Episode 29: Eddie The Eagle, La Clusaz, Folie Douce in Chamonix
In this episode Iain chats to Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards about how life has changed since the movie, Jim reviews La Clusaz and finds out more about how to service skis properly.
We discuss the best value ski resorts, cheese vending machines, ski touring in Courchevel and the new Folie Douce hotel in Chamonix.
There’s all that and much more in this 29th episode of The Ski Podcast. 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’

- Jim’s suggestion for the ‘Best Value Ski Resort’ was Pila in the Aosta Valley
“€212 for 6 days – under 8’s free. You can get an entire 4 bed apartment from 31€. There’s Sunday to sunday flights from London City Airport for as little as £78 and that is with BA. Then it’s a bus from turin from €12 one way with flixbus.com. There’s good skiing and Aosta is a great town, plus you can do day trips to Courmayeur and Cervinia”
- This was inspired by Ed Leigh’s Money Saving Ski Tips on Facebook
- Jim visited Pila in summer 2018 when he skied in Cervinia. You can listen to his review in Episode 20.
- Iain pointed to show research that shows that Les Menuires offers the best value per kilometre of piste
- Dave from ifyouski.com suggested Sauze d’Oulx. Dave featured on the pod way back in Episode 2
- Jim and Dave went on a day trip to Les Arcs which we covered in Episode 9
- You can use a Beaufort cheese vending machine at the railway station in Moutiers
- Julien Ottobon – the freeriding dairy farmer – was interviewed by Iain in Episode 28
- Chemmy Alcott spoke to us in Episode 28 about skiing after pregnancy
- Her new son, Cooper, was born earlier this month
- Iain took part in the Millet Ski Touring race in Courchevel

- The recent fire in Courchevel claimed two lives with many others injured
- La Clusaz holds a full moon party three times a season
- Vanessa Fisher told us about her participation in the ‘Super Drei’ races in Episode 23
- The first Folie Douce hotel opened in Chamonix in December 2018
- Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards took part in the men’s ski jump in the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics
- His story was made into a movie, starring Taron Edgerton and Hugh Jackman, in 2015
- Paddy James is an apres-ski performer in the Alps
- Jim and Iain’s favourite apres-ski tunes include ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, ‘Four Seasons in One Day’ and ‘Take Me Out’ – with ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by Superfly top of the list
- Thanks to everyone for all the reviews. Please do post your own review on iTunes as it helps other people find us. Alternatively you can pass on your comments via Twitter

- Simon from Wax Off revealed how to service skis. This is the first part of a three part interview
- Dave Ryding took another podium at an invitational dual slalom in Crans Montana
- James ‘Woodsy’ Woods and Izzy Atkin are taking part in the ski slopestyle at the X Games in Aspen
- You can download the Val d’Isère app here

- You can listen to Ed Drake’s ‘The Ski Racing Podcast’ here
- ‘War and Piste’ by Alex Thomas is available on ebay
- Previous books Iain and Jim has discussed are ‘A Wall of White’ (in Episode 25) ‘Ski The World’ (in Episode 20) and Skiing with Demons & Cham (in Episode 18)
- Please let us know if you have any suggestions for our next Ski Book Group

- Watch out for our next episode arriving into your podcast app on or around 12 February
- Features in Episode 20 will include part two of our interview with Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, more ski servicing tips and report on ski touring in the Atlas Mountains in Morrocco
- Don’t forget you can request your own The Ski Podcast stickers – you can even win a signed copy of ‘War and Piste’ if you send us a photo of your sticker!
Thanks for listening everyone!