Oct. 30, 2025

Ep 56 Danger, grit, glamour and goggles.

Ep 56 Danger, grit, glamour and goggles.
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Ep 56 Danger, grit, glamour and goggles.

1. Weather 30th October 25.
2. Verbier opening a month early.
3. Team GB Olympic hopes.
4. Danger in Training.
5. Hiker slips on ice.
6. Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
7. Less cows, less milk, less Comté cheese.
8. Grit and Glamour in Vogue World.
9. Win some goggles !
10. Candy Corn Day.

After the recent snow fall, Verbier has decided to open on Saturday – just for the weekends, until the full opening on 29th November.

Team GB has a high medal target for the Olympics.

Our hopes include

Mia Brookes, snowboard slopestyle.

Zoe Atkin, ski halfpipe.

Bruce Mouat, curling.

Brad Hall, bobsleigh.

Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson, ice skating.

 

The debate on how to reduce the danger to our racers in training continues….

Possible solutions ?

Dedicated training courses, at World Cup Standard.

More rest time between races.

 

Be prepared …

Check weather

Be well equipped.

A hiker slipped on ice and fell to his death on Mount Whitney in the US.

 

Lubin Godin has one TWO

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards.

The first a BBC / Natural History Museum collaboration.

 

250 cows were lost in the Jura to the fatal contagious skin disease.

This means less milk, less cheese.

 

Vogue World have an article about grit and glamour.

Tricky skiing and Michelin dining in stylish outfits.

 

A competition on Instagram to win some goggles.

Tag a friend

Like the post

Follow

Theslopezone.

 

Every year Russia Remembers the victims of Soviet and Imperial era repression on the 30th October…

 

The Americans celebrate Candy Corn…

00:11 - Weather 30th October 25.

00:21 - Verbier opening a month early.

00:48 - Team GB Olympic hopes.

01:46 - Danger in Training.

03:04 - Hiker slips on ice.

03:36 - Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

04:18 - Less cows, less milk, less Comté cheese.

04:37 - Grit and Glamour in Vogue World.

05:02 - Win some goggles !

05:14 - Candy Corn Day.

Good Morning Val d’Isère

Sun partially hidden by clouds this morning

Light breeze

full sunshine from noon.

 

Ooh……. Verbier is opening on Saturday

A full

Month early………

 

Limited pistes and lifts

And just at weekends

Until the official full opening

The same day as Val

29th November.

 

Free coffee and croissants !

If you are there for the opening ……

As it is Switzerland……. That is worth A LOT.

Also

day passes are twenty percent cheaper in November.

Team GB

Has a high medal target for February….

Here are five of our Olympic Hopefuls………

 

18 year old Mia Brookes……..
Cheshire slopestyle star

Youngest winner of World Snowboard title when she was just 16…

 

22 year old Zoe Atkin

Current world ski-halfpipe champion…..

You will remember her sister Izzy

Got Britains first every Olympic ski medal

When she won bronze in 20 18

 

31 year old Bruce Mouat

 Leads the world record winning curling team.

 

Brad Hall is aiming for a bobsleigh team medals

After several World Cup wins last season.

 

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson

Are our best hope since Torvill and Dean

To dance on skates to the top of the podium .

 

The debate about

Safety

For our racers

Is bubbling away….

 

The issue is in training…

 

You will remember that

Twenty five year old Italian

Matteo Franzoso died last month…

After crashing through 2 layers of netting

Before hitting a wooden fence

 

As US Star Mikaela Shiffrin said

"Athletes

coaches and everybody are so used to saying that the sport carries an inherent risk that you start to become blind

to some of the risks that are

actually life-threatening,"

 

Risks need to be assessed

And

Minimised

 

What is the problem in training ?

What is the difference in a ‘real’ race ?

Money

 

Smaller crews looking after the snow  surface

Less safety netting

Less medical staff

 

In a race

If it snows overnight

The nets are removed

The surface re prepared

And the netting replaced

 

What could be done ?

Two suggestions …

Dedicated training courses

Of World Cup standard

 

More rest time between races.

 

No doubt you will pick up

Despair in my voice

 

When people

Ignore the weather

Or don’t check the weather

Forget how early it gets dark

Are Badly equipped

Or bite off more than they can ski…

 

In Mount Whitney in the US

Despite it still being October

it is already cold….

Windy, snowy and icy

 

A hiker slipped on ice

And fell to his death.

 

So sad

Such a waste.

 

Lubin Godin

A thirteen year old photographer

from the Haute Savoie

near Morzine

Has just won

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

For his age group

 

Not a French competition

But a global one

Organised by our own BBC

collaborating

With London’s Natural History Museum.

 

Ten days later he won

Another prestigious award

 

 the

European Wildlife Photographer of the year

Organised by a German Nature Photography group.

 

The family are not new to

Fame

His older brother is France’s Mountain bike Champion

 

Weeks ago I mentioned the contagious skin disease

Affecting local cattle

 

One area in the Jura lost two hundred and fifty cows….

 

A big hit for the Comté cheese …….

It takes four hundred and fifty litres of milk

To make a single 40 kilo wheel………

 

 

Vogue World

Have a good article

For those whose goal is

Grit and glamour….

 

Tricky skiing

And Michelin dining

 

Top to toe

Top to bottom

In designer

Togs

 

The resorts they mentioned

Were all in the USA

 

I am actually pleased

That you are judged

Here

By your skill

your talent

Your personality

Rather than

what you wear.

 

Another competition on Instagram

Win some stylish goggles

At the slope zone

 

Tag a friend

Like the post

Follow

Theslopezone.

 

On this day

Every year in Russia

Since nineteen ninety one

They Remember the victims of

Soviet and imperial era repression

 

Pot and Kettle …

I wonder if Putin observes it today ?

 

Meanwhile the Americans are celebrating

Candy Corn………

Tricoloured corn shaped sugary sweets

 

Am off to enjoy the sunshine

See you tomorrow.