Episode 27: La Rosière, St Anton, Chamonix & La Clusaz
In this episode Jim and Iain swap Secret Santa presents, we have updates from Betony in Chamonix and Becky in St Anton. Jim prepares for his move to La Clusaz and Iain reports live from La Rosière.
The boys discuss the new Graystone training facility in Manchester, touch on Brexit and reminisce about classic apres-ski bands in the Alps.
Don’t forget that all pod listeners can claim a 10% discount a the north west’s premier ski and snow centre Chill Factore using the code (‘SKIPOD10’).
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Show Notes:
- Your lift pass discount code to use at Chill Factore is ‘SKIPOD10’
- Iain was in La Rosière skiing in perfect conditions (1:00)
- Jim is going to La Clusaz for the season (2:45)
- For Secret Santa this Christmas, Jim gave Iain a very expensive set of Foil skis (4:00)
- Iain gave Jim a Carv device to improve his skiing (6:00)
- You can listen to last year’s Secret Santa in Episode 7
- Charlie Owen from Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBIT) was featured in The Guardian, together with Di Palumbo from Skiworld (9:00)
- We interviewed Charlie back in Episode 8 of The Ski Podcast in January 2018
- Arron Banks seems to think he’s going to go to a bar that’s closed
- Flights will continue to fly even in a ‘no deal’ Brexit world (11:00)
- 20% of ski instructors would be happy to leave the EU (citation required)
- Many thanks to Betony Garner for her report from Chamonix (12:00)
- We reported on the fire at the Grands Montets back in Episode 21 (13:30)
- Iain is heading to the resort in January 2019 to report back on the new QC Therme Spa and Folie Douce hotel (16:00)
- Becky reported from St Anton where she is working for Ski Val (16:30)
- Our previous update from St Anton was in Episode 25 from Andy from Kaluma Travel
- ‘Informative, interesting, with some humour’ – thanks Matt for your review (23:00)
- Please do post your own review on Facebook or iTunes so other people can find us
- The Ski Podcast was listed in Top 20 Ski Podcasts on Feedhub (24:00)
- Jack Tompkins runs the podcast ‘SkiTheKingdom’ and the Vimeo channel ‘Kingdom Visual’ (25:00)
- Iain visited the new Mont Valaisan freeride area in La Rosière (25:30)
- The image below shows the layout of the area and Iain’s route down the Pente d’Est
- You can view some of his photos from the trip here and video here

Mont Valaisan, La Rosiere
- The new Graystone facility in Manchester offers some great new training options for Team GB athletes (31:00)
- We discussed the new snow centre due to open in Swindon in Episode 26 (35:00)

The Graystone training facility
- Dave Ryding also bagged 4th – his second best ever result – at Madonna di Campiglio (35:30)
- Following recording, Charlotte Bankes (interviewed in Episode 25) claimed her first podium for Team GB (36:00)
- James ‘Woodsy’ Woods finished 7th in the Dew Tour Slopestyle (36:30)
- We chatted to Elli from ‘Après Ski Bands’, who arrange gigs in the Post in Zermatt, Smithys in Alpe d’Huez, Lodge du Village & Scott’s in Méribel (38:30)
- Who is the best après-ski band? Mullit? Bring Your Sisters? Tweet us to @theskipodcast with your thoughts (42:00)
- The Feeling/Superfly are Iain’s favourite après band (45:00)
- Check out this footage from the famous night when Sophie Ellis-Bextor turned up to support her hubby-to-be (46:00)
- Lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells subsequently wrote the musical ‘Everyone’s Talking About Jamie’. Iain interviewed Phil Nichol who starred as ‘Hugo’ in the original cast in Episode 23 of The Ski Podcast
- Jim is fond of Mullit (47:00)
- La Folie Douce started in Val d’Isère and is now also in Val Thorens, Méribel, St Gervais, Avoriaz and Chamonix (49:00)
- Bill’s – not what it used to be, according to Iain (50:00)
- The KK and the Mooservirt are legendary après venues in St Anton (51:00)
- Jim and Iain are reading ‘War and Piste’ in our Ski Book Group. We hope to discuss it in Episode 29 (52:00)
- ‘Radical Gains‘ is a great coffee table book about the history of the UK Park and Pipe scene (52:45)
- If you’d like a free ‘The Ski Podcast’ sticker, then please email us (54:00)
- Send us your photos of your stickers in place around the Alps (54:30)
- Many thanks to Chill Factore for sponsoring The Ski Podcast
Watch out for our next episode arriving into your podcast app on or around 08 January.