The Ski Podcast

253: Fiona Easdale, Olympian & co-founder YSE Ski

In today’s episode Iain speaks with Fiona Easdale, managing director and co-founder of the Val d’Isere chalet specialist YSE Ski.  She was racing downhill in the Winter Olympics at just 16 years old, then worked in sports management with World Cup winning footballers, before her return to the ski industry with Bladon Lines.  There, she rose through the ranks to become managing director, before going off on her own to set up YSE Ski with John Yates-Smith – a company that’s now been in business for over 30 years.  This episode is the latest in a series of podcasts I’ve been publishing focussing on women in the snowsports industry. Previous episodes have included BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott, GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling and former-Erna Low MD, Joanna Yellowlees-Bound. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code If you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.  SHOW NOTES Listen to Iain’s interview with John Yates-Smith in Episode 231 (3:45) Read Iain’s summary of the latest Mountain Trade Network research (5:45) Fiona competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics at just 16 years old (7:00) Seba Johnson is the youngest Alpine skier to compete in the Olympics at 14 (7:30) Fiona joined the Downhill Only Ski Club in Wengen (8:30) Fiona finished 34th in Downhill, 37th in GS, 18th in Slalom and 10th in the Combined (11:30) “Nobody gives us a chance. Why should they against the Alpine countries? But we’re having a go!” (13:30) Konrad Bartelski was also at Innsbruck (15:00) John Curry won gold for Team GB in the ice skating (16:00) Fiona was injured in an Europa Cup race in Flaine (18:30) IMG is a sports management agency (20:15) Listen to Episode 252 about the Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines (21:45) Fiona rose from Contracts Manager to MD (23:00) How did it end at Bladon Lines? (29:00) The founding of YSE (30:00) Of 30 resorts offered by Bladon Lines, 60% of profits were in Val d'Isere (31:00) YSE is a Val d’Isere specialist (33:45) Dealing with global crises (35:00)  Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:   1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2) Subscribe –it every episode will automatically be downloaded for you 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ or take this link  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast or WhatsApp

Flashback: How to become a Ski Patroller in France

In this special ‘Flashback’ episode, Iain speaks with Tom Greenall, one of the few British members of the ski patrol in France. Tom explains the long journey he had to go through to qualify as a ‘pisteur’ (ski patroller in France), starting off with racing against 11-year-olds (having had some training from Glenn Plake!) to learning how to ski with a blood wagon in his hands.  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code If you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.  SHOW NOTES Tom Greenall is founder of Idris Skis He ran a cat skiing operation in Japan for three years The first qualification required to become a ski patroller is a Fleche Vermillion Glen Plake has been coming to Chamonix since 1987 Tom passed the Test Technique on his fourth attempt at Puy St Vincent ‘Premiere Secours Equipe Niveau 1 & 2’ is the rescue industry first aid course Tom’s Pisteur Course cost €3000 and took place in Les Orres The course included knowledge of middle mountain environment; weather and snow awareness; Rules and Regulations; taking the PSE2 first aid to the ski patrol environment; sled (‘bloodwagon’ practice); avalanche practice The course concluded with exams on rescue sleds; an avalanche beeper search; and first aid cases Listen to our interview with the producers of ‘Ski A&E’ in Val Thorens in Episode 43 Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Don’t forget that if you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money…all you need to do is to use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. So simply use that code ‘SKIPODCAST’ or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied. 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 ‘Buy me a coffee’ at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast on Facebook and Instagram  @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.

252: The Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines | ‘Parrots in the Snow’

In this special episode we look at the rise and fall of Bladon Lines – a British chalet company who in the mid-80s were the biggest ski company in the UK, but by the mid-90s had completely disappeared. It’s the story of two young men, who met at university and were sure that they could do ski holidays better. It’s about how their company rode the 80s boom and grew exponentially to become ‘the’ name in British skiing. Then new competitors came in and the market changed. The last glass of ‘Parrot Claret’ was served over 30 years ago now, but the Bladon Lines continues to hold a special place in the hearts of British skiers… SHOW NOTES Mark Lines died in a car crash in 1990 (2:00) Simon Bladon met Mark Lines on his first day at Exeter University in 1971 (3:15) In July 1978 Simon was sacked from his job, leading to the start of ‘Bladon Lines’ (6:00) In year three, the company made a profit of £80,000 (9:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with John Yates Smith in Episode 231 (9:30) The famous red, yellow and blue Bladon Lines jackets led to the parrot logo (11:00) Bladon Lines offered ‘Parrot Claret’ and ‘Parrot Vin’ wines in their chalets (12:00) Alastair Scott from the Sunday Times, found the jackets ‘hideously recognisable’ (12:30) Amin Momen founded Momentum Ski – a corporate ski specialist (12:45) The dotted Ski West jackets were also famous (13:30) Ed Mannix is now owner of the Zermatt specialist, Matterhorn Chalets (13:40) Nick Morgan founded the chalet company Le Ski in 1982 (15:15) What are ‘Sloane Rangers’? John Yates-Smith: “It was the days of glorious amateurishness” (17:30) ‘The Bladon Lines Chalet Girls Cookbook’ is occasionally available on ebay (22:00) The standard of chalets in the 80s… (22:45) Simon Hoskyns worked for Bladon Lines before going on to co-found Alpine Answers (24:00) There were no mobile phones in the 80s… (23:30) Gareth Crump is now Sales and Marketing Director at VIP Ski (26:30) The days of the Telex… (27:00) Ed Mannix was the only member of staff with a ‘mobile phone’ (28:15) Simon Bladon sold his 50% share to family friend Christopher Needler (29:00) Christopher Needler kept Bladon Lines afloat as the market changed (29:45) Crystal Ski were an aggressive new competitor (32:00) Chalet rents went ‘out of control’ (32:30) In 1991, the company sacked Fiona Easdale as managing director (33:15) John Yates-Smith and Easdale formed their own chalet company, YSE Ski (33:30) Inghams bought Bladon Lines in 1995 (36:00) Simon Bladon offered to come back to help run the new Bladon Lines division of Inghams (37:15) The skills you develop when working ski seasons… (38:30) The Bladon Lines community… (42:00) In 2020 Crystal Ski announced it was cancelling its entire chalet programme (44:00) Seasonal Businesses in Travel report a 50% reduction in chalet capacity this decade (44:00) The Bladon Lines ‘Chalet Girl’ races (45:00) Credits This episode was written, narrated and edited by Iain Martin.  Thanks go to Andy Wadsworth for reading the additional clippings, quotes and excerpts and to everyone who contributed to this episode including Simon Bladon, John Yates-Smith, Amin Momen, Ed Mannix, Gareth Crump, Nick Morgan and Simon Hoskyns.  Share this episode If you enjoyed this episode and you know someone who worked or took holidays with Bladon Lines back in the 80s or 90s, or simply likes a good ski industry story, then I would really appreciate it if you shared this episode with them.  Feedback  If you want to share your own memories of Bladon Lines or just let me know what you thought about this episode, then please contact me via Facebook or Instagram @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on WhatsApp. There are over 260 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with – just go theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories and you’re bound to find something you like. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code   If you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.

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 I always enjoy listener feedback. Please leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram and Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  Guy Beatson: "I really enjoy the podcast – it helped prepare for my trip to Big Sky and Grand Targhee in late January"  You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.  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 -          ‘Buy me a coffee’ at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast

250: Is Ski Ballet back? Plus Perisher, Cardrona & Australia/NZ news

Today we focus on the new ski season in Australia and New Zealand, especially the new chairlift in Perisher and ski area extension in Cardrona. Plus could ski ballet be making a comeback? We find out about this iconic sport from the 80s Host Iain Martin was joined by the expert on skiing in Australia and New Zealand, founder of the Snowsbest website, Rachael Oakes-Ash, and the founder of MGG clothing, and the man single-handedly behind the ski ballet revival, Tom Bata.  SHOW NOTES Rachael enjoyed great conditionsat the Australia opening weekend (1:30) Iain skied all five of the UK’s indoor snowdomes in May (2:45) Big Sky featured in Episode 235 of The Ski Podcast (3:00) Svalbard featured in Episode 218 of The Ski Podcast (5:00) Listen to Iain’s interview with Xavier De Le Rue (7:00) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter reported from the opening weekend in Tignes (8:00) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching reported from Les 2 Alpes (9:15) The new AUD26 million chairlift in Perisher (10:45) Listen to Iain’s report from Australia in Episode 182 (12:45) The Epic Pass in Australia (15:00) The new 4 day pass in in Australia (17:00 The Thredbo Alpine Coaster (19:30) The Soho ski area in Cardona will make it the largest NZ ski area (21:20) Cardrona is opening a new freestyle training centre (23:20) Mt Dobson and Ohau are for sale (27:00) MGG (Mont Gele Gear) is based in Verbier (28:45) MGG incorporate a Radical Transparency Label (30:45) Take a look at one of the RTL labels (32:00)  What is ‘ski ballet’? (33:30)  Watch MGG’s film about ski ballet (34:45) Did Tanner Hall made his start in ski ballet? (35:00) Will ski ballet ever come back into the mainstream (40:00) Feedback (41:30) I love to hear what you think about the show – what you like, or don’t like – just leave me a comment on Spotify or Instagram and Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com  skiiingPostie (on Episode 249): “I get people’s apprehension (about starting skiing)…I started learning at 47 and the main thing I was worried about was hurting myself or others” Alex: “I've recently got into listening to your podcast and am really enjoying all the skiing chat.”  There are now 262 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 229 of those were listened to in the last week. Go to theskipodcast.com and have a look around our back catalog - you’re bound to find something of interest. You can also follow us on WhatsApp for exclusive material released ahead of the podcast.