Looking through a recent survey from Le Ski, I was struck by one stat in particular. While it was encouraging to read that the number of UK skiers and snowboarders is predicted to grow by 14% in winter 2023/24, the fact that only 13% stay in catered chalets highlighted how...
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is changing fast. A few years ago, it was just the name of one of Steven Spielberg’s less good movies, but in 2023 AI has moved from the world of ‘futurologists’ into the mainstream. The chances are that even if you haven’t tried ChatGPT (or Google’s ‘Bard’),...
Iain’s article ‘Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines‘ has now been published in ‘Ski+Board’ magazine. It’s also now available as a special episode of The Ski Podcast My first experience of working in the ski industry came 35 years ago when I went to Chatel...
Iain from Skipedia recently went ski touring in Morocco. Flying into Marrakech, and then travelling to Imlil (1740m), Iain then spent three nights at the Refuge des Mouflons (3207m), ski touring to different 4000m peaks. Ski hire was from Braemar Mountain Sports, guiding and logistics were organised by Toubkal Guide. You...
These are difficult days for the ESF in the UK. The current legal cases against Simon Butler and Le Ski have stirred up plenty of negative sentiment within the British market against the ESF. Both cases – which deal with different aspects of the law – are currently at different...
Okay, not strictly anything to do with marketing, but just for fun… So why do chalet girls bake a cake every day? As far as I know chalets have always left out a cake for their guests to tuck into for ‘afternoon tea’. After a long day on the slopes,...
Iain’s recent interview with America’s winningest male skier, Bode Miller, in Episode of 189 of The Ski Podcast has now been adapted into an article for leading UK snowsports website welove2ski.com You can listen to the full interview on Spotify or wherever you download your podcasts:
Bode Miller, America’s winningest male skier of all time, recently told The Ski Podcast how his childhood living ‘off grid’ helped him in the US reality show ‘Special Forces’. In a recent special episode of the podcast, Miller explained: “Having the freedom to explore and learn about myself through the outdoors gave me a lot...
In September 2023, Iain from Skipedia and The Ski Podcast led the forum at ‘Ski Launch 2023’, the annual event for ski industry professionals organised by Paddy Daly, from Paddy PR. Around one hundred industry professionals from the UK, representing tour operators, destinations and journalists gathered to exchange ideas. Keynote: Why Europe’s largest ski company...
Most ski resorts have been affected by the increase in energy costs in the last year and a half. Some recent analysis shows that prices have increased in all countries overall, with price hikes highest in Austria and lowest in Switzerland. Average Increase in Lift Pass Prices Switzerland – 2.9%France – 6.8%Italy – 8%Austria – 11.2%...
Iain from The Ski Podcast and Ski Flight Free was busy at the recent National Snow Show, held at the Birmingham NEC last weekend. On Saturday, Iain was joined by Krissy Roe (Inghams Ski), Anna Hughes (Flight Free UK) and Hannah Zajic (Austrian Tourist Board) to discuss the topic of train travel to ski resorts....
Wondered who that was whizzing past you at top speed on the slopes? Could it have been Captain America? Maybe Spiderman? Okay, they are fictional characters, but what is real is that Marvel have produced a new line of comic book covers with a ski or snowboard theme. Honestly, I hadn’t heard of some of...
