Dom: welcome to the white out podcast

Rob: Hi I'm Rob pr director and general ski and gear geek and thats Dom, Publisher at InTheSnow magazine

Dom: yep and together we are the white out Podcast dream team

Each week we talk about  ski news from around the world, where's best to ski now, we uncover the latest ski gear for the season and we feature the best ski destinations for all kinds of skiers

Rob: Yes Dom and new for this season we introduce a special guest on (well most episodes) to discuss their ultimate ski day whilst also delving into listeners questions like... how to become an instructor, how to launch a new ski clothing brand or how to become a ski photographer.

Dom: And this week's guest is

Rob: not this week dom i told you that, this week we are just getting back into things…:)

anyway, weve got a packed episode this week. I’m at the Northern Snow Show this weekend in Manchester too, which I am really looking forward to.

DOM: and i was in London last night celebrating 90 years of Inghams - i mean its easy you go to these things and think  nothing of it but 90 years taking people skiing, its pretty incredible isnt it!  

ROB:  wow thats def impressive

so whats in the news this week dom

NEWS:

DOM: there’s new lifts opening across the Alps and North America, we can’t mention them all but a few highlights include Verbier’s new Savoleyres combined chair and gondola, seriously modernising access to some of the resorts more gentle terrain – there’s also a new replacement lift in Engelberg taking people up to Titlis. In France, Les 2 Alpes the new Jandri Express, a 32 person tricable car – huge lift and in Les Gets, a new enclosed beginner’s lift on the Mappy’s area really expands that learners area. Big Sky Resort in Montana continues to invest and is opening the fastest 6 person lift in North America, the Swift Current.

ROB: that’s great news and it sounds like after a bit of a drought on this side of things following Covid there’s some real progress and investment happening. We do like to mention a bit of alpine ski racing on the white out but obviously it hasn’t started yet. The schedule is looking great with a few changes but it’s still Sölden for both men and women for the opening weekend of Giant Slalom over the last weekend of October. Then back to Levi for men and women’s slalom mid-November, before more men’s and women’s slalom racing in Gurgle late November – then everything moves to North America, they have abandoned the idea of Zermatt – Cervinia which never happened in two seasons of trying. Then a few other changes include the men racing downhill in Crans-Montana instead of the women, the men are back to Kvitfjell in Norway again after a break – the women took over there for a while and there’s also now a men’s slalom in nearby Hafjell mid-March too, with the world cup finals taking place, I believe for the first time, in Sun Valley Idaho from March 20-27. All of that and many much more with of course the Alpine skiing world championships taking place in Saalbach from February 4-16. So a lot to look forward to if you’re into ski racing.

DOM: it’s a huge season and we mustn’t forget all the other disciplines too including freestyle, snowboarding, telemark, Nordic and speed skiing. The Freestyle skiing and snowboarding world championships take place in the Engadine and St. Moritz from March 17-30 and the Nordic world championships are on in Trondheim Norway from Feb 26 to March 9. No Olympics this season of course but when we hit February it will be just a year away from the 2026 Milan Cortina games. And of course Marcel Hirscher is making a comeback….

ROB: A new ski school and dry slope has opened near Perth, Scotland, at Craigclowan School.

Perth Ski School offers dynamic lessons for children of all abilities, aiming to foster a love for skiing from a young age. Headed by experienced BASI instructor Alana Duncan, the team includes Maison Sport CEO Nick Robinson and local instructor Murdo Harrier.

The school offers tailored group lessons, from beginners learning basic skills to advanced skiers refining their technique. Programs like ‘Freshers’ focus on stopping and control, while ‘Top Cats’ push advanced skiers on challenging terrain. Small class sizes ensure personalized instruction.

“As a former pupil, I’m thrilled to open Perth Ski School,” Duncan said. “We aim to create a supportive environment where children can learn and grow.”

Lessons run on Fridays and Sundays, starting from 04 October, in 50-minute sessions. Classes are bookable in blocks of eight for £200 per child. perthskischool.co.uk

DOM: so rob we also have the inthesnow readers tripm to Les Gets - 4 Days of Hosted Skiing from £695pp

This January, we invite you on an exclusive four-day InTheSnow readers’ ski trip to Les Gets, France, hosted by Rob Stewart, our gear editor with over 30 years of ski industry experience. Whether you're with friends, solo, or bringing a partner, this trip promises memorable skiing and fun off the slopes.

Rob Stewart, who also serves as Les Gets' media ambassador, will ensure a fantastic experience, drawing on his vast expertise in organising and leading ski trips to the region.

On Thursday, January 16th, you'll arrive at Geneva Airport for your transfer to Les Gets. After checking in at Chalet Marjorie, you’ll meet your fellow guests and pick up your ski gear before hitting the slopes for an afternoon session. Later, unwind with après-ski and enjoy a 3-course dinner.

From Friday to Monday, you'll have breakfast before daily ski sessions, with plenty of time for lunch and après-ski. Special highlights include a Savoyard night on Saturday and a ski away day to Avoriaz on Sunday. On Monday, January 20th, after a final morning ski, you'll return your equipment and head back to Geneva Airport.

Accommodation at Chalet Marjorie in Les Gets, catered chalet board with breakfast, afternoon tea, and three-course evening meals (with wine), shared airport transfers from Geneva, and special events like Savoyard dinners. You'll also have exclusive access to ski areas in Les Gets and Avoriaz.

Quad rooms start at £695 per person. Shared twin rooms for solo travelers are £783, while rooms for sole use are £1,450. Other options include triple rooms, and suites, ranging from £695 to £915 per person.

Flights to Geneva and travel insurance (which must cover winter sports) are not included, along with any additional food and drink outside of the provided meals.

For any questions or to book, contact us at sales@skiweekends.com or call 02380 206971.

ROB: French ski resort Val Cenis, which is already at the forefront of actions to combat climate change, has set a new standard by creating its new Roches Blanches quad chairlift using mostly parts from the previous lift and other decommissioned lifts.

The projected was undertaken jointly with the famous French ski lift manufacturer, Poma, with both it and the ski area based in France’s Isère region.

Using second-hand equipment made up of parts bought from other resorts (cable elements, seats, stations etc.) the innovative procedure was found to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst a combination and cut the need for new raw materials by up to 90%, with the savings mostly made in terms of steel used.

In fact only 35 of the 400 tonnes of equipment (cables, nuts and bolts and station roof) were manufactured specifically for the Roches Blanches chairlift project

The new lift will also have nine fewer pylons, down from 21 to only 12 in total. It will be much faster than its predecessor though, ascending in five minutes compared to the 12 minutes and 30 seconds of the previous lift. The new lift will be much more comfortable, Val Cenis says.

Once dismantled, the current chairlift will either be sold for spare parts or in turn be recycled!

GEAR:

ROB: There’s a new brand called ADN that is a technology that is specifically designed to improve the eco credentials of skis. They are working with ski brands to implement their own technology and materials into the ski, allowing them to fully recyclable and they have formed a new partnership with the retailer Skiset for this season, so you can start to rent these skis. The founder of the brand Camille Lambert has been travelling to the UK to give some talks on the launch and we met up with her, she said: “On Skiset's side, they will be able to gauge customer interest in these skis, while on our side, we’ll be testing their durability. After at least 3 years, the skis will be returned to us so we can dismantle and analyse the quality of the materials to know how durable they are, if there is a differences between skier’s profiles and location”.

Really interesting project and they will be available in several resorts this winter including, Pra Loup, Val Thorens, Belle Plagne, Courchevel and Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees.

DOM: British goggle company Panda Optics has launched its new dual vision goggle that brings a revolutionary new relationship between frame and lens. This goggle can be used with EITHER a polarised Toric lens (mimics the curvature of a retina) OR a cylindrical lens both magnetically linked with the frame. Available from pandaoptics.co.uk at £160

ROB: sort of a gear story Dom but Chemmy Alcott, former ski racer and Olympian and of course BBC Ski Sunday presenter, has just become an ambassador for Salomon. Chemmy will be using Salomon skis and boots through the next season and I know she’s delighted with this because she told me herself that Salomon was one of the first brands she ski raced on as a junior.

DOM: which brings us nicely onto their new helmet, the Brigade Index - Crafted from a single material family for full recyclability, the Helmet ensures safety and comfort with shock absorption, the Custom Dial 360 fit, and airflow channels. Salomon say its Performance with a sustainable edge. Available from salomon.com at £110. What’s on your radar for this season Rob…

ROB: I’ve just got myself some Stance socks Dom and I know it’s still early days but buying new socks in the autumn is a good strategy because it gets cold in the house and I can wear them in! I will of course be reviewing them plus Montane have just launched a brand new line of ski touring kit and I’ve got hold of that. It looks really nice, very slick design and pretty technical so again will be talking about that plus obviously a lot of other stuff…

DOM: that’s it for our gear section this week it’s now onto…

Where is best to ski now

DOM: we have slightly changed this section, introducing a more targeted approach to our snow reports so its totally focussed now on wheres best to ski right now....

ROB: yes exactly, we are searching out those spots where the snow might be particularly good but also doing our best to paint an accurate picture of what it’s really like out there.

DOM: there’s definitely a lot of misunderstanding around what snow conditions can be like. On the one hand you might have social media saying one thing and then a news story somewhere about resorts that are closed.

ROB: yes and it causes confusion and you end up with people believing there’s no snow at all, ever. Even last season when you really looked at it, the snow above 1500 metres was pretty good. some challenges shall we say below that but it also didn’t mean there wasn’t any snow.

i just think this has been talked to death and we dont need to keep mentioning it

DOM: so what about right now Rob as we go into early October.

ROB: well it looks like the last remains of snow is finally melting away in Chile. A journalist friend of mine has been there last week and had some decent spring skiing. I’ve literally just got back from Grindelwald in Switzerland and I can tell you, there’s been snow down to around 2,000 metres there so it means some of the glaciers are in good condition that’s for sure.

DOM:

October marks the arrival of autumn in the northern hemisphere, bringing cooler temperatures and the start of the ski season in many regions. In Europe, glacier resorts begin to open, particularly in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, though French resorts like Les 2 Alpes and Tignes now wait until late November. Further north, the first resorts in Finland and Sweden start operating, joining Norway’s summer ski area.

In North America, the race to be the first to open typically happens between the 10th and 20th, depending on weather conditions. Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, only a handful of ski areas remain open in New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile, with most closing by mid-October.

Where to Ski in October

Europe

As October progresses, the ski season in Europe picks up pace. Austria usually has the most ski areas open, with glacier resorts like Hintertux, Solden, Kaunertal, and Pitztal operating at the start of the month. Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers, along with Carinthia’s Molltal, typically follow. Austria often leads the northern hemisphere in available options.

In Italy, Passo Stelvio runs until early November, while the Schnalstal glacier starts its 8-month season in September. Cervinia connects to Zermatt, providing additional terrain. Switzerland has Saas-Fee and Zermatt open year-round, with the Titlis glacier near Engelberg joining in October. Glacier 3000 and Diavolezza usually follow, while Davos and Andermatt may offer limited runs later in the month, depending on snow conditions.

France traditionally had early openings at Les 2 Alpes and Tignes, but now waits until November due to changing climates.

Scandinavia often sees early openings, with Levi and Ruka in Finland using snow stockpiled from the previous winter. Norway’s Galdhopiggen glacier stays open until early November, and Sweden’s season usually starts in October at Kabdalis.

Other Regions

Elsewhere, early snowfall occasionally enables a few areas in the Pyrenees, Scotland, or other European ranges to open for brief periods in October. While not reliable, these events mark the start of the new season for keen skiers.

Overall, October provides plenty of options for early-season skiing, particularly on Europe’s glaciers and in Scandinavia, as resorts prepare for the main winter months ahead.

Destination Showcase

so rob before we start on our destination showcases this season, i thought it would be  Nice, if we reflected on some of the resorts that we both  visited last season and I guess review of what they were like and why people would want to go and visit those destinations, 

so that next week and beyond we can start a fresh new season where we will be showcasng epic destination like Park city, baqueira beret, Jungfrau, L2A, Lech and many more absolutely superb destinations

dom:

pila aosta valley - great food, early season snow, great prices, lovely town etc

whistler taking in vancouver and seattle - real trip of a lifetime 

sun peaks - beautiful town awesome res

revelstoke

Rob: If you’re planning a trip or have any questions, feel free to reach out. And don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast for more travel tips and adventure stories.

Dom: So last to say, thanks listeners for supporting the white out podcast without you we are just 2 blokes in a room talking about skiing, we thank all our supporters and sponsors and do keep your questions coming in.  so until next time - happy skiing