Thoughts on Snowsports

Iain Martin, The Ski Podcast

The sad demise of the catered chalet ski holiday
Ideas / Tour Operators

The sad demise of the catered chalet ski holiday

by iain on Sep 25, 2023 • 8 Comments
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...
Will ChatGPT make ‘ski experts’ redundant?  
Ideas

Will ChatGPT make ‘ski experts’ redundant?  

by iain on May 11, 2023 • No Comments
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’),...
'Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines' - article in 'Ski+Board' magazine
Iain / Ideas / Tour Operators

‘Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines’ – article in ‘Ski+Board’ magazine

by iain on Mar 8, 2023 • 3 Comments
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...
Ski Touring in Morocco: A Photo Essay
Iain / Resorts

Ski Touring in Morocco: A Photo Essay

by iain on Feb 8, 2019 • No Comments
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...
'I'm a modern-day Batman' says anti-ESF campaigner
Resorts / Tour Operators

‘I’m a modern-day Batman’ says anti-ESF campaigner

by iain on Nov 2, 2014 • No Comments
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...
Why do chalet girls bake a cake every day?
Tour Operators

Why do chalet girls bake a cake every day?

by iain on Aug 13, 2011 • 2 Comments
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,...
Latest entries
7 Things We Learned from the 2022 Skift State of Travel Report
Ideas

7 Things We Learned from the 2022 Skift State of Travel Report

by iain on Nov 17, 2022 • No Comments
The 2022 Skift State of Travel Report is packed full of data with 175 insights over 194 pages. Too long? We took a look and picked out these highlights for you: Covid devastated International Tourism Twenty years of consecutive growth (barring a small dip in 2009) were wiped out in one single year (2020) thanks...
Electric Car article in 'The Telegraph'
Iain

Electric Car article in ‘The Telegraph’

by iain on Nov 2, 2022 • No Comments
Iain’s article about travelling by electric car to Les 2 Alpes in April 2022 has now been published in The Telegraph. It wasn’t the article we wanted to write, but we had to be honest – it wasn’t a perfect journey. An important caveat is that since we travelled in April, Ionity have added over...
Sustainability article in 'School Snowsports'
Iain

Sustainability article in ‘School Snowsports’

by iain on Oct 20, 2022 • No Comments
In his role as founder of Ski Flight Free, Iain was asked to contribute to Schools Snowsports – the annual publication from the National Schools Snowsports Association. His article on how to cut the carbon cost of travelling to a ski resort was recently published in their 2022 edition.
Andermatt article in 'Skier & Snowboarder Magazine'
Resorts

Andermatt article in ‘Skier & Snowboarder Magazine’

by iain on Oct 20, 2022 • No Comments
Iain travelled out to Andermatt in Switzerland in March 2022 to report on their sustainability credentials. His article has now been published in the October issue of ‘Skier & Snowboarder Magazine’. You can read the issue online by taking this link. You can listen to Iain’s review of his trip in Episode 92 of The...
Pirmin Zurbriggen interview in 'InTheSnow Magazine'
Events / Resorts

Pirmin Zurbriggen interview in ‘InTheSnow Magazine’

by iain on Oct 20, 2022 • No Comments
Earlier this year, Iain visited Zermatt to speak with Pirmin Zurbriggen, the Olympic gold medal winning former Swiss downhill racer. Zurbriggen is an ambassador for the new ‘Speed Opening’ downhill races – the first cross-border races ever in the FIS World Cup calendar – due to take place in October 2022. His interview with Pirmin...
The Outdoor Industry Demands Climate Policy
Ideas

The Outdoor Industry Demands Climate Policy

by iain on Oct 13, 2022 • No Comments
We encourage all businesses working in the snowsports industry to join this campaign, organised by the lobbying group Protect Our Winters, asking policy makers to catch up and produce policies that support increased sustainability while penalising bad practices. These demands will be presented in an open letter to European policy makers ahead of COP27. A...

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The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. Please feel free to support or disagree with me in the comments section of each blog entry.