Beyond the Mountains podcast

There is something magical about the French Alpes, the silence, the landscapes, the pace of life and the cheese. This is where the creamy and luxurious Beaufort cheese is made.  , a tradition that is centuries old.

It’s a tradition that has been dominated by males. But my guest today is Pauline Collogne and she is breaking down those barriers as she is one of only 2 female cheesemakers in the Savoie region of France.

 She may follow the traditions of cheese making, but she is anything but traditional. She makes some of the finest cheese in France, but she is also a badass motorcycle rider and formidable skier in the winter.

But before we start the episode, it would be great for me to get your feedback. I’d love to hear from you and for you to tell me if you like the format of the show, my guests, the questions I’m asking, anything. 

You can do this via my facebook page or Instagram page. And please like, share, comment and subscribe to the show.

But , Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

You can connect and go :

https://www.coophautemaurienne.fr/

https://www.facebook.com/BEAUFORTHAUTEMAURIENNE

This episode was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. It was a lot of fun.

My guest today is JB Buttard. He doesn’t fit into just one thing, like many people in the mountains he wears many hats. His day job for want of a better word is he works in aviation. He splits his time between the mountains of Canada and France.

In Canada, he is a helicopter pilot working as a gun for hire wherever the best work is. From gas and oil to forestry and commercial. In France, he is part of the ground crew for a helicopter business that transports all sorts of equipment deep into the hard to access mountains.

But he is also a ski guide, ultra-light pilot,   flying clients over the mountains and a budding micro beer maker with his brother just to name a few.

This was a fun interview filled with lots of great stories about his life in the mountains.

If you want to go flying with JB over the French alps you can connect with him on his Facebook page Maurienne ULM winter

But enough of the intro, I know you are going to enjoy this just as much as I did. 

So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

You can connect and go flying with JB on his Facebook page here :

https://www.facebook.com/ulmmaurienne

Maurienne ULM winter

Would the idea of running 170 km non stop through the mountains, and climbing over 10,000 meters fill you with excitement or fear. My guest today dreams of such events.

My guest is Batiste Thomas, he is a mountain trail runner, who specialises in the ultra style events. And he has recently competed in his first  UT M B - Ultra Trail Mont Blanc. One the biggest trail running events in the world.

Crossing 3 nations, France, Italy and Switzerland. This is a 170km RACE with 10,000 meters in climbing. The spectacular scenery and gruelling course around Chamonix.

I’ve known Batiste for a few years now, and I knew he loved to run. I'd followed him on Instagram and seen him running up the mountains of the Haute Maurienne. He was always standing on the top of some huge mountain peak overlooking the valleys below.

But when I saw a post on IG a few months ago that he was going to compete in the UTMB, I knew I had to speak to him on the show.

Now Batiste is a fairly reserved type of guy, and he was a little nervous to come on, he was worried about his English. But I knew, just like RUNNING, once he was warmed up he would be fine. And he sure does start to open up. 

So please stick around to the end. Batiste really gives some great advice about trail running and shares his emotional experience of running 170km around the mountains of Chamonix, France.

You can follow Baptiste here :

https://www.instagram.com/instabat/

https://www.instagram.com/valfrejus/

https://www.strava.com/athletes/8667545

Ok So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

My guest today is Antoine Pin and he is the Director of Protect Our Winters, France. A global non-profit network of climate change advocates. Who's mission is to turn passionate outdoor sportspeople into passionate advocates and voices for the Environment and climate.

Founded in 2007 by Jeremy Jones a world-famous snowboarding athlete who was witnessing first-hand the mountains and glaciers he was surfing on changing.

The non-profit organisation has now expanded around the world. With offices throughout the US, Asia and Europe.

I sat down with the Director of its French operation. Antoine and I talk about the effects of global warming on the French Alpes.

We talk about how his love of the outdoors and nature lead him to study this field at University.

 And how he is now trying to change the future of the plant for everyone.

Before we start the interview, I know all of you who are listening to love your mountain sports, so please go and check out the POW website and social media pages. Let’s all try to make a difference to protect the places we like to Live work and play in. Let's protect our winters for years to come.

Ok So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

It's been a busy and stressful few months. But Beyond the Mountains will be back soon with lots of new episodes. Please stick with me. This is what I have been up to and what is coming up soon. Thanks Ashley

My guest today is Erika Dame and she is a fearless first responder in the mountains.

During the winter she is Ski patroller, rescuing fallen and injured skiers off the mountain, she is making the resort safe for skiing by throwing avalanche bombs and reading the snow and weather conditions.

During the summer she is a firefighter, first on the scene at motorcycle and bicycle accidents when riders fail to make the turns when descending the dangerous mountain roads.

We talk about all this and more.

Ok time is critical. Let’s not waste any more time,  Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

My guest today is Yves Dimier. And he has come home. His career has come full circle.

He is a product of the local ski club in Val Cenis. His racing career was a result of his hard work rather than his natural ski talent, he became a professional ski racer in Slalom and Giant slalom racing. He raced on the European and World cup circuit competing around the world. He represented France at the World Championships and Winter Olympics.

With a head for business and always looking to the future and new goals. Yves transitioned into the corporate world of sports, with Dynastar skis, where he worked with the brand athletes helping them progress with the best equipment. Pushing the boundaries with ski and boot technology.

Then he had a stint with the National Ski Federation of France. Whose charter was to develop future ski champions for France.

Then there was the opportunity to go to the Winter Olympics for a second time. Not as an athlete, but This time on the organising team for the Sochi games in 2014.

Then he came back to Val Cenis as the resort Director. Now he is in charge of the ski resort where he grew up. Leading the resort out of the covid 19 closures and planning the future for the resort and the local economy.

We talk about his racing career and the future of his local ski resort.

Now before we start the show and hit the intro music, please make sure you subscribe and follow the show wherever you listen to your podcast, it would also be a great help if you could rate and review the show on Apple iTUNES.

Ok So welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains. I'm your host Ashley Pettit

 Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

Buy your ski pass

https://www.valcenis.ski/

Website

https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/hiver/val-cenis/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/valcenis_officiel/

My guest today is Cedric Marra, a professional ski instructor in the winter and mountain bike guide and instructor during the summer. He can help you to drop in and take a big line on 2 skis or two wheels.

Make sure you stick around to the end, after Cedric warms up, he gives us some great tips on how to improve your skiing or biking, but also some great advice you can apply to our lives in general.

We talk about his life as a professional ski and mountain bike instructor and how he is living his best life in the mountains.

You can find Cedric at Up & Down Ski and Bike. I’ll leave you the links in the show notes to his Instagram and Facebook pages. If you come skiing in Val Cenis, you can also request a lesson with Cedric through the ESF ski school.

https://www.up-down.co/

https://www.facebook.com/Updownskibike

https://www.instagram.com/up_d0wn/

Now before we start the show and hit the intro music, please make sure you subscribe and follow the show, it would also be a great help if you could rate and review the show on Apple iTunes.

Ok So welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains. I'm your host Ashley Pettit

 Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Zebulon Roche, an accomplished mountaineer or alpinist, big mountain climber,  and paragliding pilot.

I could have spoken to Zeb for hours, normally I like to ask each guest about some local knowledge, favourite places to fly or ski, local restaurants, places to visit etc

But time was getting away. I had only scratched the surface of some of the questions I had prepared. So I hope Zeb will let me interview him again to learn more about what he likes about his home.

Zeb talks passionately about being in the moment and being present when he is in the mountains. I am trying to do the same when I interview my guest. I am trying to become a better listener and go off script when we are talking rather than simply tick off my questions.

So you’ll hear when Zeb's mum enters the kitchen, I’ve left this in. As Zeb talks about, you can not control the mountains, you have to be flexible and to read the signs, the conditions and for him, he has to read and feel the wind.

Zeb is always doing something, always moving, always trying to make time to fly. It could be flying his paraglide, ultralight helicopter or ultralight plane. But it could also be flying over the snow on his skis, kitesurfing or his new toy a hydrofoil. He is forever chasing that feeling, the rush of flying.

With the support, influence and guidance of his father. Zeb has started climbing and flying from a young age. At 11 he climbed Mont Blanc and started flying. At 17 he climbed Mount Everest with his father. Then with his ex-wife set to target to climb and fly off the highest peaks on the 7 continents of the world.

Now he is enjoying the same things with his own sons, who are both top-level mountain athletes in paragliding and freestyle skiing. He is also still looking to take on new challenges and adventure in Pakistan or returning to Nepal to climb and fly.

The mountains teach you to make decisions, to live with your decision, and make you take responsibility for yourself, to choose the direction your life goes, this is a great lesson that Zeb shares with us and something we can all follow.

Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains.

Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Sylvain ReChu a high mountain guide from the Maurienne Valley and the French Alpes. 

His desire to spend more time skiing and to be really out in the mountains led him to hang up his Ski instructor's uniform and pursue a career and love affair with the mountains as a mountain guide.

I think the mountains are like his mistress, he has pursued her all over the world, from the French Alpes to the Italian Dolomites, Alaska, Peru, Sweden, and Norway.

I didn’t really know Sylvain that well, I followed him on Instagram and we met a few times at a local mountain bike Enduro event. So it was a real pleasure to sit down and chat to Sylvain and get to know him more.

Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of the Beyond the mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live work and play in the mountains.

Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y