Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

WELCOME OUR SPONSORS SKI INDEPENDENCE
The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence.

******************
NEWS
Dolomites Dirndl ski day
Nick Fellows appointed director of FIS TV
Southern Hemisphere news
Andorra is not bound by the EU 90 day within 180 rule
-----------------------
GEAR GUIDE
Size is key. Getting the fit right is really important, not just for comfort, but safety too.
Two main types, with a third hybrid that combines the two.
1 - a hard shell helmet
2 - an in-mould
Broadly speaking the hard shells are lower cost and hard wearing, whilst the in-mould types provide lighter, but still as strong, protection and can handle better ventilation systems that are more active – in other words you can control the ventilation.

There’s then hybrid helmets that combine both the hard shell and the in-mould manufacturing techniques, which can then provide both value and more functionality.

Style
MIPS that stands for Multi-directional impact protection system
(thats the round yellow badge)
Sweet Protection Igniter 2Vi MIPs helmet that comes in at £219
Oakley Mod5 MIPS £221
Hardnutz currently at around £50 Mountainwarehouse.com

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RESORT SPOTLIGHT - Kitzbuhel

233 kilometres of skiing, with 181 of them being marked and groomed, the rest are left ungroomed and are marked as Ski Routes. There’s 58 ski lifts and it’s one of the world’s most modern lift systems.  You’ve got 60 mountain restaurants across three separate mountain ranges.

All linked up to the Skiwelt which means even more ski lifts – 82 in total and marked trails in seve

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In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

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Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Resort Spotlight: Les 7 Laux (Les Sept Laux)

LOCATION
Very close to the city of Grenoble, just up in the Belledonne mountain range in the Dauphiné Alps. Drive into the city of Grenoble in around 30-40 minutes traffic permitting and the airport is just over a one hour’s drive away too. Chambery is also just 50 kms away, so another option for flying in and then driving from Calais would normally take about 8.5 hours.

The train would be London-Paris-Lyon-Grenoble and then a taxi or a bus from there. Not too difficult because you get pretty close in Grenoble and whilst that might not be for everyone...could do a nice little stop over on the way too.

THE SKI AREA
 
 There’s 120 km’s of ski trails that link up three separate villages, there’s about 22 ski lifts, mostly chairs and some drag lifts plus a gondola too, and 90% of the lifts are 10 years old or newer.  Within that 120 km’s there’s 45 individual ski trails that include green, blue, red and black, so genuinely something for every level of skier and snowboarder . It is mostly blues and reds, but there’s 7 black runs so pretty significant and it has the largest freeride area in the region including the The Vallons du Pra trail which is basically a marked off-piste route.
 
 The beginner’s terrain is extensive and separate from the main ski area and then there’s a nice progression onto green runs after that. The majority of runs are blue and red so we are talking about all this freeride terrain but at the end of the day it’s beginners and intermediates that actually get the best deal here.
 
 SKI SCHOOLS
 
 There’s the ESF, ESI: Pro 7 school that also offers freestyle and freeride lessons and a dedicated snowboard school called Slash  and another called Easy Riders. They all say they have English speaking instructors.
SNOW RECORD
Village is 1350, and it goes up to 2400 metres, that’s more than a 1,000 metre vertical and with its location they get good snowfalls through the winter and well into spring here.  A lot of the slopes are north westerly facing so they hold the snow well.

THE VILLAGES
 
 The main village is Prapoutel and it’s where most of the accommodation and facilities are. It’s mostly self-catered accommodation and there’s a good choice of both value and higher end places to stay and it’s easy to walk around – it’s not tiny in any sense but it’s not like a massive town either. It does have that sort of purpose built feel, but in a nice way and the views across the valley are fantastic.

Why is it called Les 7 (seven) Laux?
It was founded in the 1960’s / 70’s by a group formed of 7 communes in the area.
Where do I go for a pint?
O’Bar BU
What about a bit of Tartiflette ?
Le Rocher Blanc
Prices for the actual holiday?
A starting price of around £1500 for the whole apartment for a week and that includes a return Eurotunnel far

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In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

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To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Time to mention today’s sponsors, Ski Independence & Canada’s Alberta. 

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence.

******************
NEWS:

• Snowcamp AJ Bell 3 Valley’s Rally Val Thorens, April 13-16
• Dave Ryding takes bronze
• Green Les Arcs
• Chamonix has reported the most snowfall in the world
• A ski chalet above Cervinia with views from the Italian side of the Matterhorn. that was a ruin in 2015 is now on sale at €24m 
• Tragic accident in St Gervais

******************
Weather report
Brought to our listeners in association with our friends at
SkiWeekends The flexible ski holiday experts, choose form 10 fantastic catered  chalets and over 100 hotels in over 40 resorts.  You can stay as long as you like with SkiWeekends.

******************
Gear Reviews - Avalanche Air Bag Back Packs

Best for Ski touring… If you’re looking at day tours only then the 25 litre Scott Patrol Ultralight at under 2kg’s is perfect. £1,100 from scott-sports.com

The slightly larger ORTOVOX Avabag :iTRIC Tour 30 litre pack at £1,250 is a good bet. ortovox.com

Best for freeriding - Again you can tour with this pack it’s just slightly larger  the Mammut Pro 45 removable airbag 3.0 costs £650 it’s 45 litres in size and has a removable airbag system with carbon cartridges. Check that out at mammut.com 

Best for travelling - The Deuter Alproof Lite 30 pack comes with loads of tech and a battery that is easy to travel with. £1,300 from deutergb.co.uk 

******************
Looking back on 2023
Best trip/resort

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

And don't forget to check us out on the following channels

inthesnow.com
instagram.com/inthesnow
TikTok@inthesnowmag
youtube.com/inthesnowmag
facebook.com/inthesnow


To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Time to mention today’s sponsors, Ski Independence & Canada’s Alberta. 

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence.

******************
NEWS:
Bognor store opens in London
CO2 FREE groomer starts to roll out on the slopes
Art in the Alps, Suvretta House St Moritz and Les Arcs

******************
Weather report
Brought to our listeners in association with our friends at
SkiWeekends The flexible ski holiday experts, choose form 10 fantastic catered  chalets and over 100 hotels in over 40 resorts.  You can stay as long as you like with SkiWeekends.

******************
Gear Reviews
Helly Hansen wins 3 ISPO awards
Arc’teryx academy back
Bode Miller joins UYN

******************
Resort Spotlight:
Arapahoe Basin we speak to Louis Skowyra Director of Mountain Operations to talk all things A-Basin and what a unique and fantastic skiers mountain it really is with an incredibly long season!

******************

InTheSnow’s 24 in 24.  

Two Lucky individuals, Ben Haver and Clau De Cesaris sculpted this trip of a lifetime and will visit and compare 24 resorts starting in January 2024.  Whilst doing so, InTheSnow bring you all the freshest content across our social channels this winter, and watch out for 24 brand new resort reviews on our YouTube channel.  

Follow us Instagram @InTheSnow_Magazine TikTok@inthesnowmag 

******************
Next week we have an  episode dedicated to Les 7 Laux, never heard that name, well this is well worth listening t!!
******************
Have a great Christmas and Happy New Year from Rob and I

In the meantime Happy Skiing :). Please do leave a review it's the only way o

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

And don't forget to check us out on the following channels

inthesnow.com
instagram.com/inthesnow
TikTok@inthesnowmag
youtube.com/inthesnowmag
facebook.com/inthesnow


To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

In this special episode dedicated to the brilliantly located Les 2 Alpes in Association with award Winning tour operator Peak Retreats, we talk to Amanda Sanchez who is an on-the-ground-expert in all things Les 2 Alpes.

Amanda went to L2A 18 years ago to do a season and fell in love with the place (as well as a ski instructor) and never came back to the UK!!
 
While Amanda showed me her outlook of snow falling all around her on a backdrop of peaks, I stared out onto some wet fields and could only imagine living there.

Enjoy the listen and the expert tips.     

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

And don't forget to check us out on the following channels

inthesnow.com
instagram.com/inthesnow
TikTok@inthesnowmag
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facebook.com/inthesnow


To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Time to mention today’s sponsors, Ski Independence & Canada’s Alberta. 

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence. 
******************

NEWS:

Vail buys Crans-Montana

Winter Olympics 2030 and 2034

Edinburgh Ski Centre gets a makeover

First ski cable car in France turns 90
******************

Weather report -  brought to our listeners in association with our friends at 
Ski Weekends

******************

Gear Reviews

Dope Pile fleece sweater - RRP £79 but from ridestore.com

Mons Royale Arete Merino Insulation Hood - £275 futureproof.life

Duvillard Morgane women’s Baselayer - £119 from Ellis-Brigham.com

Resort Spotlight:

Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine Ski which comprises Alpe d’Huez, Oz 3300 that used to be referred to as Oz-en-Oisans (oz en wezons) and Vaujany

Peak Retreats a tour op specialising in french alps, they are total experts in their field, you can obv book book Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine Ski  with them:

They are Winners of Telegraph Travel Awards Best Ski Operator 2023

They feature loads of  quality apartments, self catered chalets and hotels across the french alps and Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine Ski 

Bucket List: Beaver Creek Resort Feature

InTheSnow’s 24 in 24.  

Two Lucky individuals, Ben Haver and Clau De Cesaris sculpted this trip of a lifetime and will visit and compare 24 resorts starting in January 2024.  Whilst doing so, InTheSnow bring you all the freshest content across our social channels this winter, and watch out for 24 brand new resort reviews on our YouTube channel.  

Fo

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

And don't forget to check us out on the following channels

inthesnow.com
instagram.com/inthesnow
TikTok@inthesnowmag
youtube.com/inthesnowmag
facebook.com/inthesnow


To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

WELCOME OUR SPONSORS SKI INDEPENDENCE

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

 Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence. Lift tickets in Jasper’s Marmot Basin are half price until the end of November.

---------------------------------------------------------

This week we look into the detail behind boot fitting

Starting at the looking and inspection of your feet - be they slender model like feet, or bunion ridden, flat slabs of meat, the fitter needs to assess your feet before the correct boots are selected.

After this there are a number of boots selected that may fit your feet and a shell check then takes place.  This is when you plant your feet into the boots without the liners to see how much space there is between the shell and your feet.

Assuming there is enough space the liner is then put in and you try your new boots on for the first time.

At first they may feel tight but never fear there are many adjustments that can take place before you take to the slopes.

Totally we also explore custom foot beds and the process involved withgetting the perfect foot bed inside that boot.   

Finally the footbed is inserted and any finer minor adjustments are made to the boot before you leave the store and head off to your nearest ski slopes!
 
This podcast was produced as a result of our recent visit to Ellis Brighams Boot Fitting Lab in Milton Keynes when we launched a youtube video that ended up very popular so we thought a podcast would support that poularity.

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

And don't forget to check us out on the following channels

inthesnow.com
instagram.com/inthesnow
TikTok@inthesnowmag
youtube.com/inthesnowmag
facebook.com/inthesnow


To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

WELCOME OUR SPONSORS SKI INDEPENDENCE

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best après-ski locations, to breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise, or how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper for an experience like no other.

 Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more about booking Canada’s Alberta with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence. Lift tickets in Jasper’s Marmot Basin are half price until the end of November.

NEWS

A new rail strategy has launched intending to increase train services from the UK to the French Alps. 

Alpine World Cup season start update.

Black Friday deals

Wham – 40 years since Last Christmas video

Club Med indoor dome in China

Bad news from Swindon

WORLD SNOW CONDITIONS

GEAR

Ecoski and plus sizes ski gear - visit EcoSki.co.uk

Heated Gloves and Socks: The Ultimate Solution for Cold Feet and Hands

Heat Performance ® POWER Ski Sock – RRP starting at £99.95

HeatPerformance® CLASSIC heated ski gloves – RRP £149.95

Heated underwear set HeatPerformance® MOTIVE – RRP £209.96

heatperformance.co.uk 

Reusch Gloves

An Icon re-visited! After being a skiers favourite for many years the Down Spirit model has been updated for even more comfort. Featuring a premium natural down insulation, high quality Gore-Tex waterproof and windproof insert, technical soft shell base with resistant goatskin leather, they keep the hands comfortably warm and dry in even the harshest weather conditions.

Recommended Retail Price: £150 Places to buy: Snow + Rock & Ellis Brigham

Courmayeur Spotlight

Lachaumiere bistro on the mountain its rare i rave about a foodie place this is exceptional with exceptional views

The Skyway cable car

Restaurant Chiecco very close to that central hub area of Plan Checrouit. 
100 km

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

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inthesnow.com
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To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Our best PISTE SKI picks for the 2024 winter ahead

Time to mention today’s sponsors, Ski Independence & Canada’s Alberta.

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best eateries, breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise and wildlife spotting opportunities, to how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway for an experience like no other. 

Book with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence before the end of October, and under 12s will ski & rent for free in Banff & Lake Louise, and lift tickets in Jasper’s Marmot Basin are half price until the end of November. Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more.

NORDICA SPITFIRE
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHAPE
The entire line of Doberman Spitfire skis is designed for skiers demanding high-performance, on-piste precision. Built using three years of studies and on-snow testing, the skis are more fluid through the arc, smoother, and faster thanks to a number of new technologies. That includes the new Recoil Power Plate, which allows the ski to flex naturally, thereby delivering a livelier ride. All of the skis in the line are modeled after our World Cup race skis, but each Dobermann Spitfire is specially designed to meet the demands of a variety of abilities and needs. Whether you’re a masters racer, PSIA instructor, or just a skier that loves carving up the frontside, a ski from the Dobermann family is your best bet.


ATOMIC REDSTER X9S
Atomic Redster X9S Revoshock S set is for skiers who want speed, versatility, and max performance - infused with World Cup heritage and a hefty dose of fun.. and it's compatible with both alpine-normed and GripWalk boots. Redster X9S takes World Cup proven tech and packs it into a platform for skiers who want to enjoy the speed and versatility of Atomic’s Multi Radius Sidecut engineering. The ski is ready to snap off quick short carves or stretch out beautiful long-radius turns. With Revoshock, the Redster X9S Revo S has an agile, predictable ride, making icy, early morning corduroy a pleasure to ski. Dual-layer Ultra Titanium laminate that runs from sidewall to sidewall above and below the core enhances overall strength, edge grip and torsional flex, while Ultrawall construction combines the edge hold and power transfer of a full sidewall with the durability and longevity of cap finishing. The Ultra Power Woodcore comes over from Atomic's FIS race platforms to provide pro-level strength, keeping the speed up and the fun high from open to close.

Redster X9S Revo S is ideal if you want to do a bit of racing and piste skiing the rest of the time. 

BLIZZARD THUNDERBIRD R15
Skiing requires a ce

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

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inthesnow.com
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To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)

Time to mention today’s sponsors, Ski Independence & Canada’s Alberta.

The team at Ski Independence have been sending customers to Alberta’s ski resorts for almost 30 years. With oodles of personal experience, they know all about the best places to stay, the best travel options… and everything in between: from Banff’s best eateries, breathtaking scenery at Lake Louise and wildlife spotting opportunities, to how to get the best out of a multi-centre itinerary – they highly recommended road-tripping up the spectacular Icefields Parkway for an experience like no other.

 Book with tailor-made specialists Ski Independence before the end of October, and under 12s will ski & rent for free in Banff & Lake Louise, and lift tickets in Jasper’s Marmot Basin are half price until the end of November. Visit ski-i.com/alberta to find out more.

*****

NEWS:

New lift and ski area in La Plagne - Check out Laplagneresort.com for more info

Dartbus - Dartbus.co.uk

Ski Club survey - Skiclub.co.uk

H&M MOVE SNOW COLLECTION

SkiWeekends launch CO2 travel comparison tool -  skiweekends.com/news/travel-greener-to-the-alps

SNOW REPORT:

Our friend in Chamonix, David Robertson, this week and he says: “this is the best snow we have seen at this time of the season in the past 18 years I have been in Chamonix. There’s already a number of tracks up there – the mid station lifts are still open for hikers but it’s skiers that are taking advantage of it.”

No high pressure then blocking all that snow, yippee.

Tignes has announced that it will open a week earlier than planned, on the 18th November, the weekend after next, rather than the 25th.

Hannah Bolger of France-specialist ski holiday company Peak Retreats, contacted us about this and she said: “They’re opening up the Glacier with an option of a returning slope to Val Claret, via the Double M piste! With the continued ‘progressing-opening’ of the rest of the ski area from 25th November. It’s very exciting news for the start of the season!”

Kitzbuhel and Schladming in Austria OPEN this weekend, Madonna di Campiglio in Italy from the 18th and Arosa, Davos and Verbier in Switzerland from this weekend, joining more than a dozen glacier ski areas that have already opened.

Val Thorens opening weekend is scheduled for November 25 and 26
Switzerland is looking pretty good too and Austria
The Dolomites and the likes of Bormio in Italy also have snow
Cervinia is all set for the weekend’s downhill race and it is looking spectacular on the course right now
Arapaho basin and Keystone are already reporting around 45cm’s of snow on their upper slopes and there’s up to 10 cm’s forecast for the next week

GEAR

Helly Hansen – Ski Free - buy a jacket and get a free ski pass, or buiy one get one free for more details visit - hellyhansen.com/skifree

Support the show

In the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us!

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inthesnow.com
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To contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at [email protected] / [email protected]