode (35:00) Feedback (36:45) If 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  Henry Smith: “Thank you for your dedication to bringing us the pod every week, it's much appreciated. As a resident in the Canary Islands, we normally ski in Andorra or the Northern Spanish resorts.” Judy Mathews: “Thank you for this wonderful podcast! Absolutely love it and hope to get to meet you one day on or off the slopes.” Rachel Maffeis: "I loved the interview with Krishan in Episode 266. I enjoyed his approach is to creating ski experiences in Gulmarg, rooted in a sense of place. That mixture of extreme altitude...but not yet hugely developed makes it sound intriguing." Colin Tierney: “I enjoyed Episode 264. It was great to hear Al again.”  There are now 285 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to.  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 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 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 NOTES Betony 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 Night Skiing in Ski Juwel (19:30) Try the views from Hornbahn 2000 (20:15) Auffach (21:00) Try Joe's Salettl in Inneralpbach for apres-ski (24:00) Gulmarg resort is much higher than resorts in Europe (25:30) The ski market in India (26:30) Krishan is founder of the Secret Ski Party in Gulmarg (32:00) Indians often travel to ski overseas in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and in Georgia (35:30) Feedback If 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  Paul Bond: “Loving the Tyrol focus. ‘Let's give it a visit' we said, 50 trips later. Friendly, great ski infrastructure and Kaiserschmarm!” uteelo: “Love the show — there's genuinely nothing else like it. I just skip the environmental segments most of the time: I'm here to hear people talk about skiing!” There are now 284 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up. If you'd like to get some insight on a particular destination or the latest kit, just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to.  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 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 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 NOTES Floss 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) Feedback If 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast Matt Hayes: “The Bladon Lines episode is such a great story. A must listen.” Wayne Reeder: “Really enjoy your shows, guests and great information.” He also asked about the ‘Ski à la Carte' pass Phil Shotton: “Long time listener to your podcast. I really enjoyed them in the closed season – they helped keep me in the ski mood”  Make sure you subscribe to the Skipedia YouTube channel and find out how to carry skis properly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ZALXFwR34 There are now 283 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and when I looked this morning, the stats say that 175 of those were listened to in the last week. Go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting to listen to.  f 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 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 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 NOTES Dave 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) For more details on all of the key terms and jargon for helmets, listen to last year's episode (23:30) What does ‘MIPS' mean? (24:00) “If you've got a cheap head, buy a cheap helmet” (30:30) Listen to last year's goggles episode for a breakdown of the key terminology (31:00) What does S1, S2 or S3 lenses mean? (31:15) The Best Skis for Winter 2026 (39:30) The Best Ski Boots for Winter 2026 (39:30) Smith Vantage 2, £235 (26:00) Available in a range of colours, especially the matte black, ultraviolet and Emerald City options. This is a hybrid construction with Koroyd inside, improving shock absorbency, strength and lightweight. These hollow tubes allow a mass of airflow, complemented by the huge number of vents. Add in Mips, the magnetic buckle, Smith's superb AirEvac system, BOA fit adjustment, anti-microbe lining and audio ready earpads, and you're onto a winner. Atomic Revent AMID, £160 (27:30) This series of helmets has a far more contemporary aesthetic than Atomic helmets of recent seasons. It has an in-mold dual shell, so is light with active venting. It has a removable and washable merino and 3m X-Static liner so doesn't develop the smell some helmets can. It has audio ready earpads and the new AMID (Atomic Multi-directional Impact Deflector) tech, combined with a Holo Core EPS liner for enhanced safety.   Bollé Keystone Mips, £120 (29:30) The Keystone is a new model, available in several colours. The minimalist aesthetic looks fab, and in testing we found it very comfortable. It doesn't have loads of vents, but at £120 it's great value. It's available without Mips for £90, but we recommend the added safety of Mips for £30 more. Oakley Flow Scape L Snow Goggles, £325 (32:30)   The Flow Scape has a new conical lens shape giving a dramatically increased field of view (FOV). The lens tilts in towards the face at the base, and is wider and further away from the face at the top. They've even changed the design of the Switchlock lens quick-release system, removing the need for magnets which would have encroached on the FOV. The Vision Rapt face foam is an ultra-memory foam, giving incredible comfort. Even the sliders on the strap have been tweaked to reduce their profile. Each Flow Scape comes with two lenses, one for brighter conditions and the second is the Prizm Iced Iridium, which is one of the best lenses you can get for flat light or stormy conditions. The only downside with this goggle, apart from the cost, is that it will be too large for some.  Head Neves Sunscreen, £330 (34:20) Wow. When we first tried this, we were blown away. The lens tech is next-level. This tint-changing tech covers categories S1-S3 and is solar powered. The solar panel generates a voltage, activating a microprocessor which controls the LCD to darken the lens. It changes tint almost instantly as you move from shade to light and back again.  Scott Ambit LS, £135 (36:00) Ambit is a new goggle design from Scott, including this medium to large fit, as well as the Ambit Compact, which suits smaller face shapes. Scott sells more photochromic lenses, as they cover a range of conditions, saving the hassle of swapping lenses. This Amplifier lens tech provides superb clarity and definition, and we've tested it in stinking, and stellar, conditions, and it always delivers.  Bliz G001, £79 (37:!5) The Bliz Scandinavian minimalist design, married with affordable quality, has impressed us. The G001 and G002 goggles are new for this season, available in adult and small sizes, and the lens is magnetic, for quick swaps. The G001's full frame construction looks almost frameless, whilst the G002 is more traditional, with a chunkier frame. The Smoke S3 lens is a fab choice when the sun's out and looks sensational in this black on white colourway. Mega comfy and excellent value. Feedback If you've enjoyed this episode – or even if you didn't like it – then we'd love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop Iain an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Antonia Simpson: “I first came across the Ski Podcast at the Snow Show - really enjoyed hearing about Mount Etna! Since then I have listened to lots of episodes: Bladon Lines (252) and James Cove (261) being my favourites. I love your focus on train travel, and in fact will be getting the train in a couple of weeks to Embrun.” Colin Tierney: “I enjoyed episode 263 about Ischgl”  Richard Birlton: "I listen to every podcast and can't wait for it to drop every week" If you're excited about winter, why not visit theskipodcast.com – we have episodes on so many different subjects, interviews with so many people and reviews of so many resorts.  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 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 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 NOTES Cat 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) The Silvretta Therme is a fantastic wellness centre (19:00) What is the role of Protect Our Winters  (20:30) Cat is a BASI qualified ski instructor (24:30) Find out about the POW ‘Clean Miles' campaign (25:45) Sign the POW ‘Clean Miles' petition (27:30) Iain set up Ski Flight Free in 2019 (28:45) Watch some of the POW Mobility videos  Feedback (30:00) You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Look in the Show Notes for that link. Leon Butler: “I have such a soft spot for the whole of the Tirol, but Wilder Kaiser [Episode 262] is stunning.” Stan: "Love the podcast, it's a great way to stay connected to the world of skiing between my annual holiday trips, in particular the kit reviews with Al Morgan and stories like Bladon Lines." There is so much in our back catalog: just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting about our wonderful world of skiing and snowboarding.  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 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 we find out about SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental in Tirol, plus we look at a new women only ski touring to Iceland We 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 NOTES Nickie 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 ski touring tripto Iceland (25:30) Sara Sigurdardottir is an Icelandair pilot (26:00) The Troll Peninsula (27:30) Iceland is famous for its geothermal pools (29:30) Feedback (31:45) You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Immanuel John: “Loved the Innsbruck in Tirol episode” Matt Hayes: “Keep up the great work on the podcast”  Ster at Snowheads: “The Bladon Lines and Fiona Easdale episodes are some of the most interesting and engaging I have heard, but the ‘How to become a Ski Patroller' episode with Tom Greenall must be the best of the lot.” There are now 280 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. There is so much in our back catalogue - just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find interesting about our wonderful world of skiing and snowboarding.  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 -          if you're booking ski hire, you can save money on your ski hire with Intersport Ski Hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied

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 NOTES Find 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 NOTES In 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 Profeet was a guest on our ‘Best Ski Boots' episode (27:30) Erin Flynn from clothing brand Ruanua featured in Episode 234 (29:30) Jenny O'Farrell from the Ikon Pass spoke about why they were targeting the UK market (31:00) Iain moderated panels about diversity and sustainability at LISTEX and the London Show (33:00) He also presented about driving electric cars to the Alps (33:15) James Gambrill is the organiser of the London Snow Show (33:45) Feedback (35:00) I enjoy all feedback about the show and love to hear what you think, so please do contact me via Facebook or Instagram or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp. Toby Freeborn: “Really enjoyed Episode 259 and looking forward to hearing about Austria in the future, especially as I am planning to head there next winter” Aileen Eglington: “Love St.Johann in Tirol: I've been going there for a very long time. It's a great town and Georg, Hupsi and Hannes and co in The Blue Ski School are legends.” grimpeur: “As I was watching the ‘Best Ski Boots' episode [on the Skipedia YouTube channel], I heard the thud of the Fall-Line 2026 Gear Guide dropping through my letter box - comprehensive as always, but it was great to hear about it as well!” There are now 278 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up. 158 of those were listened to in the last week. There is so much to listen to in our previous episode, just go to theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories: you're bound to find something of interest.  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' when you book at intersportrent.com. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

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 NOTES Deer 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 (21:15) Hiking and snowshoeing (23:00) Try the Flying Fox zipwire (23:30) Adults may enjoy the Schnapps Distillery (24:15) St Johann in Tirol is “a living town” (25:30) Erin first skied in Mammoth Mtn in California (26:45) The clothing brand Erin Snow started in the early 2000s (29:30) ‘A nostalgia-fueled visual celebration of all things après-ski' (34:00) How the book came about (35:00) The arrival of nylon (40:00) The 'vintage revival' (41:45) Erin researched apres drinks such as Bombardino (43:00) Après Ski: The Scene, the Style, the Menu is available at Waterstones (44:30) Feedback (44:45) I 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Look in the Show Notes for that link. Gareth Ebbage: “Episode 252 was great: one of the best you've done. Very insightful look back to the glory days of the 80's and early 90's!” Rob Smith: “I think Episode 252 is my favourite so far. It brought back some great memories from when I started to ski.” Richard Patey: “I've been enjoying your podcasts as I drive across Europe to where I'm living now in the high Tatras of Slovakia.” There are now 277 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. All you need to do is go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something of interest. 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' when you book at intersportrent.com. Simply take this link in the show notes for your discount to be automatically applied. 

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 NOTES Watch our ‘Best Skis of 2026' video Ski 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 Boots K2 Cortex Zonal 120 BOA(26:30) £625 SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 28.5 VOLUME: Low LAST (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(32:00) £580 SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 30.5  VOLUME: Medium  LAST (mm): 101  FLEX: 120 WEIGHT (per boot): 2,050g (27.5MP) This is the first season Dalbello has offered BOA on their boots, and they've added Dual and Single BOA models to their range, in this new Veloce Space line. Dual BOA is available on the 105, 120 and 130 flex models.    The shell and cuff on the 120 are made of PU. They inject differing hardnesses of plastic, to take advantage of the phenomenal wrap you get with the BOA system. It also makes the boots easier to get on. The mouldable liner is beautifully comfortable, and the Adaptive Tongue construction, integrating memory foam, is so nice for the shins, also helping with instep comfort. The pre-shaped Ankle Sense zones enhance the heel hold.  The 120 is also available in a single BOA (£540), with regular cuff buckle closure, like the 110, 100, 95 and 85. These single BOA versions get a lever you can release on the spine, allowing an easier walking motion. Head Kalibre 110 MV BOA 2(36:00) £510 SIZES (MP): 25.0 - 30.5  VOLUME: Medium LAST (mm): 100 WEIGHT (per boot): No stated weights    This is Head's Dual BOA offering and is totally new. The Kalibre boots have a clean aesthetic. They inject different hardnesses or plastic into the shell, to take advantage of the superb wrap of the BOA H+i1 system.  Kaliber, like many BOA offerings, is a medium volume fit, with 100mm last. They have a new liner for this range too, called Synapse. They weave in Graphene for tech-level temperature regulation.  The 110 has a Velcro power strap, although £600 130 flex has a claw strap. The Kaliber line features a greater range of flexes in single BOA and four clip versions, but the BOA2 models are pretty awesome. This is the only 110 flex dual BOA model we know of for this season. Freeride Ski Boots   Rossignol Alltrack 130 Elite LV LT GW (40:30) £625  SIZES (MP): 24.0 – 29.5  WALK MODE: Y, no stated ROM VOLUME: Low LAST (mm): 98  FLEX: 130  WEIGHT (per boot): 1,825g (no stated size)  The Alltrack line has been redesigned for this season. They've added BOA to shell of the 102mm HV models, but we tested the narrow-last Elite LT model, which has tech inserts in the toe and heel.  Even though these are 98mm last, low-volume boots, they have more room inside than some other LV boots in this category. They look sensational, have heat-mouldable liners and an innovative ski-walk mode, inspired by the work done developing the Vizion easy (rear) entry boots.  Flip the ski-walk mode lever up, and the rear of the boot can tilt back, with the liner attached to the rear of the cuff with a loop to hold it in place, in order that you can easily slide in. Fasten the buckles, flex forward and the walk mode locks into the ski position, ready for the descent. To tour, flip the rear lever up, loosen the cuff buckles and power strap, and off you go.  This boot skied beautifully, and I just love the way the Dual Core shells flex.   Armada AR One 130 (43:00) £580 SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 29.5 WALK MODE: N  VOLUME: Medium LAST (mm): 100 FLEX: 130  WEIGHT (per boot):100g (26.5MP) The AR One is Armada's first ever ski boot and it's a very impressive hybrid cabrio design blending Alpine and freeski design. Designed by Armada, it's built in partnership with their sister company, Atomic.  It's a medium volume unisex boot, with a 100mm last in a size 26.5MP, in 5 flexes. The 120 and 130 are only available from 24.5MP and up, whilst the 90, 100 and 110 go down to 23.5MP.  The heat mouldable shell and liner, along with excellent out-of-the-box shaping, ensures a very comfy, and customisable, fit. A tool free volume adjuster lets you create space for pressured calves, and most parts are user replaceable, improving sustainability. The top three flexes are pure PU shell, cuff and tongue, for a smooth ride. The rubber boot board does a fab job of smoothing landings and judders. The buckle setup is very different, especially the instep buckle and cable Y-configuration, securely holding you in the heel pocket.  The 130 and 110 share the Team liner, whilst the others have the Pro Liner, which lacks the repositionable tongue, which allows you to adjust volume and fit over the foot. The elasticate claw power-strap on these two flexes is a superb, but the others only get a Velcro strap. Toe pin inserts on the 130 allows use with hybrid bindings like the Shift, Duke PT and the new ATK Hy.  This is a fabulous downhill ski boot, with excellent lateral response, impressive power, it's smooth with great damping and superb heel hold.  Scarpa 4 Quattro GT Woman (45:45) £580                                  SIZES (MP):  22.5 – 27.0 WALK MODE: Y, 61° ROM  VOLUME: Medium LAST (mm): 101 FLEX: 90 / 110  WEIGHT (per boot): 1,510g (25.0MP)   The 4-Quattro range has been an incredible success, especially the XT model which has been a benchmark freeride touring boot in recent seasons. Scarpa's dropped the XT for this winter, but they've updated the SL, they still have the 4-Quattro Pro, which Nikolai Schirmer uses and helped develop, and they've added in a new GT model in a woman's and man's version.  The GT has a roomier fit, has a new 4Pro Flex GT Intuition liner, and is the warmest 4-Quattro model. You get a Velcro power strap, rather than a claw version seen on the others, and it's made using Desmopan plastic for the shell and cuff, rather than Pebax Renew, although all Quattro models have a Pebax tongue. The Desmopan CQ MBC uses bio-circular TPU, enhancing the sustainability, and reducing the CO2 footprint. You don't get the Carbon Core construction of the SL or Pro, but the GT skis better.    They're an easier flex for lighter or less aggressive riders, and the fact these are such great value is a bonus. PROFEET'S CHOICE Technica Mach1 LV 130, £550 (48:30) Updated for this season with a fully redesigned shell and liner, offering a touch more instep depth but still an excellent low volume fit. From a boot fitter point of view, they are also a pleasure to work on with design features allowing for easier customisation of the shell. Feedback (51:00) I enjoy all feedback about the show, so if you enjoyed this episode, or if you have any questions about skis we didn't cover, then please let us know by leaving a comment at Instagram or Facebook – we are @theskipodcast – or by dropping me an email theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Adam Matthews on Instagram enjoyed our ‘Best Skis' episode: “Great podcast. Been looking forward to this since last year's episode” Rick on YouTube loved Al's choice of the Volkl V.Werks 100: “I rode this a lot last winter, so much that I crashed and busted my knee. But seriously, it´s an absolutely amazing ski.” There are now 276 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. You can do that too, there is so much to listen to in our back catalog, just go to theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories: you're bound to find something of interest.   If you enjoyed this episode and would 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 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. 

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 NOTES Miss 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 starred in ‘Downhill Racer' in 1969 Feedback (32:30)   Please do let us know your feedback on the podcast. You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  Mark Thomasson: “I enjoyed Episode 256 and was ski touring in Tromsø in June. Great snow, amazing views.” James Rice: “I really enjoyed Episode 257, as always. I was glad to hear you mention Robert Redford's recent death and his role in Downhill Racer. However, Redford's influence on American skiing extends beyond that film…He bought Sundance ski resort and set up the film festival there. I've had the chance to stay and ski at Sundance, and it truly is a distinctive and special place.”  John: “Loved the Innsbruck in Tirol episode” Mary Frazer: “I enjoyed listening to Episode 257 this morning, particularly the sections on Innsbruck (thank you for reminding me how much I enjoyed the series The Jump!)” There are now 275 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you've enjoyed this episode, then why not go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find plenty more to listen to. 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' when you book at intersportrent.com. Simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. 

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 NOTES Iain 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-169cm Blur 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-185cm The 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 composed as you could ask for.   It's built around their Energy 2 Ti Double Core (DC) construction. An elastomer layer is sandwiched between two beech and poplar wood cores, beefed up by two layers of Titanal metal, one above the wood-elastomer sandwich and one below.  Even though Nordica states the ski as having a Full Camber Profile, it has a longer rise through the shovel and tail than a regular full camber ski. This rocker profile is part of the Multipista's magic, bringing a delightfully versatile nature. The tapered profile through the shovel and tail further adds to its performance across a range of conditions. The 74mm waist width, in all lengths, partners with their race on-piste shape underfoot for confidence-rocketing grip. This width is bang-on the money, with plenty of punch through the edge and enough float and stability to tackle a broad array of terrain and snow conditions. THE BEST ALL MOUNTAIN SKIS OF WINTER 2026 Völkl V.Werks 100(32:00) £1,750 flat, 170cm-186cm Völkl has taken all they've learnt from ski manufacturing and turned the dial up to eleven with this ski! The company was founded in 1923, and in honour of this they have made exactly 1923 of these skis, with a retail price of €1923.   This ski is see-through. If you place your hand behind the ski, when holding it up to the light, you can see where your hand is. It's quite spectacular. It also highlights the complex structure they've perfected for the fibre placement.  They combine carbon and natural flax fibres, which work in harmony with the superb 3D H-Woodcore. This is made of two enviro friendly FSC-certified poplar and beech cores, with a central reinforcement, and this all has a very noticeable and technical 3D shape.  The fibres, translucent layer and wood core allows the designers to transfer the movements and forces from the skier through the ski and to the edges, for a ridiculously intuitive control. You get a regular camber underfoot but enough rocker in the shovel and tail for a mega-versatile shape. Atomic Maven 88 CTI (Women) (35:00) £570 without bindings, 147cm-172cm   This ski is based around an ash and poplar wood core, boosted by the addition of carbon and Titanal. These laminates add greater damping and energy to the ski, whilst helping to keep the ski light.  The change of shape through the shovel, as we saw in the wider Maverick and Maven models last season, keeps this ski incredibly playful. This HRZN 3D Maverick/Maven tech sees the wood core extend right up to the very front of the ski, designed to improve stability and smoothness when charging hard.  These skis can certainly be skied fast, but the thing you notice most with all skis with HRZN tech is just how much it enhances the fun nature of the skis. They are not twin-tips, and have a directional shape, although the rise in the back means you can ski switch if you really want to. Atomic builds in a 15% rocker through the shovel and a 10% rocker at the back, with standard camber in the middle of the ski. Salomon Stance Pro 86(Unisex) (38:00) £640 flat, 151cm-185cm   Salomon's Stance range sees significant change, taking what were already great skis and making them industry leading.  It has a full poplar wood core, with the Powerflex Ti metal layer sitting full width underfoot and tapering out in front of and behind the binding. The metal edge is made thicker to aid grip and power, and will endure more services, therefore lasting longer. The base has a 50% recycled content. The profile delivers regular camber underfoot with a 15% rocker through the front and a milder 12% rocker at the rear. THE BEST FREERIDE SKIS OF WINTER 2026 (40:00) Head Kore 99 Ti W(Women) (40:30) £650 without bindings, 156cm-177cm   The Kore skis are redesigned for this season. This 99mm underfoot model has the same length options as the women's Kore 97 of last season, but otherwise it's a very different ski.  Where the men's new Kore skis use beech and karuba, the women's Kore models combine poplar with PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is a thermoplastic polyester polymer. Think of your favourite fleece, and the chances are it's made of the same material.  This is complimented by a layer of Titanal, using at least 40% recycled material, above and below the core, along with a Graphene layer between the metal and top of the core. They add a damping layer between the bottom metal layer and the edges of the ski, to further smoothen the ride.  Again, as in the men's, they add flax to the boundary of the topsheet to improve durability. Rocker front and back, with standard camber underfoot, gives the ski it's undeniable freeride profile.   Salomon QST 100(Unisex) (43:30) £570 without bindings, 148cm-188cm   New for this season in widths ranging from 92 through to 106, the 100 is an incredible freeride ski and was a hit with everyone at testing. It's a unisex model, offered in a choice of two colours.  The new QST's have full poplar wood cores with basalt and glass fibres, as well as Salomon's proven Cork Damplifier, where they inlay a cork and TPU border at the tip and tail to dampen vibrations. The 106 has a 22% rocker up front and 18% rocker in the tail. As you step down in width to 100 then 94, they reduce the rocker proportion by 1% at each end, for each drop in width.   FEEDBACK I enjoy all feedback about the show, so if you enjoyed this episode, or if you have any questions about skis we didn't cover, then please let us know by leaving a comment at Instagram or Facebook – we are @theskipodcast – or by dropping me an email theskipodcast@gmail.com There are now 273 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. There is so much to listen to in our back catalog, just go to theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories: you're bound to find something of interest.   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 Spotify -          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.  You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

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. --------- FEEDBACK Why 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  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 NOTES Catherine 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 company to be employee-owned (25:30) The company was set up in 2002 (27:00) The decision to pass on the company to the employees rather than sell it (29:30) Listen to ‘The Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines' (31:00) Find out about the Alpe d'Huez bike challenge (35:00) Feedback (36:00)   I 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  Colin Slater: "Just discovered the podcast and listened to loads now, loved the Bladon Lines one!” Glenn Westrup: “I've really enjoyed Rachel's snow reports from Australia and NZ” There are now 272 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up. If you've enjoyed this episode, then why not go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll want to listen to too. 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 enjoyed this episode and would 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 can help The Ski Podcast and save 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.

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 NOTES Betony 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) Feedback I 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  Joseph Childs: "I also caught up on the Bladon Lines episode and really enjoyed it. Seems like it was an amazing time to be in the industry." There are now 271 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 143 of those were listened to in the last week. If you've enjoyed this episode, then why not go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll want to listen to too. You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Look in the Show Notes for that link. 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 Spotify -          Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' when you book at intersportrent.com 

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 Code 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. 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 Tentshare (21:30) Find out about the new film ‘Actionism' (23:00) Reuben and Matt walked in ski boots to the Alps (25:30) Look out for their new app King of the Hill (27:00) The boys used Sidas Boot Traction to protect their boots (31:30) It took them 50 days to walk 690 miles (32:15) Follow the boys on Instagram(36:30) They have raised money for Snowcamp and McMillan Cancer Research (37:00) Feedback (37:00) I 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  Lynsey: "Always listen to the podcast and it's been a lovely escape in the recent hot weather! Bring on the winter!" Adam Fisher: "Keep up the good work!" Dennis: “I'm a big fan of your podcast and I thoroughly enjoyed your appearance on Stuart Winchester's Storm podcast.” Comment on Spotify: “Hi, I'm 13 and love skiing. This podcast is helping me get through the summer. I'm from Germany by the way!” David Musson enjoyed my interview with Mark Smith, The Man in Seat 61, in Episode 233 There are now 270 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 136 of those were listened to in the last week. If you've enjoyed this episode, then why not go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll want to listen to too. You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Look in the Show Notes for that link. If you enjoyed this episode and would 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 -          (both of those actions help other listeners to find us) -          Or you can book your ski hire at Intersportrent.com using the code ‘SKIPODCAST'

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 Code As 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 our bonus episode with him (14:00) Paddy Graham came out of the Sheffield dry slope scene and is still producing award-winning movies with the ‘Legs of Steel' crew (17:30) Warren also produced movies such as the ‘Snow's In The House' series and ‘Snow Odyssey' featuring a 16-year-old Candide Thovex (19:00) Warren's ‘Go Ski' technique book and DVD is available online (25:00) Rob Sawyer from the Farinet Bar in Verbier recommended Warren to England rugby player Laurence Dallaglio (28:00) Other celebrities that Warren has skied with or instructed in Verbier include James Blunt, Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry (33:00) Listen to Peter Hardy's anecdotes about James Blunt in our special episode Louis Smith, Spencer Matthews and Jason Robinson were among the quickest learners that Warren coached for the wintersports reality show ‘The Jump' (35:00) The Warren Smith Ski Academy now has a team of 15 instructors with key focus on biomechanics (39:00) Find out about the Carv device here (45:00) The Academy also offers ‘Gap Year' Instructor Qualification courses, having changed from BASI to the Irish IASI qualification in 2013 (45:30) The Warren Smith Ski Academy will be at the National Snow Show at the Birmingham NEC on 15/16 October 2022 (48:00) Courses start in Cervinia from 06 November for five weeks, then on to Verbier. Warren will be leading a trip to Japan in February (50:00) Listen to how Iain got on in Verbier in March 2023 in Episode 172 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 Spotify -          ‘buy me a coffee' at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast

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 Code We 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 NOTES Find 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 ‘Hero Pass' and ‘Hero Camp' (28:45) Everyone loves the sound of cow bells (30:30) Iain stayed at the Refuge du Mont Pourri (32:00) 25% of all visitors to Les Arcs come by train (33:45) Les Arcs is the only ski resort in Europe with B Corp status (34:00) Visit the 'Mountain Riders' website (34:30) Find out more about the 'Flocon Vert' (36:30) and Montagne Zero Dechet (38:45) Feedback (42:00) I 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 theskipodcast@gmail.com  If you haven't listened to Episode 252 yet, I strongly recommend that you do. It's the story of Bladon Lines – in my opinion it's the best episode I've ever produced (42:30) Thanks to all of the following for their kind words about it: Nicola Anderson, Debbie Marshall, Jilly Hooper, Nico Stanford, Victoria Clay, Kirsten Nicholl, Matt Hayes Lesley Glass, Fiona Parkhurst, Colin Barnett, Craig Mayhew, Giles Helbert, Diane Palumbo, Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, Martin Carver, Alex Irwin, Andrew Brannan, Mike Greenland, James Buist and Snowheads MikePow and Kenzie. I was most touched to receive this message from George Lines, son of co-founder Mark Lines, who tragically died in a car accident in 1990: "I very much enjoyed this, Iain. I still ski each year in my dad's parrot onesie and regularly get pulled over by people keen to share fond BL memories. A couple of years ago in Val D'Isere, one group told me that they are all friends because their parents had met doing seasons with BL and they still all ski together now. You and the contributors captured that sense of community so well." There are now 268 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you enjoyed this episode, then go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll want to listen to too. You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. Look in the Show Notes for that link. 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 Spotify -          Book your ski hire at Intersportrent.com using the code ‘SKIPODCAST'

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 Code 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 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 Candide in China here (he took 27 pairs of skis with him for that shoot!) Tony launched an eco-friendly outerwear brand, GHOSTS, on Kickstarter in 2019 He also worked with Eric Pollard – ex-Line Skis – on the launch of the new ski and snowboard range Season Eqpt Find out about Candide's outerwear brand Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code You can help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com. Alternatively, simply take the link in the Show Notes and your discount will automatically be applied.  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help: 1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify – helps listeners find us 2) Subscribe –it every episode will automatically be downloaded for you, so you can catch up at your leisure 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast or WhatsApp

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 Code 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 Listen 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 with global crises (35:00)  Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:   1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2) Subscribe –it every episode will automatically be downloaded for you 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast or WhatsApp

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 Code 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 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 & 2' is the rescue industry first aid course Tom's Pisteur Course cost €3000 and took place in Les Orres The course included knowledge of middle mountain environment; 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 Code Don'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 Spotify ‘Buy me a coffee' at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast on Facebook and Instagram  @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

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 NOTES Mark 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 sold his 50% share to family friend Christopher Needler (29:00) Christopher Needler kept Bladon Lines afloat as the market changed (29:45) Crystal Ski were an aggressive new competitor (32:00) Chalet rents went ‘out of control' (32:30) In 1991, the company sacked Fiona Easdale as managing director (33:15) John Yates-Smith and Easdale formed their own chalet company, YSE Ski (33:30) Inghams bought Bladon Lines in 1995 (36:00) Simon Bladon offered to come back to help run the new Bladon Lines division of Inghams (37:15) The skills you develop when working ski seasons… (38:30) The Bladon Lines community… (42:00) In 2020 Crystal Ski announced it was cancelling its entire chalet programme (44:00) Seasonal Businesses in Travel report a 50% reduction in chalet capacity this decade (44:00) The Bladon Lines ‘Chalet Girl' races (45:00) Credits This episode was written, narrated and edited by Iain Martin.  Thanks go to Andy Wadsworth for reading the additional clippings, quotes and excerpts and to everyone who contributed to this episode including Simon Bladon, John Yates-Smith, Amin Momen, Ed Mannix, Gareth Crump, Nick Morgan and Simon Hoskyns.  Share this episode If you enjoyed this episode and you know someone who worked or took holidays with Bladon Lines back in the 80s or 90s, or simply likes a good ski industry story, then I would really appreciate it if you shared this episode with them.  Feedback  If you want to share your own memories of Bladon Lines or just let me know what you thought about this episode, then please contact me via Facebook or Instagram @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp. There are over 260 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with – just go theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you like. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code   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.

Today we discuss ‘Homeland' – a ski touring only ‘resort' in Italy, we ask what should be on Rob Katz's ‘to do' list as he takes up the reins again at Vail Resorts, plus we find out about skiing along the Mississippi. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by freelance journalist Sam Haddad and host of the Storm Skiing Podcast, Stuart Winchester, as well as down the line with snow reports by Rachael Oakes-Ash in Australia and Guy Beatson in New Zealand. SHOW NOTES Sam was last on the show talking about La Grave in Episode 214 (1:15) Stuart was last on the show in Episode 235 (1:30) Find out about La Sarenne in Alpe d'Huez (4:00) Stuart's last day of skiing was at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado (5:00) Guy Beatson reported from New Zealand (9:30) Rachael Oakes-Ash from Snowsbest reported from Australia (11:00) Homeland is a ski touring ‘resort' in Italy (13:00) Read Sam's Substack ‘Climate and Board Sports' (14:00) Read Sam's article for the Guardian We featured Madesimo in Episode 165 (18:00) Read Stuart's Storm Skiing Journal Substack (23:30) ”Everyone's searching for skiing's soul. I'm trying to find its brains” We covered the Ikon Pass, Indy Pass, Mountain Collective & Epic Pass in Episode 265 We discussed how the Epic Pass is making a difference in Australia in Episode 250 (25:45) Vail launched the Epic Pass in 2008 (26:00) Sales of the Epic Pass were down for the first time in 2024/25 (28:30) The ski patrol strike in Park City was a PR disaster for Vail Resorts (30:00) The CEO of Vail Resort Kirsten Lynch resigned in May 2025 (32:00) She was replaced by Rob Katz (32:30) What should be on Rob Katz's 'to do' list (32:45) “Walk-up lift ticket prices that would embarrass a luxury handbag store!” “Wait, There's a Limit to What People Will Pay to Ski 7 Hours on a Tuesday in a Highly Competitive Market?” Skiing in Alabama (37:00)  Feedback I always enjoy listener feedback. Please leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram and Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  Guy Beatson: "I really enjoy the podcast – it helped prepare for my trip to Big Sky and Grand Targhee in late January"  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 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 Spotify -          ‘Buy me a coffee' at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast

Today we focus on the new ski season in Australia and New Zealand, especially the new chairlift in Perisher and ski area extension in Cardrona. Plus could ski ballet be making a comeback? We find out about this iconic sport from the 80s Host Iain Martin was joined by the expert on skiing in Australia and New Zealand, founder of the Snowsbest website, Rachael Oakes-Ash, and the founder of MGG clothing, and the man single-handedly behind the ski ballet revival, Tom Bata.  SHOW NOTES Rachael enjoyed great conditionsat the Australia opening weekend (1:30) Iain skied all five of the UK's indoor snowdomes in May (2:45) Big Sky featured in Episode 235 of The Ski Podcast (3:00) Svalbard featured in Episode 218 of The Ski Podcast (5:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Xavier De Le Rue (7:00) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter reported from the opening weekend in Tignes (8:00) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching reported from Les 2 Alpes (9:15) The new AUD26 million chairlift in Perisher (10:45) Listen to Iain's report from Australia in Episode 182 (12:45) The Epic Pass in Australia (15:00) The new 4 day pass in in Australia (17:00 The Thredbo Alpine Coaster (19:30) The Soho ski area in Cardona will make it the largest NZ ski area (21:20) Cardrona is opening a new freestyle training centre (23:20) Mt Dobson and Ohau are for sale (27:00) MGG (Mont Gele Gear) is based in Verbier (28:45) MGG incorporate a Radical Transparency Label (30:45) Take a look at one of the RTL labels (32:00)  What is ‘ski ballet'? (33:30)  Watch MGG's film about ski ballet (34:45) Did Tanner Hall made his start in ski ballet? (35:00) Will ski ballet ever come back into the mainstream (40:00) Feedback (41:30) I love to hear what you think about the show – what you like, or don't like – just leave me a comment on Spotify or Instagram and Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  skiiingPostie (on Episode 249): “I get people's apprehension (about starting skiing)…I started learning at 47 and the main thing I was worried about was hurting myself or others” Alex: “I've recently got into listening to your podcast and am really enjoying all the skiing chat.”  There are now 262 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 229 of those were listened to in the last week. Go to theskipodcast.com and have a look around our back catalog - you're bound to find something of interest. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. 

This week we look at how to inprove diversity within the ski industry and ways that under-representation is being addressed. Iain was joined by Amirra Blackwood and Dan Keeley from Snow Camp, Zahia Shaw from Skimigos and Burhan Ali from the Muslim Ski Club. SHOW NOTES Dan was last on the show in Episode 98 (1:20) Find out about Dan's epic run to Rome (2:20) Amirra and Dan were at the AJ Bell Three Valley Challenge in Val Thorens (4:00) Dave Ryding has announced that he will retire at the end of the 25/26 winter (6:15) Listen to Iain's interview with Dave in Episode 199 (8:00) Find out how Iain's '25 in 25 Snow Camp Challenge went (8:30) You can donate at Iain's JustGiving page (9:00) Around 1000 inner city young people join Snow Camp each July (10:45) Amirra's journey with Snow Camp started in 2001 (12:00) Snow Camp are taking on 16 apprentices this year Amirra's first placement was with Ellis Brigham She has just finished working at the Ski Club of Great Britain? (14:45) Skimigos took 100 people to Les 2 Alpes in March (18:00) Zahia (Zee) Shaw set up Skimigos in 2019 (19:45) Zee uses the Skimigos Instagram to tackle objections people come up with (22:00) Addressing “it's not for people like us” (22:45) Skimigos apres ski is off the charts… (25:00) Burhan is the founder of the Muslim Ski Club (27:30)  This year the club travelled to Erciyes in Turkey (30:00) “Apres-tea over apres-ski” (30:25) The club is organising ‘Eid in the Alps' in Avoriaz in 2026 (32:30) Snow Camp has been organising indoor taster sessions for young Muslims (34:00) Feedback I always enjoy listener feedback. Couple since our last episode. Ben: "Love the podcast" Pete: “248 was a great episode...loving the grass roots vibe" You can contact me with your feedback via our social channels @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  There's so much to catch up with in our back catalog just to theskipodcast.com and have a look around the tags and categories.  You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

Today we look at a new project to help first-time skiers, find out about the Women's World Snowsports Summit and learn about plans to reopen of the UK's most iconic dry ski slopes, Sheffield Ski Village. Host Iain Martin was joined live by guests Kimberley Kay and James Gambrill and down the line by Tim Justice, Alex Armand and Luca, Zak and Freddy Carrick-Smith. SHOW NOTES  Kim was last on the podcast in Episode 229 (0:30) James Gambrill is COO of the Ski Club of Great Britain The Mountain Travel Symposium took place at Aspen Snowmass this year (4:00) Find out more about Iain's ‘25 in 25 Snow Camp Challenge' (5:00) He will be skiing all the UK's indoor snow centres in a single day to raise funds for Snow Camp You can sponsor Iain on his JustGiving page (7:45) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching reported from Les 2 Alpes (8:20) Listen to our Ski Jobs Special Episode to find out more about the ‘Youth Experience Scheme' (9:30) The Ski Podcast sponsors ‘Team Carrick Smith' (10:00) Iain spoke with Luca, Zak and Freddy on their end of season surfing break (10:30) Listen to Iain's interview with Team GB skier Molly Butler (19:15) Tim Justice is chairman of the Sheffield Sharks Ski Club (22:20) Sheffield Ski Village closed in 2012 (23:00) There are plans to redevelop Sheffield Ski Village (25:00) Find out more about the Revive Sheffield Ski Village campaign (29:00) Find out more about the new ‘Way2Snow' initiative (31:00) Kimberley's ‘Ski A-Z book' is a great intro for newcomers to the sport (39:30) James Gambrill is also organiser of the London Snow Show (40:00) The show takes place at Olympia in West London in October (41:00) Iain will be presenting at the show with our equipment expert Al Morgan (43:00) Find out about apres-ski at the show (44:00) Kimberley was at the inaugural World Women's Snowsports Organization (WWS0) Summit (45:30) It was held at Kitzsteinhornin Austria, near Kaprun in April 2025 54 women from 12 countries attended (47:00) We covered 'Project Fear' in Episode 229 – looking at the extent to which fear is a factor in snowsport gender imbalance  (50:00) You can sponsor Iain on the ‘25in25' on his JustGiving page (58:00) Feedback You can contact me with your feedback via our social channels @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  gordymission1035: "Thank you for a great episode (#247). So much great info." There are now 260 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you're missing your skiing over the summer, then this is the perfect time to go to theskipodcast.com and have a look around our back catalog.  You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

This episode is an equipment special, tackling essential questions about kit such as the best way to carry skis, the ‘right' way to do up your ski boots and how to store your gear through the summer?  We also look at the effect of tariffs on the US retail market and discuss the latest developments in BOA ski boot technology.  Host Iain Martin was joined by our equipment expert, Al Morgan. This Special Episode of The Ski Podcast has been made possible by them. Ellis Brigham are the winter sports specialists, with 16 shops around the UK where you can find all the kit you need for next winter. Alternatively, simply go to their website at ellis-brigham.com and you can buy online now. SHOW NOTES Al was last on the show in Episode 235, reporting from the SIGB Ski Test in La Clusaz (0:50) This episode is also available on the Skipedia YouTube channel Al last skied in Tignes (1:10) Find out more about Iain's '25 in 25 Snow Camp Challenge' (4:30) Listen to Dan Keeley explaining more about the work that Snow Camp do in Episode 246 Sponsor Iain at Just Giving How are tariffs going to affect prices in the States & exports from Europe? (7:00) What are multi-BOA ski boots? (10:00) How much does BOA affect the cost of a ski boot? (13:30) [Video] How many BOAs does a skier need? (14:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-inNniPEpRQ How should you do up ski boots? (14:45) Phaenom suggest putting the liners on first outside the boot (17:30) How to take out and put back liners (19:45) Find out about Boot Bib (23:00) Listen to our Ski Boot Special Episode #161 (24:00) How to store skis over the summer (26:30) Wind down your DIN settings (27:30 How to attach skis to a backpack (37:15) How to attach skis to an airbag (40:45) How to avoid the helmet gap? (49:00) How to clean and re-proof outerwear? (51:30) Listen to our Arcteryx ReBird episode #218 (53:45) Feedback If you've found this episode helpful, or you have any feedback on other episodes, please do let me know. You can contact me on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  LJ@99 (Apple Podcasts): "Just the best ski and snow sports podcast going. Always listen and learn something new from the interviews and reports from all over the world. Plus there's a great back catalog." Sarah Lewis (LI): “Lots of interesting and valuable information for listeners!” There are now 260 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. This is the perfect time to go to theskipodcast.com and have a look around.  You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

We look at how to make your dreams come true and find a ski job, including what jobs are available, what skills you need, when to apply and how the market has changed in the last few years.  We also consider the ski instructor qualifications available and where they entitle you to work, and we also find out more about the possible new ‘Youth Mobility Scheme'.  Host Iain Martin was joined by Jenny Greenwood, HR Director at Skiworld, George Gray, co-founder of ski job recruitment specialists SZN and Dave Burrows from SnowPros Ski School in Switzerland.  SHOW NOTES Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching reports from Les 2 Alpes (5:45) Floss Cockle  from the FreeFloFloss YouTube channel is in Tignes (6:45) Find out more about Snow Camp (8:45) Iain is trying to raise £2500 in the ‘25 for 25 Snow Camp Challenge' to give 25 inner-city young people the chance to experience snowsports for the very first time in 2025 (9:00) Dan Keeley is community and events director for Snow Camp (9:20) You can sponsor Iain on his JustGiving page here (11:30) George Gray is co-founder of SZN (12:15) Iain founded the recruitment website Natives in 1999 (15:30) What ski jobs are available? (16:00) Skiworld is the UK's largest chalet company, recruiting almost 200 staff (18:15) SBiT's reseach shows that since Brexit there are 56% fewer chalets & 69% fewer workers Last winter, Skiworld had 5000 applications How do you make your application stand out? (21:30) When do interviews happen? (23:30) Do you need an EU passport? (25:15) How does an employer secure a visa for you? (26:00) Charlie Owen is the MD of SBiT and European Pubs (29:30) Find out more about developments in the Youth Mobility Scheme When should people apply for jobs? (36:00) When do staff go out to resort? (40:00) Can people still apply during the season? (41:00) Dave did his instructor qualification via the Warren Smith Ski Academy (44:15) Are instructor qualifications portable across countries? (46:45) How to qualify as a French ski instructor (49:15) Dave hosts the Ski Instructor Podcast (54:45) Feedback (55:00) I really enjoy finding out from listeners what you think of the show. I'm always interested to hear from you, so please do contact Iain on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  Robbie Milne: “Great recent episodes - keeping the stoke well and truly alive! I'm getting married this summer meaning I couldn't get out for spring skiing but this podcast makes it not so bad” Steve from York: “Love the variety of topics covered in this podcast. It really gets you revved up for your next trip to the mountains” Paul1608: “I've recently found the podcast and am working my way through the back catalog. I can't make it to the mountains this year, but the podcast is the next best thing” Rob Olliff: “I've enjoyed listening to The Ski Podcast since lockdown when it helped me keep going during those dark days…I recently found the episode on taking an EV to the Alps particularly useful. We drove to Les Menuires in an EV in Feb and Iain's advice and tips definitely helped smooth the journey and calmed the nerves about charging in France. Keep up the great work.” There are now 258 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 127 of those were listened to in the last week. If you've enjoyed this episode, why not to go theskipodcast.com, have a search around and there is so much in there you're bound to find something to keep your snow fix going over the summer.  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

We find out about this year's ‘Brits' – the GB freestyle champs in Mayrhofen, get to know Jibworx and their new community for girls in snowsport, and learn about the Italian ski resort of Passo Tonale.  We also have our regular snow reports, we announce the winner of our Vallon sunnies competition and Iain reveals a new UK snow challenge for May. Host Iain Martin was joined by Amelie Cockburn from JibWorx, regular guest Mike ‘The Snow' Richards and Stu Brass, co-founder and organiser of ‘The Brits'. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code You can help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com. Alternatively, simply take the link in the Show Notes and your discount will automatically be applied.  SHOW NOTES Listen to Iain's deep-dive interview with Stu Brass in Episode 213 (2:30) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter YouTube channel reported from Courchevel (5:45) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Ski is in St Anton (7:30) Floss Cockle from the FreeFloFloss YT channel reports from Tignes (10:00) Find out about Iain's '25 in 25 Snow Camp Challenge' (12:30) Find out more about Snow Camp (13:15) There was success for Team Carrick Smith at the British Alpine Ski Championships (13:20) Team Carrick-Smith are sponsored by The Ski Podcast The Brits 2025 took place in Mayhofen, Austria (19:30) The last person under 12 to win a Brits title was Mia Brookes (21:00) Riley Sharp won the Slopestyle and big air titles at just 10 years old (24:00) Riley won't be eligible for the Winter Olympics the 2034 Games (24:45) Listen to Iain's interview with Lesley McKenna (26:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Ed Leigh (26:30) What is Jibworx? (29:00) They put on 30-40 events each winter (29:30) Amelie's dissertation was about women in snowsports (33:30) Find out about The Girls' Archive (34:00) Sandra Caune won gold at the European Winter Olympic Festival (37:30) The Jibworx event vehicle is an adapted American school bus (38:00) Mike was in Passo Tonale (40:00) Presena Glacier offers skiing up to 3069m (43:15) Listen to our ‘Best Ski Boots of 2025' episode (46:00) Night skiing is possible in Passo Tonale (47:00) Vallon's End of Season Ski Sale is on right now with 25-35% off their ski eyewear range (51:15) Feedback (49:00) I really enjoy finding out from listeners what you think of the show. I'm always interested to hear from you, so please do contact me on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  Skiing Postie: "Episode 243 was very interesting combining my two loves - skiing & train travel. You definitely need to be organised for a trip like that!" Nigel Winters: "Episode 243 was another great podcast. I loved the story behind this epic trip: train travel, skiing, different out of the way places even a skiing cat!" Elizabeth Rose: “This is a lifesaver podcast getting me through to my next ski trip. I'm enjoying listening to the back catalog. I love the snow reports, specials, features and the equipment reviews. Thanks also for raising awareness of climate change and the focus on women in snowsport.” Brae Estate: “I've been a follower since the pandemic. It kept my passion for skiing going through the restrictive years and has added to my knowledge ever since. There's always something new and interesting.” The winner of the Vallon competition was NorsKSarah on Apple Podcasts: “I have been a listener for the last year or so and love it when a new episode drops. Topics strike a good balance between the most experienced and newcomers to the sport.” There are now 257 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 140 of those were listened to in the last week. If you've enjoyed this episode, why not to go theskipodcast.com, look around the tags and categories – there is so much in there you're bound to find something of interest.  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Follow us. Just take a look for that button and press it now  2) Give us a review or just leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast. 

In this episode we speak with two British athletes having a breakthrough season in their different disciplines, plus we celebrate a new British world champion. As well as that we also have our regular snow reports, an update from European Gay Ski Week, competition news and your feedback. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Team GB slalom ski racer Molly Butler and Skimo athlete Iain Innes and down the line by freestyle skier Zoe Atkin. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Use the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.  SHOW NOTES Molly was in Bormio for the British Championships (0:45) Iain is based in Chamonix (2:45) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (3:15) Catherine Murphy reported from Courchevel (4:00) Robin (Big_Mauntain_Bob) is ski touring in the Lyngen Alps in Norway (5:15) Win Vallon Watchtower sunglasses by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or write a comment on Spotify or Instagram (7:30) Our next episode - E245 - will go live on 18 April (7:45) Matt Ware reported from European Gay Ski Week in Val Thorens (8:00) Zoe Atkin won gold in Ski Halfpipe at the Freestyle World Champ in St Moritz last week (9:45) Zoe discusses her second run strategy (10:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Zoe in Episode 238 (11:45) The Carrick-Smith brothers are supported by The Ski Podcast (12:45) Molly Butler is currently ranked around 150 in the world (13:00) Molly was selected for the World Championships in Saalbach (14:30) Listen to Iain's interview with Martin Bell (17:15) Molly's coach is Emma Carrick-Anderson (17:45) She was brought up in Megeve in France (18:30) Intervals on the bike is a big part of Molly's training (21:30) The challenge of funding (24:00) Iain Innes previously raced slalom and GS for Team GB (30:00) Iain took Chemmy Alcott for a Skimo lesson Ski Sunday earlier this winter (29:00) What is Skimo? (29:15) Why Skimo? (31:30) Iain took part in the Courchevel X3 triathlon (cycling/running/ski touring) in 2022 (33:00) Qualifying for the Olympics (36:30) Iain races with Claudia Chmielowska in the Mixed Team events (38:00) Listen to Iain being interviewed on the Storm Skiing podcast (40:00) Feedback (39:30) I enjoy all feedback about the show, I'm always interested to hear what you think, so please do contact me on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com   Billy Mohan: “Loved Episode 243: great work!” Shon Douglas: "Hugely appreciate your work to keep across all the sustainability improvements taking place across Europe" Andrew Routledge: "Love that the show is so much more than "This is a nice place to ski". Keep on keeping is informed, inspired as well as entertained." James Rice: "Just wanted to shoot you a quick note and say that I also enjoyed your episode with Stuart on his Storm Skiing podcast" There are now 256 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 130 of those were listened to in the last week. If you've enjoyed this episode, why not to go theskipodcast.com, look around the tags and categories – there is so much in there you're bound to find something of interest.  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Follow us. Just take a look for that button and press it now  2) Give us a review or just leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

Today we find out about ‘Going East' – a new ski film from Arc'teryx – which sees a team of four skiers make their way to ski in Italy, Austria, then Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey – all by public transport with not a single flight!  In total they took 35 trains, 24 buses, 7 metro, 2 trams and spend over 140 hours travelling. They had to deal with language differences, connections and passport checks in the middle of the night. At one point they lost one member of their team completely! Yet, when you listen to our conversation, you'll find out why they think "the journey was as important as the skiing itself" and why they'd do it again.  Host Iain Martin was joined by Silvia Moser and Joi Hoffman, two of the athletes who made the film.  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Use the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.  SHOW NOTES Win a pair of Watchtower sunnies from Vallon – simply leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or write a comment on Spotify or Instagram (1:15) Vallon's End of Season Ski Sale is on now with 25-35% off (1:30) Silvia is based in Cortina, Italy (2:30) Iain travelled by train back from Selva Val Gardena (3:15) Joi is based in Innsbruck, Austria (4:30) Watch 'Going East' – the new film from Arc'teryx (5:00) The journey involved taking 35 trains, 24 buses, 7 metro, 2 trams and 140 hours of travelling (8:30) The team used Interrail tickets for their train travel (9:15) How did you carry so much camera kit? (11:30) What about backing up? (12:45) The other two athletes in the film are Loic Isliker and Max Kroneck (14:00) The first stop was Tarvisio, Italy (14:30) Next up was Semmering, Austria (15:30) Find out more about Stary Smokovec in Slovakia (18:15) The team stopped in Caransebeș, Romania (22:15) Arriving in Borovets, Bulgaria was a culture shock (24:30) Travelling on the night train from Sofia to Istanbul (26:45) Max went missing in Ankara! (29:30) In Turkey, the team finished their trip on Mt Hasan (32:00) The editing process (35:45) Watch the movie on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/yzHgzoPEJp4 Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, I'm always interested to hear what you think, so please do contact me on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  There are now 255 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. If you've enjoyed this episode, why not to go theskipodcast.com, look around the tags and categories – there is so much in there you're bound to find something of interest.  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Follow us. Just take a look for that button and press it now  2) Give us a review or just leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.