251: Ski Touring in Italy, Rob Katz’s ‘To Do’ list at Vail Resorts & Skiing the Mississippi

Today we discuss ‘Homeland’ – a ski touring only ‘resort’ in Italy, we ask what should be on Rob Katz’s ‘to do’ list as he takes up the reins again at Vail Resorts, plus we find out about skiing along the Mississippi.

Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by freelance journalist Sam Haddad and host of the Storm Skiing Podcast, Stuart Winchester, as well as down the line with snow reports by Rachael Oakes-Ash in Australia and Guy Beatson in New Zealand.

SHOW NOTES

Sam was last on the show talking about La Grave in Episode 214 (1:15)
Stuart was last on the show in Episode 235 (1:30)
Find out about La Sarenne in Alpe d’Huez (4:00)
Stuart’s last day of skiing was at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado (5:00)
Guy Beatson reported from New Zealand (9:30)
Rachael Oakes-Ash from Snowsbest reported from Australia (11:00)
Homeland is a ski touring ‘resort’ in Italy (13:00)
Read Sam’s Substack ‘Climate and Board Sports’ (14:00)
Read Sam’s article for the Guardian
We featured Madesimo in Episode 165 (18:00)
Read Stuart’s Storm Skiing Journal Substack (23:30)
”Everyone’s searching for skiing’s soul. I’m trying to find its brains”
We covered the Ikon Pass, Indy Pass, Mountain Collective & Epic Pass in Episode 265
We discussed how the Epic Pass is making a difference in Australia in Episode 250 (25:45)
Vail launched the Epic Pass in 2008 (26:00)
Sales of the Epic Pass were down for the first time in 2024/25 (28:30)
The ski patrol strike in Park City was a PR disaster for Vail Resorts (30:00)
The CEO of Vail Resort Kirsten Lynch resigned in May 2025 (32:00)
She was replaced by Rob Katz (32:30)
What should be on Rob Katz's 'to do' list (32:45)
“Walk-up lift ticket prices that would embarrass a luxury handbag store!”
“Wait, There's a Limit to What People Will Pay to Ski 7 Hours on a Tuesday in a Highly Competitive Market?”
Skiing in Alabama (37:00)

Feedback
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Guy Beatson: "I really enjoy the podcast – it helped prepare for my trip to Big Sky and Grand Targhee in late January"

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