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
The organisation and the video the British snowsports market needs...
Ideas

The organisation and the video the British snowsports market needs…

by iain on May 16, 2014 • No Comments
It seems that each time the snowsports industry gathers at LISTEX or other similar forums, we end up at the same conclusion. We need one, unified body, to lead the industry forward. And the key goal should be aimed at bringing lapsed skiers and snowboarders back into the market. The SIA does this in the States...
21 Snowsports Retail Sales Facts from the SIA 2013/14 Report
Ideas

21 Snowsports Retail Sales Facts from the SIA 2013/14 Report

by iain on May 16, 2014 • No Comments
Last week the SIA (Snow Sports Industries of America) released their report on the 2013/14 season, looking at how the retail market has performed. The key standout messages were: A new record revenue of $3.6bn was acheived Overall sales were up 7% Accessory sales were the biggest success area up 14% Alpine Touring is a...
Was this the best Facebook post by a ski resort in winter 2013/14?
Resorts / Social Media

Was this the best Facebook post by a ski resort in winter 2013/14?

by iain on May 15, 2014 • No Comments
Firstly credit must go to Greg Blanchard at Slopefillers.  He has been analysing North American ski resorts’ marketing activity closely for years. Last week he published a new blog post ‘The Top 100 Resort Facebook Posts Shared During the 2013/14 Ski Season‘. We highly recommend that all snowsports marketing professionals take a look at this...
Latest in the social skiing legal case in France (14 May 2014)
Tour Operators

Latest in the social skiing legal case in France (14 May 2014)

by iain on May 14, 2014 • No Comments
We have received this update from TUI about today’s court case held in Albertville regarding the ongoing ‘social skiing‘ debate: Today (14 May 2014), the case about social skiing being illegal was due to be heard at the Court of Appeals in Chambery. The case was referred from November 2013 at the joint request of...
26 Snippets from the LISTEX Summer Session 2014
Events / Ideas

26 Snippets from the LISTEX Summer Session 2014

by iain on May 7, 2014 • 2 Comments
Yesterday saw the first LISTEX Summer Session – an opportunity to network and chat about industry matters, as well as get in a few runs in the UK on real snow! We were delighted to be asked to moderate the forum, which saw two sessions on the Sochi Legacy and Ski Safety. Here’s 26 snippets...
19 Social Media and Digital Facts about Val Thorens
Marketing / Resorts / Social Media

19 Social Media and Digital Facts about Val Thorens

by iain on May 2, 2014 • No Comments
Val Thorens has had a remarkable year, winning a number of awards, most significantly ‘Ski Resort of the Year’ at the World Ski Awards. When we interviewed Gregory Guzzo  director of the tourist office in December 2012 about their rebrand to ‘Val Thorens United’ it was evident that this was a resort with a plan....

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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.