The Ski Podcast

We review the Best Ski Helmets and Best Ski & Snowboard Goggles for the 2027 winter season, covering options from all parts of the price range. Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan.-----------Les 2 Alpes sponsors The Ski Podcast – this winter we will be finding out more about the resort’s long seven-month ski season, the great activities on offer there in summer, and some of the people who live and work there and make Les 2 Alpes such a fantastic destination.------------- This special equipment episode has been made possible by the Profeet Ski Boot Lab.- Go to www.theskipodcast.com or our YouTube channel to see graphics of all these ski boots------------SHOW NOTES Key terms: ‘Fit is Key’ (3:00) Safety Standards (3:30)‘Multi norm’ helmets (4:15)Liner (5:30)MIPS (7:00)How to do up your strap (8:45)What is a Fidlock buckle? (9:30)In-mold v. hardshell construction? (10:00)Venting (11:45)Recco (12:30)Visor Helmets (14:00)Sustainability trends (15:30)BEST SNOWSPORTS HELMETS FOR WINTER 2027 (18:00) Smith Nexus MIPS - £330 (18:15)“It looks great, is available a range of colours and the wee peak at the front adds to the look, as well as protecting the top of your goggles from snow.”Head Faero Exp MIPS - £200 (21:00)“The two things that stood out of the new Faero, and in particular this Faero Exp Mips model, were the instant comfort and the new Mips Integra TX system.”Bollé Zenos MIPS - £150 (23:30)“We found this to be a pleasantly light helmet and, as always with our experience of Bollé helmets, it is very comfortable.“Salomon Pioneer 3 Access MIPS- £110 (25:00) “The Pioneer is nice and light on your head and delivers Salomon’s customary comfort.” Iain also mentioned the Oakley Mod BC helmet (27:00)Al does much of his testing at the SIGB Ski Test (28:30)Goggle terminology: (29:00)UV Protection (29:15)VLT & Category (30:00) What does Photochromic mean? (32:00)How do you decide when to change your lenses? (33:00)How to look after your goggles (35:15)Polarized lenses (37:00)BEST SKI & SNOWBOARD GOGGLES FOR WINTER 2027 (38:00)Oakley Mont Scape L - £207 (40:30)“You forget you’re wearing it, and you have an almost unhindered view, making these a fantastic choice for not just piste skiing, but also in freeride terrain when you want the best overall view possible.”SunGod Ullrs- £165 (42:45)“The Ullrs have a classic framed aesthetic…On SunGod’s website you can change the lens, frame and strap colour, and there’s loads to select from so you can make them as individual as you.”Panda Optics RS2 - £142 (45:00) “The frame cutouts work over prescription lenses, and the triple layer face foam is really comfortable. The cylindrical lens has an almost frameless aesthetic and looks great.”Scott Neo- £100 (46:30)"This green cat S1 lens blew me away. It has Scott’s ace AMP lens tech for superb contrast and definition. We used this when the clouds had moved in, even with terrible light this lens was truly sensational.”Feedback You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or you can drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on WhatsApp.Xander: “I race and I wanted to get your views on Dynastar on race skis…”Louise Cotter: “Delighted that the Best Ski Boots episode arrived in time for my Friday run. Enjoyed every minute of it. Obviously, my old boots will be now used as flower pots!”Daniel Morgan: “Really enjoyed the episode about the Best Skis for the new season!” You can catch up with over 300 episodes at theskipodcast.com – just search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something of interest. If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST27’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

A London Snow Show special, recorded on location at the 50th London Snow Show, at Kensington Olympia.Host Iain Martin speaks with GB Snowsport athletes including gold medal winner Charlotte Bankes, snowboarder Mia Brookes and Alpine racers Molly Butler and Zak Carrick Smith. He’s also joined by the newly retired Dave Ryding and Chemmy Alcott, Ed Leigh and Graham Bell to discuss the axing of ‘Ski Sunday’.We also hear the latest news from Carv, Protect Our Winters and Snowcamp, as well as plenty of other exhibitors from the show, including some regular contributors to the podcast.------------ Les 2 Alpes sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we will be finding out more about the resort’s long seven-month ski season, the great activities on offer there in summer, and some of the people who live and work there and make Les 2 Alpes such a fantastic destination. ------------SHOW NOTESCharlotte Bankes (2:20)Mia Brookes (5:00)Molly Butler (7:15)The Ski Podcast sponsors Zak, Freddy and Luca Carrick-Smith (8:45)Zak Carrick Smith (8:55)Fall Liners YouTube channel (11:45) Dave Ryding (12:20) Chemmy Alcott (15:00) Ed Leigh on his new video show ‘Snow Globe’ (16:50) Graham Bell (17:30) Jordan Bayliss from Carv – ‘the wearable ski coach’ (20:20) Morv Bett from Snow Camp (24:50) Iain led a panel about night trains to the snow (26:45) Cat Ainsworth from POW UK (27:00) The POW Clean Miles Campaign (28:00) Gavin from the Re-action Collective (29:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Alice Sainsbury from Un-para-ld (32:20) Erin Flynn from Ruanua (34:00) Iain interviewed Erin in Episode 234 Johny Midnight (36:00) Iain spoke in Episode 331 to Katie Bamber about her new book ‘Ski & Art’ (36:15) James and Sinead from Sauze Online (38:00) Mike Richards (39:15) James Gambrill, London Snow Show organiser (41:00)FeedbackI love getting feedback from listeners. You can let us know what you thought by leaving a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or you can drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on WhatsApp. Louise Cotter: “The Ski Podcast is my weekly fix to the mountains: I’m always looking forward to it.”Morgs: “Great listen this week in Episode 330. Bring on the London Snow Show” Josh: "Episode 328 with the Man in Seat 61 on the new Brussels to Milan night train was brilliant" There are now 331 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. Just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something of interest to listen to. I can also tell you If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST27’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We find out about the new Jandri 3S lift in Les 2 Alpes, why it's so important, why Telemixte lifts are the future and how the resort decides which lifts to upgrade, plus we look at the new book ‘Ski & Art’, featuring artists from around the world whose creative focus is on skiing. We also have news of an exclusive interview with the first ever man to ski down the North Face of Everest.Host Iain Martin was joined by freelance journalist Katie Bamber and Jean-Charles Thomas, Director of SATA – the lift company in Les 2 Alpes.------------Les 2 Alpes sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we will be finding out more about the resort’s long seven-month ski season, the great activities on offer there in summer, and some of the people who live and work there and make Les 2 Alpes such a fantastic destination. ------------SHOW NOTESKatie has been on the show discussing vanlife in the Alps, the Haute Route and Geilo in Norway (2:00) LISTEX is the London International Snowsports Trade (4:00) Listen to Lou Pode, Ski Mindset Coach in Episode 310 (4:45) The London Snow Show is at Kensington Olympia on 17 and 18 October (5:00) Listen to organiser James Gambrill talking about it in Episode 330 (5:00) Secure a free ticket to the Show here (5:15) Iain and Al will be on the equipment stage at 11am on Saturday (5:15) Subscribe to The Ski Podcast to ensure you hear Iain’s interview with Oscar-winning documentary maker Jimmy Chin and freeskier Jim Morrison (6:00) Les 2 Alpes offers a 7-month ski season that LDA offers from lateNov to early Jul (7:30) Why Les 2 Alpes glacier does not open for skiing in mid-summer (11:00) Why the Jandri 3S upgrade was so important to Les 2 Alpes (12:45) Is the new lift a hedge against climate change (16:15) Some of the newer lifts are ‘Telemixte’ lifts (17:30) Which lifts are replaced or upgraded first? (19:30) The Champamé ski lift was partially rebuilt using components from Les Orres (20:45) Jean-Charles served in the army for over 10 years (23:00) Katie’s new book is called ‘Ski & Art’ (26:30) Deciding on which artists to include How long did the process take? (28:00) Deciding which of their work to include (29:00) Buy ‘Ski & Art’ online ((34:00) Feedback I love getting feedback from listeners. You can let us know what you thought by leaving a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or you can drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on WhatsApp. Louise Cotter: “What an episode 330 was! So much great content, the LifePass is a revolution - it is going to remove so much stress from a ski holiday for everyone.”  Ed Whieldon “I enjoyed your presentation about driving EVs to the snow at the Northern Snow Show. Will let you know how it goes!” Ryhoos: “Great interview in Episode 325 with Andzej Bargiel. Andrzej is our national pride. He’s such an amazing guy.”Stuart: “I love listening to the podcast while I'm in the gym, pre-season training.”If you’d like a Ski Podcast sticker for your skis, helmet or phone case, just drop us an email with your address to [email protected] are now 331 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with. Just go to theskipodcast.com, have a search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something of interest to listen to. I can also tell you If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST27’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We hear from Kirsty Muir in an exclusive interview, Chemmy Alcott introduces us to LifePass and we find out how to become a snowboard judge.  We also have updates from the Northern and London Snow Shows and some big news about our podcasts in November.Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Chemmy Alcott, Pete McFetridge, founder and CEO of LifePass and FIS-qualified snowboard judge Sophie Smith. ------------Les 2 Alpes sponsors The Ski Podcast, which means this winter we will be finding out more about the resort’s long seven-month ski season, the great activities on offer there in summer, and some of the people who live and work there and make Les 2 Alpes such a fantastic destination. ------------SHOW NOTESThe Northern Snow Show took place at The Snow Centre, Manchester (4:30) Virginia Anderson from DSUK told us about their new hub in Episode 323 (5:00) Morv Bett from SnowCamp was a guest in Episode 324 (6:30) Matt Garka hosts the Skiing is Believing Podcast (8:00)  (0:24 to 0:54, so 30 secs) Scott Hanlon is Activities Manager at Glencoe in Scotland (8:45) British freestyle skier Kirsty Muir (10:00) Matt Robinson, organiser of the Northern Show featured in Episode 324 (17:45) James Gambrill is organiser of The London Snow Show on 16 and 17 October (19:45) Chemmy on the London Show (23:45) Katja Gaskell will be guest hosting The Ski Podcast in November (26:30) Chemmy on the future of Ski Sunday (29:00) What is LifePass? (30:30) The inspiration behind LifePass (31:45) La Thuile has been the testing ground (32:45) How does LifePass work in practice? (33:45) Using live location (37:15) The La Thuile ski patrol have responded to the SOS button (39:00) Cervinia will offer LifePass this winter (39:30) Sophie works at GB Snowsport as a Content and Communications Officer (43:00) She won an award for her final year project – a documentary called ‘The Slope to Recovery’ (45:00) Sophie is a FIS qualified snowboard judge (47:30) Listen to Iain’s interview with Ed Leigh about how judges score (49:15)FeedbackI love getting feedback from listeners. You can let us know what you thought by leaving a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or you can drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on WhatsApp. Nicholas: "I thought Richard Lett's insights into the commune election process in Episode 320 were fascinating"Paul Bond: "The top ski podcast. Iain has a great mix for all snow heads." Colin Tierney: "It was great to hear from Mark Smith (Man in Seat 61) about train travel in Episode 328" Dan Morgan: “Just wanted to say how much I’m enjoying the latest episodes. You're doing a great job getting us all excited for the season!" You can catch up with over 330 episodes of The Ski Podcast at theskipodcast.com - have a search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something of interest. If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST27’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

We review the Best Ski Boots for the 2027 winter season, covering the alpine ski boots and best freeride and touring hybrid ski boots. Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan and Frazer Shand from Profeet in London.Les 2 Alpes sponsors The Ski Podcast – this winter we will be finding out more about the resort’s long seven-month ski season, the great activities on offer there in summer, and some of the people who live and work there and make Les 2 Alpes such a fantastic destination.This special equipment episode has been made possible by the Profeet Ski Boot Lab.Go to www.theskipodcast.com or our YouTube channel to see graphics of all these ski bootsSHOW NOTESIain and Al will be at the London Snow Show in October (2:15)Ski Boot definitions and terms: Shell (4:20) Last (5:00) Mondopoint (6:15) Flex (7:30) Liner (10:00) BOA (12:00) Powerstrap (18:15) Walk mode and Grip Walk (20:00) Sustainability (25:00) How can you recycle ski boots? (27:00) Function, Fit and Footbeds (29:00) Find out about the fitting process at the Profeet Ski Boot Lab (30:00) Customisation (32:30) Custom insoles (33:30) Get your free tickets to the London Snow Show (1:05:15)THE BEST SKI BOOTS OF 2027 (36:00) Piste and All-Mountain Ski Boots (36:15) Atomic Nexus 105 BOA W / 120 BOA(37:30)£540 / £550SIZES (MP): 22.0 – 27.5 / 24.0 - 31.5VOLUME: HighLAST (mm): 101FLEX: 105 / 120 WEIGHT (per boot): 1,999g (26.5MP) / 1,996g (26.5MP) “The fit and hold is impressive, but the thing that really surprised us was just how well they ski. A superb choice if convenience is high on your boot buying agenda.”Nordica Promachine 3 95 W / 130 GW(41:30)£415/ £590ALPINE SIZES (MP): 22.0 - 27.5 / 22.0 - 30.5 WALK MODE: N VOLUME: LowLAST (mm): 98FLEX: 95 / 130WEIGHT (per boot): 1,680g (24.5MP) / 1,870g (26.5MP)“Superbly comfortable performance boots. The liner is excellent and Al loves the hold from the medium-firm foam. The snug fit wraps the foot naturally and securely, without excessive pressure.”Salomon S/Pro Alpha C BOA 95 W / 130(45:00)£480 / £640SIZES (MP): 22.0 - 27.5 / 24.0 - 30.5 VOLUME: LowLAST (mm): 98FLEX: 95 / 130WEIGHT (per boot): 1,664g / 1,940g (no stated size) “We could feel the difference this new design makes. It’s like power steering for your feet, enabling easier ski tip engagement and control into the turn.”K2 Anthem 105 Zonal BOA / Recon 120 Zonal BOA(49:30)£550ALPINE SIZES (MP): 21.0 – 26.5 / 24.0 - 30.5WALK MODE: N VOLUME: MediumLAST (mm): 97 – 100          FLEX: 105 / 120 WEIGHT (per boot): 1,885g (23.5MP) / 2,210g (27.5MP) “Superb wrap and hold using BOA, combined with fully heat-mouldable make these a great choice.”The Best Freeride Ski Boots of 2027 (52:45)Lange Code 95 BOA MV GW / 130 BOA LV GW(53:30)£565 / £715FREERIDE SIZES (MP): 22.0 – 27.5 / 24.0 – 29.5 WALK MODE: Y, 54° ROMVOLUME: Medium / LowLAST (mm): 100 / 97FLEX: 95 / 130WEIGHT (per boot): 1,605g / 1,910g (no stated size) “More room inside than expected: akin to a medium volume fit, meaning I had to crank the BOA tight to get the snugness I like. Despite this, I love how this boot reacts, thanks to the Dual Core construction, and the ROM in tour mode is plenty for most needs.”  Tecnica Zero G Decoy 115 W GW / 130 GW(57:00)£640 / £685 FREERIDE SIZES (MP):  22.0 – 27.5 / 24.0 – 30.5WALK MODE: Y, 65° ROM VOLUME: Medium  LAST (mm): 99FLEX: 115 / 130 WEIGHT (per boot): 1,510g (24.5MP) / 1,680g (26.5MP) “Balances uphill efficiency and downhill ski performance really nicely. The comfortable fit made longer touring days way more manageable, with a supporting, confidence inspiring time on the ski down.”  Armada AR One AF 110 MV / 130 MV(1:02:00)£580 / £700 FREERIDESIZES (MP): 23.0 - 29.5 / 24.0 - 29.5WALK MODE: Y, 52° ROM VOLUME: MediumLAST (mm): 100FLEX: 110 / 130 WEIGHT (per boot): 2,120g / 2,125g (no stated size)“Superb skiing performance and features of the top-end AR One, including PU shell, shock absorbing boot board, elasticated claw power strap, heat mouldable tech, and the instep buckle to lock you back into the heel.” Feedback You can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – or you can drop me an email to [email protected]. We’re also on WhatsApp.Louise Cotter: “Fascinating podcast on the best skis. I’m starting to feel very excited that the ski season is approaching!”  Colin Tierney: "You can tell ski season is approaching when you hear Al’s voice on the show!" You can catch up with over 300 episodes at theskipodcast.com – just search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something of interest. If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help the podcast, there are three things you can do: Follow us, or subscribe, so you never miss an episode Give us a review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify Save yourself some money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST27’ when you book at intersportrent.com. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.