67: Behind the Scenes at 'Ski Sunday' with Chemmy Alcott, Inside The Snow Centre & James Blunt Tour Secrets

In Episode 67, we go behind the scenes at 'Ski Sunday', on tour with James Blunt, inside The Snow Centre, discover craft beer in the Alps and reveal the results from our survey.

Iain's guests for this episode where BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott and Ian Brown, Managing Director at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.

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SHOW NOTES

• Chemmy was skiing chest-deep powder in Laax
• The group denied boarding at Eurostar was on their way to Verbier to do a training course with Peak Leaders
• They started the time in Europe in Vallorcine where some of the group tested positive
• Graham Bell is in Dancing on Ice 2021
• Chemmy took part in the Inferno in Murren in 2020
• Laax uses an app system to control Covid and numbers in resort
• Iain travelled to Crans Montana in December
• Chemmy has tried cooking for Ed!
• Dougie and Chemmy are coaching Giselle Gorringe
• Graham would probably have been very hot in his outfit
• Betony Garner appeared in Episode 65 when we discussed cross country skiing
• Her report was recorded in Les Contamines
• Charlie Rees took the Mammut backcountry course in Andermatt
• The avalanche danger is very high in Switzerland
• We've previously discussed skiing in Wales and in Scotland
• Ian is MD at the The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead
• Sadly, the Swindon project will not be going ahead
• You can listen to the full interview with Peter Hardy here
• Listen to our podcast special about Erna Low here
• Peter is the author of ‘Different Country, Same State’ – the inside story of being on tour with James Blunt
• You can watch Peter’s video of skiing with Graham Bell on old kit here
• Find out about the Sapaudia brewery here
• Jan Farrell has retired from his career as a speed skier

Reviews

Suzi Jones:
"Just to say I love the Podcast not being able to ski at the mo is made
easier by your interviews and discussion thanks!"

Chris Filey:
"With not much chance of getting on the slopes, the Ski Podcast brings
some relief to us all"

Skibum70:
"Often copied, never surpassed"

Jill Taylor:
"Keep it up, it’s very enjoyable"

James Hawkins:
"Another great listen"

Matt Hayes:
"Love this pod, keeps me entertained in many a commute, lockdown workout or when I'm simply missing the mountains"

Eggfried100 on Snowheads:
"I’ve listened to quite a few other podcasts but ‘The Ski Podcast’ is by
far the best for me. Great content, interesting guests, plus it has really
kept us informed through the shall we say an ‘interesting’ last twelve
months."

Please do review us on iTunes as it helps other people find us

Tips on Car Hire at Geneva:

• Hire from the Swiss side and don’t wait for the bus, just walk (it’s only 5 mins)
• Don’t return the car empty – it’s expensive!
• Iain recommends booking via Holiday Autos
• Chemmy suggests renting from Super U on the French side for
• long-term rentals (but don't take too much meat!)

You can read the results of our recent survey here

If you’d like some The Ski Podcast stickers then please contact us with your address and we'll drop a few in the post to you

Thanks to Matt Hayes, Michael Gold, Mark McGarry, Julie Slaughter, Doug Newman, Rachael Westbrook and Joanna Yellowlees-Bound for buying me a cuppa at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast

You can follow Iain and the show on Twitter and Facebook @skipedia and @theskipodcast