236: Ed Leigh on Ski Sunday, Mia Brookes & the Natural Selection Tour

This special episode of The Ski Podcast is an exclusive interview with BBC presenter Ed Leigh.

Ed tells us how the ‘Ski Sunday’ season has gone so far, including why his co-presenter, Chemmy Alcott, was a natural when it came to snowboarding.

We cover his journey from Turin 2006 to Paris 2024, where he commentated on the BMX and skateboarding, before discussing the ridiculous talent of Mia Brookes, Britain’s 18-year-old world champion snowboarder.

Finally, I asked Ed about the Natural Selection Tour. We talk about the format, how it’s evolved and where you can watch it this winter.

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SHOW NOTES

Ed was last on the show in Episode 169 (2:30)
He was last on snow at Zugspitze above Garmisch (3:15)
Working with the Ski Sunday team (5:00)
Was Chemmy really a natural snowboarder? (10:00)
Listen to Warren Smith talking about coaching Louis Smith on ‘The Jump’ (10:30)
Ed on his ski racing lessons (12:00)
Presenting Ski Sunday with a serious injury (13:30)
Ed’s first BBC work was at the 2006 Turin Olympics (15:30)
Starting on Ski Sunday (17:15)
Filming ‘High Altitude’ (17:45)
Commentating on the BMX and Skateboarding in Paris 2024 (22:00)
“Every time I heard you or Tim Warwood’s voice I knew there’d be something fun to watch!” (25:00)
Is skateboarding selling out? (27:00)
Why don’t we see more freestyle snowboarding and skiing on Ski Sunday? (30:00)
Mia Brookes’ amazing season (32:30)
Is she stronger at slopestyle or big air? (33:00)
Charlotte Bankes as another potential medallist at Cortina 2026? (34:45)
Maisie Hill’s prospects (36:45)
Who is Txema Mazet Brown? (38:15)
What is the Natural Selection Tour? (40:30)
‘Designed for athletes, not spectators’ (40:45)
The Natural Selection Tour includes mountain biking, surfing, skiing and snowboarding (43:00)
It was founded by Travis Rice in Jackson Hole (43:45)
What's the format? (47:45)
The snowboarding takes place in Revelstoke from 10-17 March (50:45)
You can watch the Natural Selection Tour on RedBull TV (51:00)
Can you compare the X-Games and Natural Selection Tour (51:00)
Does the X-Games use AI judging? (53:15)

Feedback

I enjoy all feedback about the show, so please do contact me on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com

Dave Mills and James Rice very kindly bought me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast

Dave: “Iain, love your podcast. It’s essential listening all year round, but never more so than during the ski season. Bravo!”

James: “I’m a huge fan of The Storm Skiing Podcast, so it was great to have him on your show. As an American, one of the things I really enjoy about your podcast is that it offers me a glimpse into a completely different ski and travel culture. I often listen to The Ski Podcast and inevitably add a resort or experience to my dream list of ski holidays.”

There are now 248 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 152 of those were listened to in the last week.

If you enjoyed this episode, then go to theskipodcast.com where you’ll find plenty of other interviews, destinations, experiences and adventures to entertain you on your commute, run, gym workout or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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