321: Chamonix Stories #6 | Sam Haddad: “I looked down and there was just the abyss"

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 NOTES Katie 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.”

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 NOTES

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 boots SHOW NOTES

We find out about a new overnight train service to Switzerland and Italy, as well as a new campaign to promote the repair of snowsports clothing, rather than replacement. We also hear about a new initiative to bring newcomers into the sport, plus we have the latest updates from Australia and NZ and news of award recognition for The Ski Podcast. Host Iain Martin was joined in the studio by Heather Davies from the Re-Action Collective and Mark Smith (‘The Man in Seat 61’), the UK’s leading train travel expert. ------------ 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 NOTES

We review the Best Skis for the new 2027 winter season, covering the best piste skis, best all mountain skis and freeride skis. Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan and Frazer Shand from Profeet Ski Boot Lab. 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. 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 of these skis. SHOW NOTES