Podcasts about Scandinavia

What does it really take to build a sustainable career as a performer? In this episode, Alexa is joined by performer and vocal coach Chris Killik for a warm, funny and refreshingly candid conversation about life in the performing arts. From memorable auditions and unexpected career opportunities to versatility, vocal health and the lessons that only come from experience, Chris shares stories from a career spanning musical theatre, Shakespeare, television and stages across Europe. They also explore how our priorities can shift over time, what it means to truly understand your voice, and why sometimes the most important career moments are the ones you never planned for. WHAT'S IN THIS PODCAST?  0:44 What makes a good audition experience?  1:44 Auditions gone wrong 5:49 Chris' journey into performing arts  9:29 What did higher education not teach you? 11:45 What does it mean to be versatile?  16:28 The vocal crash 26:57 Performing in the UK Vs Europe  31:16 Setting up The Educated Voice 35:30 Performing and being a Dad 38:20 The remainder of 2026  About the presenter HERE RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS Royal Academy of Music Mary Hammond Jack Shepherd  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.112 Helping Musical Theatre Singers Build a Reliable ToolboxPhysio Ed Chris Johnson Vocal Coach Jeremy Ryan Mossman Tom Burke Anne Marie Speed Maureen Scott  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.241 Is Your Pelvic Floor Affecting Your Voice? A Deep Dive Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.263 The Creative Juggler: Singer, Songwriter and Teacher  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.197 Backing Adele and Beyond: The Art and Craft of Backing Vocals  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep. Ep.69 Understanding Pregnancy for the Singer and the Self-Employed  Associated Studios   ABOUT THE GUEST  Theatre credits include:Freddie Mercury inFriday Night Fever!(O2 Arena);Wish You Were Dead(National Tour);How to Build a Better Tulipand Return to the Forbidden Planet(Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Redemption Roomand Iconfidant(Online);Andrew Lloyd Webber Gala(European Tour);Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dreamand Much Ado About Nothing(Park Theatre); The Wind in the Willows(Kew Gardens); Private Lives(Playhouse Theatre, Stockholm); Chicago(City Theatre Stockholm);Jesus Christ Superstar(Turku City Theatre, Finland); The Hired Man(Old Laundry Theatre, Windermere); Love Story(Duchess Theatre); Ash(Arcola Theatre);Sail Away(Lost Musicals, Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadler's Wells); Closer Than Ever(Cheltenham Playhouse); Closer(Helsinki Fringe) and Merrie England(Finborough Theatre). Concert credits include:Backing Singer for Elton John's Concert for Diana(Wembley Stadium) and Chess in Concert(Royal Albert Hall). Recording credits include:12 Tenors; Love Story(the musical); and his own original music, of which his debut song 'Who Will You Burn For?' reached no. 3 in the iTunes charts. Vocal Coaching Alongside performing, Christopher is a vocal coach who has studied a wide range of vocal methodologies over the years, weaving together the best of each into a rich, multifaceted approach to teaching singing. He previously founded The Educated Voice, a company that ran five-day intensive courses across Scandinavia, bringing over top West End vocal teachers to deliver cutting-edge training in voice technique to international students. He now runs his own vocal coaching practice from his studio in Walthamstow, London.  Website Instagram: @christopherkillik 

I speak with Morten Bertelsen in this week's episode. Morten is the first team sport psychologist at F.C. Copenhagen supporting players, coaches, and staff in one of Scandinavia's leading football clubs. Morten has worked with the development of people and organisations in many contexts for the past 15 years. His work places particular emphasis on the relational side of performance - exploring how trust, communication, shared understanding, psychological safety and the quality of relationships between players can influence performance under pressure. Morten holds degrees in both psychology from the University of Copenhagen and sport science from the University of Southern Denmark. Across a career spanning more than two decades, he has worked across elite sport, organisational psychology, leadership, consultancy and education. Morten has also held teaching roles at Aalborg University and the University of Copenhagen. Alongside his work in elite football, Morten speaks and consults with organisations, leaders and teams, translating lessons from high-performance sport into practical approaches to leadership, relationships, collaboration and team performance.

In this first episode of the new semester, Jenny chats with the poet and author David Toms, who is originally from Waterford but currently living in Norway. David's memoir, Pacemaker, is both a celebration of walking and a detailing of life with a rare congenital heart condition. His new collection of poetry, Hold Over Fire, is one that explores the links between the poetry of Scandinavia and that of Ireland, as well as themes of home and nature. Playful in its approach to language, it also contains a poem formed around the accounts of Thompson's funeral home in Waterford city. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is flabbergasted by EuroSki. Donate to my brain transplant fund to make me more smarter:WhoIain Martin, founder and host of UK-based The Ski Podcast. YouTube here. This is Iain's second appearance on The Storm:Interview dateSeptember 24, 2026Why I interviewed himIf, like me, you're a U.S. American SnoSportSkier, you may find European skiing more than a little baffling. More than 4,000 ski areas spread over dozens of countries with their dozens of languages. Trams and gondolas pop skyward from every other corner in Switzerland or the Pyrenees or Slovenia, as numerous as the strip-mall vape shops and Jesus-Knows-You're-Watching-Porn billboards defecating all over America's roads. The trail markings in Europe are all different colors. Why is no one skiing off the groomers? Who stole all the trees? Why is every ski lift either a tram that looks CGI'd to transport Storm Troopers to a fictional Star Wars Cloud City or a T-bar that looks as though it was hammered together by Yohan in between sheep shearings? Why is the food good and the alcohol cheap? Why do lift tickets not cost more than a semester's tuition at Cornell? And, most baffling of all as we contemplate the growing presence of EuroSki on U.S.-based multimountain passes, why is every ski resort actually 10 or 15 or 100 different ski areas stapled together as the Valley of Grand Domaine de Les Skis?I wish I could be more helpful in answering these questions. So far, I have not been very helpful. I felt like I could get away with just pointing and laughing as Vail and Alterra added a handful of big-time European ski resorts to their rosters, but the numbers have rapidly spiraled: check out the number of Euro ski areas that have joined Epic, Ikon, and Indy since 2018:At first I tried to keep up, but I just sort of surrendered after 2025. I did manage write-ups of Epic Pass additions in Austria, and new Ikon partners in Italy and France, but I never got past more than cursory acknowledgements of Indy's massive haul of Euro partners from Turkey up through the Alps core to Scotland. And I thought, “OK how many gigantic resorts can they have over there it's gotta stop soon right?” But they just kept coming like kaijū in Pacific Rim. The pass-by-pass totals headed into winter 2026-27 are shocking:Here's a country-by-country breakdown that's a bit easier to read:And here's the detailed roster - not all the lifts are filled in because shoot me:This chart is the European equivalent of American college football rankings. It makes no sense, but it must be fun because so many people do it, right?I tried to make a map but it sorta sucks so I'm going to keep trying. I did use the map as a visual aide in the podcast, which is also and always available in audio-only. But if you want to watch above or on YouTube, our conversation will make marginally more sense as I scroll around beneath Iain's narrative.TranscriptsThere are two transcripts. Both are generated by robots. Both are helpful and defective in their own unique ways. I do not proofread either of them.Transcript 1: Click the “transcript” button at the top of this article. You can only see this transcript on a computer. Because I don't know why exactly but everything is getting better and dumber all at once it seems. Anyway, this is the transcript that the robots create when I upload the podcast to the internet. The cool thing about it is that you can click on any block of text and the audio will teleport there instantly. The uncool thing about this transcript is that it does not indicate who is talking at any given moment. Transcript 2: You can read this below. This is the transcript that Zoom creates as we record the podcast. The cool thing about this transcript is that it indicates who is talking at any given moment. The uncool thing about this transcript is that the timestamps do not match the audio. Also, you cannot click on this text to move to the associated point in the audio.ZoomStuart Winchester: My guest today is the founder and host of The Ski Podcast, a UK-based show that just published its 327th episode.00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:56.000Stuart Winchester: He's also a freelance journalist writing for national and specialized press and the owner of a digital marketing consultancy for snow sports. Ian Martin is my guest. He is a good friend of the storm. He has been on the show before and he is here today to help us make sense of Europe. Ian, how you doing today?00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:02.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I am really well, Stuart. It's really nice to see you, and thank you for inviting me onto the show.00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:07.000Stuart Winchester: Before we get started, what do you got lined up for this winter? When do you start skiing?00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:23.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: My personal first trip will be out to Les Des Alpes ski resort in France, which I'll be doing in early December. But I will actually be skiing not next weekend, but the one after in one of our indoor snow slopes.00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: in the UK. I'll be skiing in the snowy center, Manchester, so I'll get to get my skis on.00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, cool.00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:40.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, that'll be a lot of fun. Yeah, we have the one right over in New Jersey. I was supposed to go a couple of… a couple weeks ago, but I… something came up, and I wasn't able to make it. Alright, so Ian, let me set this up for the listeners.00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.000Stuart Winchester: And, and…00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:54.000Stuart Winchester: as a baseline for what we're dealing with here. So, US-based passes, meaning Epic, Icon, and Indy. There's also one on Mountain Collective, but it overlaps with… there's two on Mountain Collective that overlap with Icon, so I'.00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:59.000Stuart Winchester: So they have added a total of 61 destinations.00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:00.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Mm-hmm.00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.000Stuart Winchester: in 14 European countries.00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:04.000Stuart Winchester: 13 of those are on Epic.00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:06.000Stuart Winchester: Nine are on icon.00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:18.000Stuart Winchester: 39 are on Indy. Uh, so… some of those are unlimited on Epic, some you get 5 days, some you get 7. Icon's a pretty standard 7 days, or 5 days, even with the base pass. Indy is 2 days at each.00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:22.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, 20 of those destinations are in Austria.00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:31.000Stuart Winchester: 12 are in Switzerland. Uh, 8 are in France, and they're all over the place, but those are the countries with the most. So let me… I wanna actually…00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.000Stuart Winchester: Share on my screen.00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:38.000Stuart Winchester: a map that I made that could help us as a little guide, although it's not a…00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:42.000Stuart Winchester: It's not a great map, but I will…00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:46.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, okay. Can you, can you see the map?00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:51.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I… can see the map, yes.00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:52.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, yeah, I couldn't figure out how to make the…00:09:52.000 --> 00:10:04.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, let me just explain this at a high level. So, I couldn't figure out how to make the text smaller, it's very much a work in progress, but, uh, blue is, uh, the names of the ski areas are by country.00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:19.000Stuart Winchester: And the names of the icons are bypassed. So when you zoom down to Austria, it's Epic, Epic, Indy. Uh, Indy's red, Icon's yellow, uh, Epic is blue. This is one where it really helps to watch the video. If not, we'll explain it, and you don't have to.00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:34.000Stuart Winchester: be watching to understand everything. So, uh, looking at this, Ian, and putting aside my, uh, crappy map design skills, and looking at the full of Europe, from above, from space, as we can do in the future here, uh, where do you even start?00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:53.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Well, firstly, I've got to congratulate you on your data. It's just amazing. When you read out all of the different resorts, and the number of countries, and the number of resorts in each country, I've got one of your spreadsheets printed out here, and it's already changed since then. So, staying up to date the whole time is really quite incredible.00:10:53.000 --> 00:11:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: how you manage… how you manage to do that. Um, it is, uh, amazing. In… in respect of the map, there's obviously a lot of ski areas on there, and probably this is going to be better for someone as a research tool.00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:55.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:15.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Now, you mentioned that there are 61 countries in total, 61 ski areas in total that are covered on those different passes.00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And I was thinking about…00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:34.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: what is the best way to kind of go into getting a sense for maybe which ones you should visit? Obviously, it's going to be different for everybody, depending on what kind of pass they have, and I know some people have more than one pass, but I thought that maybe a useful way to do it might be to think of.00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:37.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Let's say the hero trip.00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:41.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Then maybe somewhere you might go.00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:56.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: for a week, and then somewhere that you might visit if you were… if you were touring, or possibly if you're over for work, and you happen to be roughly in that area to give people a sense of, you know, where it might be worth doing a little side trip to while they were doing that.00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:56.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:03.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: So if you are happy with that structure, I could work from that. Okay, cool.00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:01.000Stuart Winchester: I love it.00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.000Stuart Winchester: Full speed ahead. Let's do it.00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Okay, cool. So, I think…00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:26.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: We've seen more Americans coming over to Europe over the last few years, and that is to do with these. That is to do with the passes. No, it's a pleasure. I mean, I talk to everybody when I'm on a chairlift or in a gondola, and if I hear someone who's from the States or maybe from Canada, I'm always interested to know, you know, why they've come over, and predominantly it's because.00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:12.000Stuart Winchester: Sorry.00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:22.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:26.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:46.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: they've got the passes. And, you know, I spent a lot of time in Chamonix last winter, and evidently you get a lot of people in Chamonix. Chamonix is one of the ones on the Icon Pass, I believe, as is Zermatt. Now, Chamonix and Zermatt are two amazing destinations. They really are fantastic. You can see them, actually, on the map that you've got in the video now.00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:46.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:54.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: They're quite close to each other. They're probably about two and a half hours by car apart. You could fly into Geneva for both of them.00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm, okay.00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: They are fantastic resorts, fantastic destinations. They're my two favorites in Europe.00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:02.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:20.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But they're not necessarily going to be suitable for everyone. And the reason I say that is Chamonix is incredible. It's in the middle of a very dramatic valley. You have Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, at 4,800 meters on one side. You can take the Aguille de Midi.00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:21.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:35.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Which is the lift that goes up to 3,800 roughly meters. And ski the Valley Blanche from there. Lots of people will have, you know, heard of that very famous off-piste run. It's incredible just to go up to the Aguirre de Midi.00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:49.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But in terms of the ski areas itself, they're very disparate. They're not connected, uh, in the same way as we might come onto the Three Valleys, uh, you know, shortly. So…00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:44.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:13:49.000 --> 00:14:00.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you've got to put in a bit of legwork if you're going to go to Chamonix. The connections between them generally involve getting a bus, and even if you're staying right in the center of town, you've got to get a bus.00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:52.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: or maybe a train from one end of the valley to ski the five different areas that you have in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. And I think…00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:11.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And I'm not 100%, I'm not the expert on the icon passes, but…00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:26.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The Icon Pass only covers the lifts that are in that area. There's also a couple of areas which are included on your map there, actually, Megeve and Les Contamines. You can get a lift ticket in Chamonix when I stay there that covers all of those.00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:29.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And you can ski over there as well.00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:48.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so Mijeve, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mijeve has been added to the Icon Pass, but it took me so long to sort out even what that meant when they said Mijeve, and even Icon Pass themselves didn't seem to know. We'll get to that mess in a little bit, but Mijeve is on the Icon Pass, uh, you know, along with Shamani, and those are separate buckets of days.00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh so.00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:32.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yep.00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.000Stuart Winchester: Then, like in Tammany, which is part of Mijav, is also on Indy.00:14:52.000 --> 00:15:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, exactly. Megeve isn't really part of Chamonix, but it is covered on that very big pass that you can buy. My point being really that Chamonix is fantastic. It's an amazing town. It has an incredible history.00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:01.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:21.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's where the first Winter Olympic Games are in 1924. You can get really close to, uh, Mont Blanc. You could ski the Vallee Blanche. There are lots and lots of options for, uh, high mountain skiing, but for a more recreational skier.00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:27.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it's perhaps not as good. If we look at Zermatt, another one, yes, yep.00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:39.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, so let me pause one moment on Chamonix first. So, I want to point out, the Icon Pass, for whatever reason, does not cover the Algo de Midi, or whatever, I'm sure I pronounced it wrong, the big tram. How important is it to just pony up, buy that tram ride anyway?00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yes, okay.00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, I mean, we had… we stayed out there for 2 months last winter, and we had lots of friends come to visit us, and with all of them.00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:56.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: we recommended that you go up there. It really is something quite special, being so high, so close to.00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Mont Blanc itself, but also just for the type of visitors we had, who weren't really expert skiers, to get an insight into the high mountain, because you do see skiers who are heading off down the Valley Blanche, and the Valley Blanche is a relatively accessible off-piste run with a guide.00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:07.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: but other skiers who are doing much more hardcore stuff, or climbers who are up there, who are practicing their mountaineering skills. And if you go up the Aguirre de Midi, you get an insight to all of that. I mean, I met some of your American friends who were over, who were.00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:46.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Really going for it, going down the Cosmic. When I met them, going up with some friends to the Aguirre-Midi, they were on their second ascent of the day. They'd already gone up, done the Valley Blanche, come back up, and then they were on their way down Cosmic to stay in a refuge for the night.00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:36.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.000Stuart Winchester: Of course, yeah.00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:51.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I really would recommend it. And yes, it is expensive.00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:03.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it could even be worth just buying that Montblanc Unlimited ticket in advance, because it's dynamic pricing. It's one of those things where if you buy it in advance, it's less expensive than buying it on the day.00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:57.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. And Mont Blanc, just for my listeners, is, I believe, the tallest mountain in Europe.00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, highest mountain in Western Europe. I think it's 4,810 meters.00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, okay.00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:17.000Stuart Winchester: All right, so over to Zermatt.00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Zermatt, I worked a season there as well. Absolutely beautiful place. Zermatt Matterhorn, as it's known. The Matterhorn is the standout attraction. It is just an incredible looking mountain.00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:27.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The village itself, in my opinion, very pretty. Lots of traditional chalets, traditional buildings.00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:39.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:55.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: they have controlled development of it. It's not full of skyscrapers. Without going into the details, there was a proposal to build, you know, one recently that really got it dampened down pretty quickly.00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:02.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: You can only get there by train. It's a car-free resort, which adds to the charm as well.00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:02.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:12.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: really, I would say, if… the only negatives are that it's quite expensive. It is one of the most expensive destinations in Europe.00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: There are a lot of, uh, visitors, a bit like Chamonix, who go there not necessarily to ski, but because they want to go and see the Matterhorn, in the same way that you could go up the Agua de Midi in Chamonix. There's a Gornergrat, uh, cog railway.00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:17.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:27.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:46.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: which will take you up, uh, to a fantastic view looking over, uh, the Matterhorn. So, I guess you're competing a little bit with the non-skiers. The ski area itself is better connected than Chamonix. It goes up high. You've also got lifts of skiing up to 3,800 meters.00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:43.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: at the Klein Matterhorn area.00:18:49.000 --> 00:19:03.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: typically they have summer skiing there as well. It's actually closed this summer for a little while because of the weather, but, you know, it's so high, and because of the glacier, they can offer skiing all year round. So, I really do love Zermatt.00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:56.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The only negative would be…00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:16.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it's expensive, you know, you just gotta face up to that fact if you want to go there, but it has a cachet and a feel to it that I just, uh, love.00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:34.000Stuart Winchester: And one thing this map doesn't show is it does interconnect with Turbinia, which is now on Icon Pass, but separate days. So once you cross, if you use the day of Zermatt, even if it's the same day, you cross into Turbinia, you're using another Icon Pass day. It doesn't really matter for most Americans who are visiting anyway.00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:39.000Stuart Winchester: But what do you think about Slovenia? Is it worth it to pop over there?00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, well, interesting you should mention that. So I picked Chamonix and Zermatt as the first two because they are the most well-known.00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:19:47.000 --> 00:20:02.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But it's not strictly necessary to go to those two places and base yourself there. And you mentioned that, uh, you know, Cervinia is on… did you… did you say Cervinia is on… sorry, which pass again?00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:05.000Stuart Winchester: So, it's on ICON, and the reason I didn't have it…00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah. Okay.00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:12.000Stuart Winchester: called out. It's under Valle de Oesta, Italy, so that includes, uh, Pila, it includes, uh…00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yep.00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:10.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yep.00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:19.000Stuart Winchester: Slovenia, it includes Cormier, it includes some other ones, but I made the map fast.00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:17.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yep.00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:35.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, Stuart, you are… you are very well, uh, informed. You're right. I mean, you can see it on the map that we're looking at below us. You can get from Chamonix to Courmayeur very easily through the Mont Blanc tunnel. It's actually a 22 kilometer tunnel, and we skied over in Courmayeur while we were there. Lots of.00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:30.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, wow.00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:36.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:50.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Chamonix, people who are based in Chamonix do go over there, because, uh, although the ski area is limited, there are more trees over there, you know, on a bad weather day, it's a really good place to ski, and it's included on the Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass. And Courmayeur is right at the top.00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:39.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:59.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: of the Aosta Valley. So where that little yellow, uh, icon is, underneath where it says Val de Aosta, is Courmayeur.00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:53.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:58.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:09.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But the Cormier… if I understand it correctly, then, all of the Aosta Valley resorts are included on the Icon Pass. So, as you say, Cormier… Cormier…00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:07.000Stuart Winchester: Correct.00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:26.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's quite a shishi kind of resort. You'll find lots of Milanese and Turinese will go up there for the weekend. There are lots of very smart shops in the little high street there. There's some very, very good restaurants up there.00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The ski area is not as big, probably, you know, 50km, two, three days for a, you know, a good advanced skier would be sufficient to ski a lot of it. But you can get access up to the Vallee Blanche from the Italian side as well.00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:35.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:59.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And that lift was upgraded a few years ago. And it's very, very impressive. It's much more modern than the Aguirre de Midi. And it has, you know, museums at the mid station and at the top station, which explore the history of mountaineering in the area.00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:49.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:52.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:05.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: So, I would actually say that if someone's, you know, looking to stay.00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: For a week.00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:19.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: and they have an Icon Pass, that the Ossa Valley could be a really good choice. If you had a car as well, because you can then explore Courmayeur, and then you mentioned Chavinha.00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:13.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:18.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:34.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: So, uh, slightly further down the valley, uh, and then up the hill, you mentioned that Shavinia links with Zermatt, and Shavinia is a really good resort. It's high, uh, it has.00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:31.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:45.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Quite wide pistes, quite flattering type of skiing. It has Italian cuisine, as all of the Aosta Valley does. Much.00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:55.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: more affordable than Zermatt, but you could ski over to Zermatt for the day and ski the Zermatt area, uh, as well.00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:50.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:22:55.000 --> 00:23:02.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: So, Chavinha, you know, is great. There's also a smaller resort called La Tuile, uh, in the Aosta Valley as well, which…00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:00.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:09.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it is worth a day or two. That actually links over to a French resort called La Rozier. I doubt.00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:21.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: that would be included, and I don't see it on your list. Uh, and what I do see included a bit further down, we're moving around the map quite a lot, there is an area called Monterosa.00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:22.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: which is on the Aosta Valley as well. Uh, and there's two areas there called Gressenet.00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:41.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: uh, and Alanya, and the skiing in both of those, I believe, is included, uh, within that. And, uh, you know, in Gressenet, uh, and Alanya, there's some quite advanced skiing there, up in Monterosa.00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:41.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:53.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: um, some really good, you know, off-piste, uh, challenging skiing, and in fact, you can do heli-skiing out of those areas. Heli-skiing is banned in France, but it's legal in Italy, so you can ski, and it'.00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, wow.00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:51.000Stuart Winchester: Oh.00:23:53.000 --> 00:24:04.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: legal in Switzerland as well, but you can ski out of Alanya, and heliski up to the mountain called Monterosa, and, uh, you know, access some amazing off-piste from there.00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:58.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:22.000Stuart Winchester: That's incredible. I, you know, for a while, Google Maps took that. I'm looking at the map here and I changed the settings so that the lifts show up. And for a while, Google Maps had taken them off and now they've added them back on. And so you can just really get to see the scale of what's going on in Europe. And I know what Americans are going to want to do.00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:29.000Stuart Winchester: when they look at Chamonix. They're going to want to take the Algomenidae up, and they're going to try to ski down into Italy. Is.00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:50.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, I mean, it is possible. Quite literally, if you did that to the Aguirre de Midi, you could ski, you'd have to ski tour up slightly, and then you could ski down. I wouldn't suggest doing that without a guide. You know, it is feasible to do it, and when last time I went up the, uh, the lift from the Courmayeur side, I saw tracks below.00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:32.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:39.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:24:50.000 --> 00:25:04.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: but it's not a straightforward route. Cormier's 1,200 meters, you know, you can get snow all the way to the bottom, but yeah, it's possible, but definitely, you know, take a guide, I would suggest.00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:57.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:11.000Stuart Winchester: Right. All right, so let's continue with the hero trip here. Where next, Ian?00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:25.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, well, again, if you're thinking about, you know, some of the great resorts in Europe, I'm actually going to pick St. Anton in Austria next, because that is listed on the spreadsheet I'm looking at as Skjalberg.00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:20.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: On the epic, on the epic pass.00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:34.000Stuart Winchester: Right. Yeah. Everything has 10 names there. That's another, that's another reason I, we needed you on here. Um.00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah. Well…00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:41.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, Ski… Ski Aalberg is… so, let's just have a look at where you are. It's gonna be slightly to the, uh, west.00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:39.000Stuart Winchester: There it is. There it is. I found it.00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:59.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, there you go, Ski Aalberg. So, Ski Aalberg… Aalberg is, like, a region of Austria that sits within Tyrol, one of the, uh, the cantons, and in fact, that is quite good, the level that you've got it at right there. You can see, just on the video that I'm looking at, uh, at the moment.00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:44.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, there we go.00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:51.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:55.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:13.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: That you've got St. Anton is sitting almost underneath where it says Ski Aalberg. It's pretty easy to get to.00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:11.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:25.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you can get there… you can fly into either Innsbruck, or you can fly into Zurich. For, you know, I typically travel by train, but, you know, from both of those, it's about an hour and a half or so by train.00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:20.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, roughly, uh, transfer time. A really good train station in St. Anton. And St. Anton…00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:40.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: is an amazing destination. I was lucky enough to learn to ski there, you know, when I was a kid.00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:50.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And I think what… it ticks a lot of boxes. It does have, uh, maybe contrary to some people's impressions, amazing food.00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:26:50.000 --> 00:27:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: There's, like, a Michelin-star restaurant at the mid-station, just above a resort, which is, you know, well worth checking out. But lots of resorts, lots of restaurants in the town as well.00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:54.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:03.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Has legendary apres ski.00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:12.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: There are two bars located opposite each other, which some listeners may have heard of, called the Crazy Kangaroo.00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:12.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And the moose avert.00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:15.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:29.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And these are, like, legendary at the end of the day. Skiers will go there, they'll be dancing on the tables, they'll be, uh, you know, knocking back whatever they can, and then skiing down very, very carefully.00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:18.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:26.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:44.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, to the resort, the remaining, kind of, 500 meters or so. They do actually encourage people to get a bus back, uh, now, uh, if you can, because there is a little bit of a history of… of accidents, but those two, you know, have amazing apres ski.00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:34.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:37.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:42.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:45.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:27:44.000 --> 00:28:00.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Really good restaurants, but the ski area is fantastic. Ski Aalberg covers all of the resorts in that area. On the level of maps on at the moment, you can see over to the left, there's an area called St. Christoph. You can link over to St. Christoph.00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:08.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you can link over to Steuben, quite easy to ski over there, and then just to the north of the map, as we're looking at it at the moment, will be Lech.00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:17.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: which is also part of Ski Aalberg. You know, you can stay in Lech. I tend to favor St. Anton, there's a lot more going on. Lech is a bit…00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:12.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:17.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: how can I put it? Posher, quite frankly. You know, frequented by the Dutch royal family and, uh, and others. You know, the British royal family historically used to go there as well. You can actually ski on Ski Arburg all the way up to that town called.00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, okay.00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Vaath, or Vaath, which is right at the top of the map. That is a very long day, and the connections to there are quite difficult. But it is a…00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, gosh.00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.000Stuart Winchester: You can ski from there to…00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:59.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, you could ski between there and St. Anton and back in a single day. You can get a certificate if you follow the whole route and do it. But it is a very large ski area. But St. Anton itself, really brilliant place to base yourself.00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:46.000Stuart Winchester: You're saying, wow.00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.000Stuart Winchester: Jeez.00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:52.000Stuart Winchester: Unbelievable.00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:53.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:00.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you know, lift connections are really good, the resort is really good, and, you know, that would be one of the reasons I would suggest that.00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And just another kind of equivalent destination for the hero trip. Oh, sorry. Go on. Go on. Yes.00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:18.000Stuart Winchester: Let me just pause and ask you one question about Ahlberg. So, you know, again, Americans are…00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:34.000Stuart Winchester: And that's, I don't want to mean to speak for the whole nation, but they tend to fall into the checklist trap where they're just trying to get to everything. Would you recommend trying to ski from here to there, or would you recommend settling in, kind of enjoying a day at each, or maybe just.00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:27.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Hmm.00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:38.000Stuart Winchester: Seeing where the day takes you, not worrying about all the lifts.00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:53.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I mean, I would only do that for a long way to go. I mean, it's quite a long way to go to Lech and back for the day. And there is a lot of really good skiing in St. Anton. I actually tend to favor the St. Christoph Steuben.00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:50.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:29:53.000 --> 00:30:09.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: area, because it doesn't get skied as much as some of the other areas, and there's a lot to ski there, so you can have peace to yourself, whereas it might be much busier closer to St. Anton. There's actually another area you can see with the lifts that you've got there going slightly south.00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:58.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:10.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:24.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: from St. Anton, that goes to an area called Rendle, which is part of the Ski Arburg area. And, you know, Rendle is another really good ski area that's often underskied. I mean, you could spend a day skiing over there on its own.00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:16.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:30.000Stuart Winchester: Is… is that… is that part of Ski Aalberg? On the Epic Pass? It is? Okay. Okay.00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's part of Schiberg as well, yeah.00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:37.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, great. All right. Anwar, you were gonna tell us about another, I think, Austrian destination.00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, I was gonna go the other… the other very obvious, I would say.00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:40.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Um…00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:44.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Big destination is Verbier.00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Which I believe is also on the Epic Pass.00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:58.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, so Verbier's in Switzerland, quite close to Chamonix. You can drive between Chamonix and Verbier in an hour and a quarter. Again, you'd fly into Geneva.00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.000Stuart Winchester: Ah, yeah, let's…00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:53.000Stuart Winchester: Okay. Oh, there it is.00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:56.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:59.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: really easy to get to from Geneva. You can actually get the train all the way from Geneva Airport direct to the town at the bottom of Verbier, which is called Le Chapelle, and then they have a gondola, which, uh… which you guys call a tram, I think, or, uh…00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:07.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, wow.00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:14.000Stuart Winchester: There.00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:25.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it's a bubble lift, however you want to term it, that goes directly from the valley floor, connects directly out of the railway station and up into Verbier.00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:26.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And, you know, Verbier…00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Brilliant resort. Such an amazing ski area. It's actually listed on there as a Catra Valley, the Four Valleys, and that's because it also includes several other resorts as well, which are called, I think, Lazu… you can just about see them. Lazuma, Nonda.00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:30.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, okay.00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:37.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:48.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: and Vaesuna, which are just slightly to the north there.00:31:48.000 --> 00:32:00.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, so they're all included in that area. It's a big ski area, but Verbier has a lot going on. Uh, again, you know, good apres ski, really good, uh, restaurants, uh, but.00:31:51.000 --> 00:31:52.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Particularly for the more advanced skiers, there's some incredible off-piste there. You know, you can…00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:12.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: um… go off… off the back from the top of Mon4.00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: with a guide, just again, and there's a huge area that can open up there. You can also do heli skiing out of Verbier to access some of the other peaks around there, but you can stay in the inbounds area and still ski a lot of really good off-piste.00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:34.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's high as well, you know, the resort itself is 1600 meters, and I think it goes up to.00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:45.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: 3… 2… I'm not 100% sure about that, but certainly high. So, you know, you have regular snow. I mean, I skied there in the last week of…00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: April last year.00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:47.000 --> 00:33:02.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: and there was still plenty of snow. Um, it's, you know, it's expensive. It's not quite as expensive as, uh, Zermatt. It doesn't have the view of the Matterhorn, but it is one of the world's best ski resorts, for sure.00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:14.000Stuart Winchester: So that's on Epic Pass, and it's, you know, Vail has purchased a couple of ski areas at Kranz, Montana, and Andermatt-Suderun, and it's also… the Epic Pass is unlimited on DeSantis, which is right.00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:23.000Stuart Winchester: contiguous with the Entermeister Druun. If you have the Epic Pass, is it worth trying to do a trip with all of those, or is Verbier enough?00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:32.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And Verbier's definitely enough for a whole week. If you had a car, Cro-Montana isn't very far away, it would probably only take you…00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:28.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:45.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you know, an hour and a bit… I'm gonna say an hour and a quarter, perhaps, to, uh, get there. Cremontana's a big area in itself. It's, um… you know, I've skied there on many occasions, and I really like it. It's not… I've been there…00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:36.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:40.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: On a family holiday.00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:48.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Whereas…00:33:48.000 --> 00:34:05.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I would go to Verbier because I like to ski kind of, uh, steep and off-piste, uh, you know, with a guide. And probably it's too expensive to take a family to. Cromontana is, uh, you know, a bit more, uh, affordable. I mean, it's still a very smart, uh, resort.00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:13.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But if you wanted to explore, you could go there. Amount is a bit more of a stretch in terms of distance.00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:14.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:18.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: You know, if you were on a tour, and you're an Epic Pass holder, you could take it in.00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Now, I'm also a fan of Andermatt. I've been there several times, uh, as well. Again, probably go to Zurich for Andermatt. You can get the train from Zurich in about an hour and a half, something like that. And it's a really interesting story, uh, Andermatt. You know, it used to be…00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Its location is strategically significant in the middle of several valleys. So at once upon a time, it used to be an army base.00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:55.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And then, when the army, uh, withdrew, it kind of went into decline for a long time. And it was bought by, uh, the area was brought by a property developer.00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:50.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:34:55.000 --> 00:35:08.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And ultimately, he built it up, and more recently, Vale Resorts have taken that over. And so there's a lot of new accommodations, some incredibly nice restaurants. Again, more Michelin stars there. I've got a feeling…00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It might have the highest number of Michelin stars per capita for any.00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:16.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: town in the world.00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:26.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, and the skiing itself, you know, again, I've been there with a guide, there's some excellent off-piste skiing, but there's, you know, a good amount of on-piste skiing as well.00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:29.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's a really, it's really appealing area.00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:35.000Stuart Winchester: So you mentioned having a guide many times, and I think that's, you know, in…00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Heh.00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:45.000Stuart Winchester: in North America, we generally only hire guides when we're going outside of the resort, and a lot of folks don't even do it then, if they're confident in their own avalanche.00:35:45.000 --> 00:36:00.000Stuart Winchester: capabilities. In general, everything within resort boundaries in North America is considered to be patrolled and controlled, meaning they'll do avalanche work, and if it's open, you can go in it without a guide. There's a few exceptions where you need transceivers, etc.00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:13.000Stuart Winchester: That's not really the case in Europe, so just from a mentality standpoint, how should skiers approach this when they're going to some of these hero resorts you're talking about, as far as.00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:18.000Stuart Winchester: Considering a guide in essential versus a luxury.00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:36.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Okay, I wouldn't want to mislead you there. I mean, guides are just on my mind, because I like a lot of backcountry skiing, and therefore, I often, you know, go with them. In bounds, you don't need a guide, absolutely not. You know, you can download the app, or get yourself a peace map, and you can.00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:23.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:27.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:58.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: go around the place as much as you want, and, uh, you know, it is fully secured, you've got ski patrol, uh, etc, so you don't need to be concerned about that. It just happens that a lot of the places that I've mentioned so far, you know, do have some of those more interesting off-piste options, and I guess it depends a bit on the listener and, you know, what they're, uh, looking for, but you… you don't…00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: need to have a guide to show you around resorts. I mean, potentially, some of these ski areas are.00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:13.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: significantly larger than they might come across in North America, and therefore.00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:12.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:29.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: it could be a good investment to rent someone or to hire someone to show you around. I mean, back in the day, in the 90s, when I was working in the Alps, I worked for British tour operators, and part of my job was showing guests around the mountains and helping them orientate themselves.00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:38.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And that actually is pertinent, because the next resort I wanted, or area I wanted to mention, was Le Trois Vallees, Le Three Valleys.00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:40.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Which…00:37:39.000 --> 00:37:41.000Stuart Winchester: Also on Epic Pass.00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:45.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: also is on Epic Pass. Now, the three valleys…00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:53.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: probably has a pretty good awareness amongst the North American market. I mean, it is the world's largest ski area.00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:54.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:37:53.000 --> 00:38:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: There's 600 kilometers apiece there, and I work four seasons in the three valleys, three in Meribel and one in Courchevel.00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:57.000Stuart Winchester: Peace.00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:59.000Stuart Winchester: Wow.00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:03.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And it is.00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:14.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: magnificent in terms of scale. There is so much skiing you can do there, and, you know, I worked four winters there. Did I ski every single run, you know, during that time? I doubt it.00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:24.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, because you tend to go back and forth across a lot of them. Uh, you know, there is so much that it's gonna take you well more than a week if you wanted to, uh.00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:19.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:29.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: ski them all, but you could certainly explore the three valleys.00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:39.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: You know, I… it's hard to know exactly which of those destinations to recommend, because it depends on the individuals to…00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:46.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: put it in context, you have three valleys, literally, over, if we were looking on the map, the left-hand side, you would have Courchevel.00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:43.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:49.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The middle, Maribel.00:38:49.000 --> 00:39:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, and the right-hand side, Val Torrens. I think as we look at the map at the moment, it's the opposite way round. So we can see on the left, you've got Val Torrens at the top. That's the highest ski resort in Europe. It's 2,300 meters itself, the resort. Not high by, like, Colorado standards or something like that, but high by European standards.00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:53.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:55.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:08.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:19.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's above the tree line, uh, you know, it's changed a lot in recent years, but there's a lot of apartment accommodation there, there's a lot of nice four- and five-star hotels up there, uh, as well, but it doesn't have.00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:15.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:28.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Like, if you were coming to Europe for the first time, it doesn't have the kind of character, the charisma.00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:22.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:28.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: that some other resorts, let's say, like Verbier, or Zermatt, or St. Anton have, because it's modern, you know, it was built in the 1970s, so it's a purpose-built, uh, resort. Also, in that valley slightly lower down, you have Leymanduia, more.00:39:33.000 --> 00:39:35.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:47.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Prettier, you know, at the bottom, you've got a place called San Martin.00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:49.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The middle valley, Meribel.00:39:49.000 --> 00:40:04.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: that is lots of pretty chocolate box chalets. Uh, you know, I worked 3 years there. It's brilliantly connected. Uh, the resort itself is between 1,400 and 1,800 meters, so it's pretty high.00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:53.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:39:58.000 --> 00:39:59.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And, you know, it's a good…00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:19.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: base, I'd still, if you were thinking about that, I'd still, you know, without wishing to offend any of my friends in Mirabal, and I have very many of them, I'd probably say if you think about a week and you wanted to base yourself somewhere.00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:21.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Maybe Verbier or Saint Anton.00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:33.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: would be a better choice for that. They both have, you know, still big ski areas, and just a little bit more accessibility, uh, you know, overall.00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:25.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:28.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:34.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:39.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Courchevel, again, a resort I love that I worked in for a season.00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:41.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: There's several different…00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:46.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: um, what the French call station, different levels within Courchevel.00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:46.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:40:46.000 --> 00:41:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Courchevel 1850, most people will have heard of. It's a top station. It's at 1850 meters. It is very shishy. Five and six star hotels, 13 Michelin stars.00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:56.000 --> 00:40:58.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:40:58.000 --> 00:41:00.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:13.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: you know, across the resort, it… you can't find… well, I have stayed there in a couple of budget accommodations, but there's not really budget accommodation. You know, if you want to go and…00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: to a resort where you may well end up, you know, sharing a hotel with, I don't know, Leo DiCaprio, or, you know, you might find a member of the British Royals there, or David Beckham, then that's the kind of place to go.00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:32.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:36.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But you're going to have to pay to go along with that. And it has fantastic skiing.00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:35.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:37.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:38.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But again.00:41:38.000 --> 00:41:45.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: if you're only coming for a shorter period of time, I'd be inclined to mention a couple of the other resorts I mentioned, plus…00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:54.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I want to mention Valdezare as well, but I don't think Valdezare is on any of the collective passes, is it?00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:58.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm. Uh, is it part of one of these bigger…00:41:58.000 --> 00:41:59.000Stuart Winchester: Domains or.00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:05.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: No, it is not. I mean, there is a, uh… so it's not going to come up on your map.00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: But Valdisera is a brilliant…00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:24.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: uh, resort, which does give you traditional skiing, a pretty village, a huge, uh, ski area that links up to Teen, where they have a glacier, so you can kind of guarantee that you're going to be able to get skiing. Skiing goes up to 3,500 meters there.00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:10.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:25.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:41.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And I met Americans there, so Americans certainly know about it. I met a family from, you know, Florida who were in the Folly Deuce, who were enjoying themselves in the VIP area and very kindly, you know, offered us some of their champagne.00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:29.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:42:41.000 --> 00:42:53.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: uh, at the time. You know, Founders Area is a brilliant resort, not covered on any of those passes. That doesn't mean that it's not necessarily going to be, you know, a good option, uh, for you. You know, lift tickets.00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:43.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:42:53.000 --> 00:43:07.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: are going to be, you know, dirt cheap compared to the States, but maybe still, like, 80 euros a day, or something like that, you know, overall, but a really good ski area. So those are all… I think we've covered all of the, kind of, the bigger.00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:00.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:08.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:18.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: kind of places there, unless you've got any other questions in relation to any of them. Oh, no, hold on! We've missed one! We've missed one! Dolomitiski!00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:15.000Stuart Winchester: No. Yeah.00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:16.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:19.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:21.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: That's on Icon, isn't it?00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:35.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, well, Dolomiti Super Ski is on Icon, Skirama Dolomiti is on Epic. They each have, like, 100 ski areas, it seems like, so… yeah, this is how they're pitched to us. I don't know how you want to make sense to them on the ground… of them on the ground.00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah.00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:34.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah.00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:51.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, okay, let's talk Dolomiti superskis. That's where the Winter Olympics were last year. Milan Cortina. Cortina is in the Dolomites. And it is a huge superski area, you know, depending how you do the definitions, it's larger.00:43:37.000 --> 00:43:39.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:40.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:43.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:45.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:50.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: than L'Etoile Vallee.00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:54.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:56.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Uh, but…00:43:56.000 --> 00:44:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Sometimes that means getting a bus in between. Uh, it is…00:43:58.000 --> 00:44:00.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:13.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It is great. You could fly into Innsbruck, you could fly into Venice, you can combine that with a trip to Venice, or maybe Verona, or Milan. They're all about equidistance from the Dolomiti Sufski.00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:16.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: It's visually accurate.00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:31.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Absolutely stunning. The Dolomites are just an amazing mountain range. I found myself when I was skiing in Val Gardena, which we'll come to right in the middle of your map at the moment, just being distracted.00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:18.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:23.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:43.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: I'm looking at the mountains, because they're just so gorgeous. I'm skiing down this piste. You know, looking at this mountain, thinking, oh my god, this is just amazing. And then on top of that, you know, you have.00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:36.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:41.000Stuart Winchester: Yah.00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:58.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Italian cuisine, Italian prices, you know, yeah, Cortina's the most expensive. Again, quite a lot of, uh, you know, Milanese would go up there for the weekend, but, you know, overall, Selva, again, roughly around the middle of your, uh, map at the moment. Yeah, really…00:44:57.000 --> 00:44:58.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:06.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Really good value, you know, considering it's a really good access point for a fantastic ski area.00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:01.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:09.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And it has…00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:16.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: The Superski is not a misnomer. It is a very large ski area.00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:13.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:27.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: And there's some amazing circuits that you can do there. So I would probably recommend, if you were thinking about it, Cortina or Silva Val Gardena would be the two best places to locate yourself.00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:37.000Stuart Winchester: And do you like Superski over Vail's Skirama Dolomiti group? And again, I've dug in a little bit, but I didn't include on this map what that…00:45:37.000 --> 00:45:42.000Stuart Winchester: contains, and I dropped the pin here on, uh, Campo Carlomagno, but…00:45:42.000 --> 00:45:46.000Stuart Winchester: It includes a lot of things in, you know, almost equal.00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:58.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah, I'm gonna have to put my hand up and say I don't know that area as well. I haven't actually skied there myself. It is, to my mind, and I can check your stats because I've got it in front of me, you're saying it's roughly the same skiable area.00:45:48.000 --> 00:45:49.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:01.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Right. Was that the vertical drop?00:45:59.000 --> 00:46:01.000Stuart Winchester: That's the stats that…00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:04.000Stuart Winchester: or on the Epic Pass website.00:46:03.000 --> 00:46:04.000Iain - The Ski Podcast: Yeah.00:46:04.000 --> 00:46:06.000Stuart Winchester

“These small practices can make you mindful and make your mind recharged. And I think that's what retreat is. To really slow down and just be within yourself.” What happens when we step away from everyday life and create space to truly practice the inner, still and silent, yoga? In today's conversation, I speak with yoga teacher and retreat leader Himangee Raviya about yoga retreats, sadhana, meditation, and the deeper meaning of yoga.Himangee shares how yoga became a constant in her life, how she came to lead retreats across India, and why a retreat can offer a powerful container for going deeper into practice. We explore  Raja Yoga and Bhakti YogaThe relationship between asana and meditationThe role of nature and setting in retreatWhy real yoga practice continues even when we return to everyday lifeHimangee also shares simple ways to create your own retreat at home, including morning journaling, breath awareness, yoga, nourishing food, yoga nidra and intentional time alone.For yoga teachers, she offers advice on starting a retreat with a small group of students and shares what she has learned in her own retreats.I loved this conversation about slowing down, coming home to yourself, deepening your sadhana and discovering that retreat can be a practice, not just a destination. Find Himangee on Instagram: @HimangeeAnd if you're still considering, we have two rooms remaining for our Yog Sadhana Retreat Sri Lanka, February 1-8 2027. Special discounts for members of a Curious Yogi Online Community. Come study, play and live your yoga beyond the ordinary. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 

Stu Levitan welcomes Madison's musical Renaissance man Ben Sidran, making his fourth appearance on Madison BookBeat, to talk about his new book Cool Cat Blues: The Life and Times of Georgie Fame (Equinox). And what a life and what times, a musical career with commercial and creative success from 1958 to 2022. Touring pianist and singer with rock and roll legends Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent at 16. Leading one of the leading British R&B group of the early sixties, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames  -- the only UK band to tour with the Motown Revue in 1965. Being the only artist to twice knock the Beatles out of the top spot on the UK music charts, with the Blue Flames and as a solo pop singer. He financed the hip Bag O'Nails Club in Soho, where Paul and Linda McCartney met at one of his gigs  and where Jimi Hendrix gave his first official London performance, featuring the drummer, Mitch Mitchell, whom Fame had recently fired.  Then he became a respected jazz singer and songwriter. In the 1990s, charter membership in former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and an intense ten-years as touring musical director for Van Morrison. A big band singer so popular in Scandinavia he lived for a while in Sweden, he also toured regularly in Australia with the Aussie Flames. A discography that encompasses  14 live albums, 50 singles and 34 studio albums – including three on the Go Jazz Records label. Plus scandal and tragedy both arising from the British noblewoman Nicollete Marchioness of Londonderry, whom he married in 1972 after she bore his child while married to the Marquis of Londonderry, and who jumped off a bridge to her death 21 years later.  Quite a life for the man born Clive Powell in late June, 1943 in northwest England, Lancashire county, a land of coal mines and textile mills. And holiday camp singing contests that can send a 16-year-old apprentice cotton weaver into musical history. There's no one better to tell Georgie Fame's story than his friend and colleague, Madison's own, Ben Sidran. He's performed and recorded with Georgie, traveled with him, signed him to his Go Jazz Records label and produced three albums. To list all of Ben's accomplishments would occupy the entire show, so I'll just note this appearance on Madison BookBeat, follows episodes on his books The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma, about the colorful and successful  music producer; There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream, about those three things, and his memoir A Life in the Music. As George Wein, the legendary founder of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival once told me, “Now Ben Sidran – he writes real books.” It is always a pleasure to see, and a special pleasure to welcome to Madison BookBeat, our friend Ben Sidran.

Strange Denmark and Scandinavia - Fae, Haunted Castles, Trolls and More - Steve Stockton welcomes Danish school teacher Qiriye to discuss haunted castles, the fae, and more from Scandinavian region.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

In this episode, a conversation with broadcaster and writer James Crawford, author of The Vanishing Earth: A Journey Through the Last Days of Abundance, a deeply reported journey into the scarred landscapes of global extraction. Humanity has remade the Earth with astonishing speed. In the last fifty years alone we have taken more out of the planet than in all prior history combined. Across every continent lie the immense wounds left behind by extraction: the mines, quarries, poisoned rivers and hollowed-out towns that now form the true map of our civilisation and our age. Everything we touch – rock, metal, sand, water, even thought itself – feeds the reckless dream pursuit of limitless economic growth. Born into a family and landscape steeped in fossil fuels, James Crawford travels through the living ruins of extraction and meets the people living within its extremes: exploring the radioactive fertiliser-ziggurats of Florida's Bone Valley, the lithium flats of the Atacama, Greenland's collapsing melt-edge, the desertified shores of Spain's Sea of Plastic, and the resource-hungry cloud centres birthing new artificial intelligences, to expose the true cost of this hollowed-out dream. Yet within these same landscapes lie radical alternatives. Hope emerges in the communities waging legal battles to leave oil untouched beneath the rainforests of Ecuador and the wildfire-stricken plains of Montana; technologists attempting to reverse extraction on Iceland's tundra; and architects raising wooden skyscrapers amid Scandinavia's felled forests – finding the path to repair for a world pushed to the brink. Incisive, immersive and visionary, The Vanishing Earth exposes the ideological forces that have shaped the planet and charts the essential pathways that could yet save it. Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761382116/the-vanishing-earth--james-crawford--2026--9781761382116

Thinking about buying a home on the French Riviera?Welcome to Avenue Gustave V, your insider guide to buying property in Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Côte d'Azur.Created for international buyers from the US, UK, Scandinavia and beyond, this short-form podcast takes you behind the scenes of the Riviera property market — beyond the glossy listings and sea-view photographs.From making an offer and understanding French agency fees to working with a notaire, financing a purchase, choosing the right neighborhood and understanding the real cost of owning a home in France, we explain what international buyers really need to know.Expect practical advice, local insights and the kind of details you usually discover only after spending years in the market.Whether you're looking for a pied-à-terre in Nice, a second home in Cannes, a villa on Cap d'Antibes or a private retreat overlooking the Mediterranean, we'll help you navigate the French property market with confidence.Real estate. Riviera lifestyle. Local expertise.

Derek Scally talks to Hugh about  the aftermath of two elections that have recently taken place: the Swedish general election and regional elections in the Gerrman region of Saxony-Anhalt. Each offers some fascinating insights into current trends and future directions in Germany and Scandinavia, and perhaps more broadly in Europe. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year on from one of ChewintheCud's most talked-about episodes, Ian Garner, Head of R&D at Antler Bio, returns to take epigenetics from theory into practice on real dairy farms.This time the conversation turns to application. John Walsh, Director at Friars Moor Livestock Health and a dairy farmer running 250 cows through four robots, joins to share how his practice used the ADOPT grant to fund EpiHerd testing across three of its own vets' farms. He walks through what the process actually involves on farm, from blood sampling to waiting on results, and how the trial came about in the first place.Ian explains how Antler Bio's database has grown since last year, now spanning farms across the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Canada, and how that extra scale is sharpening the picture on signatures like vitamin D. Sarah and Andrew press both guests on cost, return on investment, and how quickly farmers can expect results back once samples are taken.For John's own herd, an early look at the results already has inflammation, immunity and protein metabolism high on the list to act on, with a full results meeting still to come. It is a candid look at what it actually takes to bring epigenetics onto a working dairy farm, warts and all.This episode was recorded in August 2026, and all information was correct at the time of recording. Please note this transcript was generated using AI transcription software. Despite best efforts to ensure accuracy, there may be some errors in the final piece.Has your herd's genetics ever felt like it was underperforming its potential?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it with someone in the industry, and leave us a review.Send us Fan MailFor more information about our podcast visit www.chewinthecud.com/podcast or follow us on Instagram @chewinthecudpodcast, or on Facebook and LinkedIn as ChewintheCud Ltd . You can also email us at podcast@chewinthecud.com.

Abrimos con los tres discos favoritos de Mundofonías de septiembre del 2026, a cargo del Cuadra Collective, desde Escandinavia, del trío libanés Tilt y del artista afgano de cultura tayika Panjshanbe Maftun. Continuamos con más ritos, ecos, encuentros y experimentos sonoros, que nos llevan por Bulgaria, Bélgica o la India, y enlazan Norteamérica con Turquía e Irán, Polonia con Hungría, Grecia con Noruega y el Líbano con Italia, Turquía y Grecia. We open with the three Mundofonías' favourite albums of September 2026, by Cuadra Collective, from Scandinavia, the Lebanese trio Tilt and the Afghan artist of Tajik culture Panjshanbe Maftun. We continue with more rites, echoes, encounters and sonic experiments, which take us through Bulgaria, Belgium and India, and connect North America with Turkey and Iran, Poland with Hungary, Greece with Norway and Lebanon with Italy, Turkey and Greece. Favoritos de septiembre September favorites – Cuadra Collective - Preludium - Väst – Tilt - Khayāl - Wasm – Panjshanbe Maftun - Che che afghani - Made in Lyublino: Afghan songs Ritos y ecos Rites and echoes – Rite of Strings - Xur [+ Ismail Lumanovski] - Dust and the Moon – Echoes of Zoo - Higher levels - Collective intelligence – Etherea - Ayde mome da begame - Ayde mome da begame [single] – Balogh Melinda, Erdőfű, Janusz Prusinowski Kompania - Csíkos | Pasiak | Kozak od Pawelczyka - Miedza | Mezsgye | Balk – Tokso - Amethystos - Patchworks – Lamia Yared - Ben seni sevdim seveli - Zalzalian crossings – The Hamira Brothers - Jhirmir barse megh - Rang mahal

Start your free trial of Perplexity Computer today at pplx.ai/wartimestories and experience the next phase of AI. #ad Get firearm security redesigned and save 10% off @StopBoxUSA with code WARTIMESTORIES at stopboxusa.com/WARTIMESTORIES #stopboxpod #ad The remote forests of Scandinavia have been home to stories of strange creatures and ancient spirits for centuries. For the soldiers who train and stand watch in these isolated places, some of those old legends can feel uncomfortably close. Drawn from firsthand accounts shared by Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish servicemembers, these stories describe enormous figures moving through snowy forests, mysterious creatures stalking military training areas, and encounters with the strange “little people” of Nordic folklore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Temple Dedications Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple – #220 Dedication on August 16th, presided by Dallin Oaks Elder Oaks visited in 1998, 2005, and 2007 Interview: Choose Brazil over 6-8 other temples. Brazil recently became the country with the second most members Dedicatory Prayer Temple District: 13 stakes and 2 districts Open house attended by 20,000 visitors Cleveland Ohio Temple – #221 Dedication on August 16th, presided by David Bednar Temple District: 4 stakes Location in Independence: 15 minute drive for all stakes Two temples nearly 200 years apart Oldest Temple and newest Temple  Dedicatory Prayer San Diego California Temple – #45 Rededicated on August 23rd presided by D Todd Christofferson Tank tops! Originally dedicated in 1993 with 23 dedicatory sessions over 6 days Open house attended by 720,000 visitors in 1993 (six weeks) 300,000 visitors in 2026 (3 weeks) Rededicatory Prayer Temple District: 16 stakes Temple Open House Begins Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple – #222 Media day on August 11th, attended by Gerrit Gong Tradition of temples in Cambodia Interior Photos released  traditional Cambodian textiles, local flora and cultural symbols motifs draw inspiration from kbach patterns common in local silverwork, furniture, murals and pottery Dedication: August 30, 2026, presided by Patrick Kearon Dedicatory Prayer Temple District: 2 Stakes, 5 districts in Cambodia and Vietnam Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple Media Day on August 24th Interior Photos Released Monja Blanca: in addition to being Guatemala's national flower, it's a symbol of peace, resilience, beauty and spiritual calm. The name, “white nun orchid” in English, comes from the shape of its petals, which look like a nun in prayer, wrapped in a white robe. Paintings of local Volcanos in guatemala Cody Wyoming Temple Media Day on August 24th Interior Photos Released “Inspiring the exterior designs was the city's historic Sheridan Avenue — including crenellations and bracketed detailing — as well as Romanesque revival architecture, which is found throughout Wyoming, especially in religious buildings.” “Art-glass windows showcase the green foliage and vibrant-red blossoms of the Indian paintbrush, Wyoming's state flower, viewed from above. Decorative paint throughout the temple combines the repeating stamp patterns of Sheridan-style leather, local wildflowers and foliage, and stylized forms of the aesthetic movement.” Local Artist featured in temple Lobby To be dedicated by Clark Gilbert on October 25th Ephraim Utah Temple Media Day on August 31st Workhorse temple to the showhorse Manti Temple Interior Photos Released The forget-me-not and oxeye daisy, for example, are flowers long cherished in Scandinavia and integrated into the design of the Ephraim temple. Wheat motifs are also prevalent through the building, a nod to the historic Ephraim Relief Society Granary Temple Dedications Announced Torreón Mexico Temple Media Day: October 19th Open House: October 22 to November 7th Dedication: November 22, 2026 by Gary Stevensen Pago Pago American Samoa Temple Media Day: November 2nd Open House: November 4-21 Dedication: December 13, 2026 by Quentin Cook Temple in Apia Samoa closing on December 23rd Fort Worth Texas Temple Media Day: November 2nd Open House: November 7 to 21st Dedication: January 10, 2027 by ? NEW Anchorage Alaska Temple Current Temple to Close on March 22, 2027 to be demolished and replaced with a new meetinghouse. Media Day: May 10, 2027 Open House: May 13 to May 29th Dedication: June 13, 2027 Temple Groundbreaking Ceremonies Santos Brazil Temple Held August 1st, presided by Ronald M. Barcellos Naga Philippines Temple Held August 8th, presided by Steven D. Shumway Huntsville Alabama Temple Held August 15th, presided by John D Amos Tulsa Oklahoma Temple Held August 22nd, presided by Pedro X. Larreal Victoria British Colombia Temple Held August 22nd, presided by James E. Evanson Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple Held August 29th, presided by Hutch U. Fale Temple Groundbreakings Scheduled Colorado Springs Colorado Temple Scheduled for September 12th, presided by Karl D. Hirst Barcelona Spain Temple Scheduled for September 19th, presided by James W. McConkie III Vienna Austria Temple Scheduled for October 17th, presided by Michael Cziesla  Iquitos Peru Temple Scheduled for October 10th, presided by Sandino Roman Rendering Released: 20,000 square foot, white, center forward steeple, sloped room and pyramid top. Temple Rendering Released Charlotte North Carolina Temple 30,700 square foot temple, granite, pewter roof and top, arched windows Temple Site Announced Queen Creek Arizona Temple 15.5 acre site southeast of the intersection of Ryan Road and Euell Drive, between Meridian Road on the west and Ironwood Road on the east.  Located in Queen Creek, on the Pinal County side. Church Property and Property Reserve land totals 518 acres.  82,000 square foot temple and meetinghouse planned Construction Updates Fairbanks Alaska Temple Portable modules installed San Juan Puerto Rico Reopens after 5 month renovation  Includes new entrance portico to protect from rain storms, better air conditioning,  Cali Colombia Temple No damage after serious earthquake Cuernavaca Mexico Temple Appears to be delayed by government and community concern about cutting down trees without a study of impact.  Lehi Utah Temple Excavation and Parking lot construction well underway  Still no Groundbreaking announced Mountpelier Idaho Temple Open house September 10-26 Paris Tabernacle open late in the season to tours during open house Heber Valley Utah Temple September 4th arguments at the Utah Supreme Court The post Controversies Abound – Temple Ticker – 1067 appeared first on The Cultural Hall Podcast.

The cunning folk of Europe were healers, diviners, charmers, and magical specialists who occupied a curious middle ground between medicine, religion, folklore, and witchcraft. Known by many regional names—including wise women and men, kloka healers in Scandinavia, saludadores in Spain, and figures such as the Italian benandanti—they were consulted for everything from illness and infertility … Continue reading Episode 525: The Cunning Folk of Europe

**Contains very strong language/Tavern talk**Were runes really magical symbols used by Viking sorcerers? Or were they the everyday handwriting of merchants, lovers, pilgrims and children?From their mysterious origins and Viking Age memorial stones to medieval shopping lists, love letters and graffiti, runes recorded the lives of ordinary people across Scandinavia, Anglo-Saxon England, and beyond.Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Tom Birkett to uncover the remarkable history of one of Europe's oldest writing systems.MOREOrigins of EnglishListen on AppleListen on SpotifyThe Mysterious Voynich ManuscriptListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcastHistory Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™Want even more Gone Medieval? Watch Matt and Eleanor's new film Medieval Summer on History Hit. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/medicine Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Standardizing Sex: A History of Trans Medicine (U Chicago Press, 2025) traces the emergence of trans medicine in Scandinavia in the twentieth century, exploring the construction and negotiation of medical expertise among medical professionals, patients, and activists in the media and government bureaucracy. The book combines the author's analysis of medical records and other archival sources with oral history interviews with former patients, activists, doctors, psychologists, and civil servants. Physician-historian Ketil Slagstad uses the Scandinavian story of sex reassignment to anchor not only the role of the state but also bureaucracy and social rights. Scandinavian countries, he shows, played a foundational role in the emergence of trans medicine internationally. As a result, Standardizing Sex tells a transnational history of medicine that sheds light on a set of relations and problems that continue to impact discussions of trans medicine and trans rights around the world.Slagstad's sources offer a rare opportunity to explore the emergence of trans medicine in action in the clinic, laboratory, waiting room, and operating room, as well as in the bureaucrat's office, on the psychologist's couch, and in the publications and meetings of activist groups. Together, these sources allow for the analysis of the increasingly complex negotiations of nosological criteria, medical knowledge, and medical practices in a formative period for transgender medicine. More generally, the book offers a story about the reshaping of the normal and the pathological in modern societies. Ketil Slagstad is a research fellow at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at Charité: Universitätsmedizin Berlin.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As we're focusing on the Folklore of the Skies this month, it seemed only right to start with a celestial phenomenon that becomes a lot easier to see as the nights draw in. Yes, we're looking at the northern lights, or aurora borealis. Annoyingly, I am yet to see the northern lights. The one time they were visible with the naked eye across the whole of the UK, I was in bed with a migraine. I know, I know, strange lights in the sky, with one individual unable to see them, is how Day of the Triffids starts. We will focus on folklore from Britain and Scandinavia. There are Indigenous legends, but they're not mine to tell. But if you're reading this and you're Indigenous, please feel free to share anything you feel called to share in the comments! Let's explore the aurora borealis and its folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Donate to the Nepal Disaster Relief Fund: https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/ Find the images and sources used on the associated blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/northern-lights-in-folklore/ Watch my chat with Ùna Maria Blyth: https://youtu.be/euu7P8Be4VE Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Get weekly articles and bonus content at Substack: https://fabulousfolklore.substack.com/ Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Find the Fabulous Folklore Bookshop, Icy's social media links, and other useful bits at: https://icysedgwick.com/start-here

In this week's episode, we welcome a European invasion on the podcast with a panel of hammock campers from all over Scandinavia. We welcome Ann-Catrin from Norway, Caroline and Jan from Sweden, and we welcome back our good friend and Young Dane Christian from Denmark. During the episode we take a look at their experience from the Danish Outdoor Festival and Hangcon Europe. We also dive into the global hammock community and how things may be different and the same. Another topic of discussion, how do we continue to grow this global community that we all love so much and what hurdles we see that may be hindering hammock camping from becoming more mainstream. So, sit back and enjoy all the new voices and stories from across the pond

In the late 160s AD, the Roman armies of Marcus Aurelius recruited large numbers of troops from the islands east of Jutland, in what is now Denmark. After Marcus' death in 180, his German campaigns were abandoned and the Romans withdrew to the Danube. Some of the demobilised troops returned north and ‘revolutionised their cultural world', as Michael Kulikowski wrote recently in the LRB, ‘by adapting the lessons they had learned in Roman service'. On this episode, Michael joins Tom to discuss his review of an ‘extraordinary book' by Dagfinn Skre, ‘which gives Scandinavia an ancient history for the very first time'. There is no written record of the period, ‘no text to impose its tyranny of words', but the proxy evidence – coins, arms, stones, seeds – ‘converges on the existence of a late second-century watershed that produced a complete transformation in Scandinavian society in response to interaction with Rome'. Whether or not a pair of polar bears made it to the Colosseum, however, remains an open question. Read Michael's piece: https://lrb.me/kulikowskipod From the LRB Subscribe to the LRB: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/subslrbpod Close Readings podcast: ⁠https://lrb.me/crlrbpod⁠ LRB Audiobooks: ⁠https://lrb.me/audiobookslrbpod⁠ Bags, binders and more at the LRB Store: ⁠https://lrb.me/storelrbpod⁠ Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone who is new to modern Heathenry has probably already encountered the eddas, sagas, and histories of the Nordic world.  Join your host for a short walk through what these are, why they matter, and more!Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfiI am teaching classes in Heathen spirituality!  You can find out more and sign up at www.onblackwings.com/classes

This week, after a brief look at the stupid, stupid future of Golf, we journey to Scandinavia for the tale of Wet George. Suggested talking points: Golf With Sidequests, Bath Taxi, Breaking New Dum-Dum Ground, Bad at Existing but Really Good at Knots, A Rich Minefiled Check out Gordie's TTRPG, Mythomorphosis If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.patreon.com/carmandaartsthings If you like our show, find us online to help spread the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Support us on Patreon to help the show grow at www.patreon.com/wtfolklore. You can find merchandise and information about the show at www.wtfolklorepodcast.com.

Emmet Kennedy visits Ballydoyle as Aidan O'Brien opens the doors to one of the most famous training establishments in world racing and talks through his potential team for Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown and the Curragh. With seven Group 1 races across the two-day meeting, O'Brien makes clear just how important the weekend is to Ballydoyle: “Everything leads to this.”

A Swedish band nobody outside Scandinavia ever heard live sounds like it was mixed by people who actually understood 80s post-punk instead of just imitating it. This episode, guest Darren Leach brings his first pick from the 2000s: Cut City's 2007 debut Exit Decades, a nine-song, 34-minute record that channels Joy Division, The Sound, and early Interpol while arriving a few years after the post-punk revival's commercial peak. We dig into the mechanical-versus-expressive tension in the arrangements, the mix that lets every instrument breathe, and why the album might be missing the one quirky vocal hook that made its peers famous. If you love Interpol, Editors, Bloc Party, or 2000s post-punk revival, this episode is for you.Highlights:01:49: Darren introduces Cut City and the album08:51: The mechanical/expressive dynamic breakdown19:05: The mix and bass discussion26:49: What doesn't fully land on the record33:09: The post-punk revival timeline37:41: Ratings revealedSubscribe to Dig Me Out at digmeoutpodcast.com | Join the community at dmounion.com Have a lost or forgotten album that deserves the spotlight? Suggest it here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.digmeoutpodcast.com/subscribe

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner: The South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s–1920s (Northern Illinois University Press, 2026) tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Aebhric O'Kelly speaks with Christoffer Mäkitalo, a Swedish ambulance and anaesthesia nurse whose career spans remote prehospital care, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency, military medicine and repeated training deployments to Ukraine.For Christoffer, prolonged care is not an unusual operational scenario. After 20 years working in northern Sweden, long response and transport times are part of routine ambulance practice. A call may involve a 45–60-minute response, followed by several hours of transport to a hospital capable of providing the required definitive care. With limited ambulance and helicopter resources covering enormous distances, clinicians must continually balance clinical need, transport decisions and system availability.The conversation then moves to Ukraine, where Christoffer has worked alongside Tactical Medicine North to support the development of TCCC, Combat Lifesaver, Combat Medic/Corpsman, instructor, blood resuscitation and ultrasound training. His next deployment will include piloting a two-day prolonged field care programme aimed at the CLS level.A central theme is that the changing battlefield requires prolonged casualty care skills to move further forward. Casualties may remain with combat lifesavers and medics for extended periods, making seemingly basic nursing interventions, keeping patients clean, dry and warm, managing elimination, monitoring wounds and preventing complications, increasingly important. As Christoffer puts it, many combat lifesavers had no healthcare background before the war; skills clinicians consider obvious must therefore be deliberately taught.Chapters00:00 – Introduction: Christoffer MäkitaloTwenty years of prehospital medicine, military nursing and civil defence work in northern Sweden.01:41 – When Prolonged Care Is Just Normal CareWhy one-hour-plus evacuation timelines are an everyday reality for ambulance clinicians in northern Sweden.03:44 – Medical Training in UkraineChristoffer's repeated deployments and the evolution from basic TCCC towards instructor development, blood resuscitation and ultrasound.06:20 – Taking Prolonged Casualty Care to the CLSPiloting a two-day prolonged field care programme and why these skills need to move beyond highly trained medical personnel.09:16 – Nursing Skills on the Modern BattlefieldWound care, hygiene, keeping casualties dry and warm, elimination and other fundamental care when evacuation is delayed.11:34 – The Battlefield Has ChangedWhy assumptions based on rapid evacuation and air superiority no longer reflect the realities being reported from Ukraine.12:56 – Sweden's Civil Defence and Resilience AgencyHumanitarian operations, international deployments and supporting UN and EU missions around the world.17:12 – Working as a Swedish Combat NurseCombining civilian clinical practice with military medicine 19:49 – Remote Ambulance Medicine in Northern SwedenWorking with limited resources, long distances and the need to become an effective clinical problem-solver.23:28 – When HEMS Is Not AvailableDeciding when to request helicopter support and the operational challenges of weather, icing and enormous geographical coverage.26:23 – Cross-Border Rescue and EvacuationCooperation with Norwegian and Finnish services and the capabilities available across Scandinavia.27:28 – The Swedish Ambulance NurseEducation, scope of practice, anaesthesia training and differences between civilian and military clinical capabilities.30:36 – Treat, Release or Transport?Why does transporting every patient simply not work when one ambulance journey can take six to eight hours?33:26 – Fixed-Wing EvacuationMoving patients over long distances for specialist and critical care unavailable locally.35:14 – Advice for the New Austere ClinicianCuriosity, humility, lifelong learning and finding the area of medicine that genuinely matters to you.

Few things make Irish people feel more inadequate than being told how well everything functions in Scandinavia. We are constantly told about their education systems, its welfare system and its work-life balance.But have we got it wrong?On Free State, Philip O'Connor, who has been based in Sweden since 1999, talks to us about the upcoming election in Sweden.He explains the rise of the Sweden Democrats and how a party with Neo-Nazi origins may now hold the balance of power.He also tells us how they did it, how they switched from talking about race to talking about culture even if their message is the same. And he explains why Ireland should be concerned.A reminder that on Sept 3rd, Free State will be live in Belfast with Paul Howard to talk about his brilliant new book ‘A Nation Once Again'. Book your free ticket here - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-free-state-podcast-live-paul-howard-in-conversation-tickets-1998226075984?aff=oddtdtcreator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Practice is knowing moment to moment that your only purpose is to be at peace.” In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend and fellow seeker, Ritambhara (Reta), to explore the heart of meditation and what it truly means to live from the unchanging truth of who we are.Reta has been on this path of sadhana and self-inquiry for 50 years, and she shares her lived experience and knowledge as our conversation moves from personal stories of friendship to deep yogic wisdom. We chat about why the external search for freedom so often leaves us feeling unfulfilled, and how sadhana returns us to clarity. If you've been mechanically going through your practice or wondering how to drop the struggle and anchor into real inner peace, this episode is a loving reminder that the freedom you're looking for is already right here.In this episode, we unpack:The Restless Search: Why travelling the world or achieving worldly success still leaves an inner longing, and how that restlessness leads us back to our true home.The Power of the Witness (Sakshi): Learning to shift identity away from the noisy, changing mind and rest in the silent Knower.Sadhana as a Way of Life: How practice isn't just something we do on a cushion or mat, but a continuous "dip" into purity that transforms how we navigate daily life.The Gift of Satsang & Good Company: Why gathering with other earnest seekers acts as a living field of support for your spiritual practice.Effortless Being: How to stop forcing spiritual experiences and start recognizing the peace that is naturally present when we surrender.Connect & Practice With MeIf this conversation inspired your path, I'd love to welcome you into my yog sadhana community:Join the Online Practice or Community memberships: Practice weekly or monthly starting at just $8/month!Upcoming Yog Sadhana Retreats:4 Days in Norway (This September!)  Immerse in nature and traditional practice.Sri Lanka Retreat (Next February)  Only 5 rooms left for our beachside retreat!In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 

Josh chases the treasure of legendary Viking Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson. The discovery of a mysterious gold artifact sends Josh on a journey through Scandinavia and into remote northern European forests to uncover Bluetooth's tomb and fortune. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Weird and Haunted - True Tales of Denmark and Scandinavia - Steve welcome Danish school teacher Qiriye to discuss haunted castles, the fae, and more from Scandinavian region.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Rainy Rendezvous: A Perfect Pairing of Art and Storytelling Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2026-08-24-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Regndropparna föll som små diamanter mot de kullerstensbelagda gatorna i Gamla Stan i Stockholm.En: The raindrops fell like small diamonds onto the cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan in Stockholm.Sv: Färgglada hus kantade gatorna och skapade en idyllisk fond för dagens små händelser.En: Colorful houses lined the streets, creating an idyllic backdrop for the day's small events.Sv: En lätt doft av nybakade bullar svävade i luften, och de gamla gatlyktorna kastade ett varmt sken över den våta marken.En: A light scent of freshly baked buns floated in the air, and the old street lamps cast a warm glow over the wet ground.Sv: Johan sökte skydd i ett litet café när regnet överraskade honom.En: Johan sought shelter in a small café when the rain surprised him.Sv: Han var en tystlåten konstnär, förlorad i sina tankar om nästa konstprojekt.En: He was a quiet artist, lost in thoughts about his next art project.Sv: Med sin skissbok under armen såg han sig omkring och fann en ledig plats vid ett litet bord nära fönstret.En: With his sketchbook under his arm, he looked around and found a vacant spot at a small table near the window.Sv: Samtidigt tog en ung kvinna, Linnea, sig också in i caféet med en suck av lättnad.En: At the same time, a young woman, Linnea, also entered the café with a sigh of relief.Sv: Hon var en resande bloggskribent, ivrig att upptäcka Skandinavien, men hennes hjärta värkte av hemlängtan.En: She was a traveling blogger, eager to discover Scandinavia, but her heart ached with homesickness.Sv: Hon letade efter en plats att vila och skriva sina intryck.En: She was looking for a place to rest and write down her impressions.Sv: När hon såg den lediga platsen mittemot Johan, frågade hon försiktigt: "Är det okej om jag sitter här?"En: When she saw the empty seat across from Johan, she cautiously asked: "Is it okay if I sit here?"Sv: Johan nickade med ett vänligt leende.En: Johan nodded with a friendly smile.Sv: Snart förenades deras samtal av ljudet av kaffe som hälldes upp och skratt från andra gäster.En: Soon, their conversation mingled with the sound of coffee being poured and laughter from other guests.Sv: "Jag letar efter ny inspiration", erkände Johan efter en stund.En: "I'm searching for new inspiration," Johan admitted after a while.Sv: "Min konst har fastnat i ett mönster, och jag vet inte hur jag ska bryta det."En: "My art has gotten stuck in a pattern, and I don't know how to break it."Sv: Linnea såg medkännande på honom.En: Linnea looked at him with compassion.Sv: "Att resa hjälper mig att hitta nytt perspektiv.En: "Traveling helps me to find new perspectives.Sv: Men ibland känner jag mig ensam, fastän jag är omgiven av vacker kultur."En: But sometimes I feel lonely, even though I'm surrounded by beautiful culture."Sv: De började dela sina historier, sina drömmar, och sina rädslor.En: They began to share their stories, their dreams, and their fears.Sv: Johan beskrev hur han brukade måla landskap och porträtt, men att något inom honom längtade efter förnyelse.En: Johan described how he used to paint landscapes and portraits, but something inside him longed for renewal.Sv: Linnea talade om hur hon älskade att upptäcka kulturen i olika länder, men hur hemlängtan ibland tog udden av glädjen.En: Linnea talked about how she loved discovering the culture of different countries, but how homesickness sometimes put a damper on the joy.Sv: Medan regnet fortsatte att falla utanför, födde ett spontant beslut en idé mellan dem.En: As the rain continued to fall outside, a spontaneous decision sparked an idea between them.Sv: Linnea föreslog att de skulle göra ett gemensamt projekt - en kombination av hans konst och hennes berättelser.En: Linnea suggested they should do a joint project—a combination of his art and her stories.Sv: De skulle frigöra sina känslor och uttrycka sina upplevelser genom både bild och text.En: They would free their emotions and express their experiences through both image and text.Sv: Både Johan och Linnea blev inspirerade.En: Both Johan and Linnea were inspired.Sv: De såg hur deras olikheter och gemensamma intressen kunde skapa något nytt och spännande.En: They saw how their differences and shared interests could create something new and exciting.Sv: Samarbetet kändes som en perfekt symbios, där ord och färg möttes och skapade magi.En: The collaboration felt like a perfect symbiosis, where words and color met and created magic.Sv: När regnmolnen skingrades, och solen åter lyste över Gamla Stans gator, hade både Johan och Linnea förändrats.En: When the rain clouds scattered, and the sun once again shone over Gamla Stan's streets, both Johan and Linnea had changed.Sv: Johan fann en ny riktning i sin konst genom Linneas perspektiv, och Linnea upptäckte att resandet inte bara handlade om platser utan också om banden man knyter.En: Johan found a new direction in his art through Linnea's perspective, and Linnea discovered that traveling wasn't just about places but also about the connections you make.Sv: De lämnade caféet med leenden, lade grunden för en långvarig vänskap och gemensamma framtida projekt.En: They left the café with smiles, laying the foundation for a lasting friendship and future projects together.Sv: Solen torkade den blöta kullerstenen, och cafégästerna spred ut sig över Gamla Stan.En: The sun dried the wet cobblestones, and the café guests spread out across Gamla Stan.Sv: För Johan och Linnea hade den oväntade regnskuren i Stockholm gett dem en gåva – en ny början och en ny inspiration.En: For Johan and Linnea, the unexpected rain shower in Stockholm had given them a gift—a new beginning and new inspiration. Vocabulary Words:raindrops: regndropparnacobblestone: kullerstensbelagdaidyllic: idylliskscent: doftshelter: skyddvacant: ledigcautiously: försiktigtpattern: mönstercompassion: medkännandeperspectives: perspektivspontaneous: spontantrenewal: förnyelseache: värktehomesickness: hemlängtandamp: uddenbonds: bandenguests: gästernascattered: skingradescollaboration: samarbetetfoundation: grundencompanionship: vänskappour: hälldeslight: lättspark: föddeexpress: uttryckaexperiences: upplevelsersymbiosis: symbiosmagic: magiunexpected: oväntadeemotions: känslor

Two Ohio passengers face felony charges after an alleged attack inside a passenger cabin on August 15, 2026, in a case handled at Port Canaveral by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office; authorities did not identify the ship. Disney Cruise Line christened Disney Destiny at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with Broadway performer Susan Egan as godmother, ahead of a November 20 maiden voyage on four- and five-night sailings to The Bahamas and the Western Caribbean; the 144,000-gross-ton, LNG-powered vessel is the third in the Wish class. And Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady marked five years since her July 1, 2021 delivery from Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yard, a run that now points toward a 2028 Scandinavia and Baltic program introducing Amsterdam as a homeport.

In Scandinavia, there are legends and stories about huge, ugly, monsters that live in the places no one should go. Not all trolls are huge, some are two feet tall. Some look just like normal people with minor differences, such as pointy ears, or tails. 

Eric Lagier shares his perspective on stage following byFounders' recognition as Emerging Manager of the Year 2025 at the EUVC Summit & Awards Show 2026.The award recognises a rising fund manager across financial performance, firm building, impact, diversity, transparency and fairness.Eric is a Founding Partner at byFounders with more than 20 years of operational experience across Silicon Valley and Scandinavia. He was part of the early teams at Skype and Tradeshift and co-founded Memolane, which was acquired by HP. byFounders' investments include Lovable.In the discussion, Eric explains why capital is increasingly a commodity, how byFounders' founder network supports sourcing and company building, and why the firm prioritises long-term relationships over simply joining a fundraising process. He also reflects on Lovable, conviction at seed and why the Nordics need to think bigger.The EUVC Summit & Awards Show returns in 2027. Find out more and secure your spot here.

“There's a sweetness in Advaita non-dual teachings, right? There is this emphasis on the truth of freedom and...eternal, the eternal ever-present You. I mean, how sweet is that?” - Robbie Chesick Today I share a candid and reflective conversation with Robbie Chesick. Robbie is a lifelong meditator, by nature tropic to tuning into the hum of pure existence at the base of her sense of self. She is also a (recently retired) trauma therapist, a mom, a lazy poet, and a curious wanderer.We discuss meditation, nonduality, feminism, and how spiritual practice meets ordinary life. How can inquiry cut through the conditioning, politics, and ego? It's a delightful and light hearted conversation about the real "stuff" we deal with as humans just navigating our way. Robbie gives great insight into the approach and pursuit of the yogi from her 35 years of sadhana. Key topics: Satsang and the essential shared space of spiritual inquiry.Early questions about identity, the self, and what lies beyond surface reality.Robbie shares her formative journey in her early twenties, including travel through India, illness, danger, and the eventual decision to come to her brother and meet Swamiji.How spiritual realization can coexist with family life, work, parenting, and a public-facing life in the world.Inquiry should be applied everywhere, not only in meditation, and that the mind's habit of either-or thinking can obscure more nuanced, intelligent action.The pressure to conform to tribal thinking, especially in wellness and yoga circles, and how fear of rejection can shape beliefs and behaviour.The forest wanderer phase of life reframed. Robbie distinguishes pure existence from personal identity, emphasizing that the goal is not to become anything other than what you are.I absolutely loved this conversation with Robbie, a wise friend and courageous yogi. She gives me inspiration to keep steadfast on this path as I meet and greet the many phases of life. I know she will give you something to consider as well in this thoughtful satsang space. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 

Matt Lewis and guest Dr Eleanor Barraclough as they dive into the turbulent world of late 10th-century Scandinavia and the extraordinary life of Olaf Tryggvason. Exiled, enslaved, raider, and eventually king of Norway, Olaf was a force of nature in an age of shifting loyalties, pagan beliefs, and rising Christianity. From Kievan Rus to the British Isles, this episode traces his violent rise and his brutal drive to convert Norway and beyond.MOREErik BloodaxeListen on AppleListen on SpotifyLeif EriksonListen on AppleListen on SpotifyNorse Mythology: How to Reach ValhallaListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is Day 1 of The Qatar Goodwood Festival and Nick is joined by The Daily Mail's David Yates this morning on track. The pair are joined by Goodwood Estates' CEO Adam Waterworth to discuss ground conditions and the overall upcoming week here at Goodwood. The facetime's are back and Cieren Fallon is the first port of call as he looks ahead to his ride aboard Lake Forest who is set to run in the Lennox Stakes today and the Sussex Stakes tomorrow. Oliver Cole, trainer of Dr Rascal, joins us to preview his colt in the Vintage Stakes. Timeform also has an update from Kieran Clark on The Goodwood Cup and the chances of a dual victory for Scandinavia.

This week, it's vacation daydreaming. First, award-winning food writer Georgina Hayden talks to us about her Greek Cypriot upbringing, growing up above her family's taverna, and how the family business shaped her love of food. She describes her favorite Mediterranean dishes from Tomatoey Greek Greens to Mbakbaka, slow-cooked spiced beef with pasta cooked in the stew. Georgina Hayden is the award-winning author of many books, including Greekish, and her latest is Medesque: Everyday Recipes with Mediterranean Roots. She left us with the recipe for a summer tomato celebration, Trampo. Then, we head to the bright cities of Scandinavia with author and chef Nichole Accettola. Nichole takes us through the beauty of seasonal cooking and local harvests, and how simple it is to make stellar Scandinavian dishes at home. Nichole is the author of Scandinavian Everyday: Vibrant, Simple Meals from Northern Europe, and she leaves us with an unusual recipe to use on the season's fresh berries, Red Fruit Soup.Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Broadcast dates for this episode:July 24, 2026 (originally aired)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

For over a decade, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden have consistently ranked among the happiest nations on Earth—but why? We dig into the research behind the World Happiness Report, separate fact from political myth, and explore whether strong social safety nets, low governmental corruption, public trust, and the Nordic model of government really do create happier lives. Along the way, we also examine the decades of propaganda, misconceptions, and ideological battles that have shaped how many Americans think about Scandinavia—and ask what lessons, if any, the United States should take from the world's happiest people. Fuck yeah, bro. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, this is what's important: Grocery shopping, chips, animals, Scandinavia, World Cup, serious dads, Legos, & more. Get your tickets NOW to our live show in Ontario, Canada on Sept. 25th, 2026! Or go to TIITour.com for more info. Check out Sam Jay and Alex English's new show Look Back At It now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.