Ep 75 Emily Harrop… French Ski mountaineering star.
1. Weather 18th November 2025.
2. Emily Harrop… French Ski mountaineer.
3. Happy Birthday Lara Colturi.
4. Clément Noël, Dynastar, Lange and Look.
5. The Surrey Schools Championships.
6. Snowcentres, SnowWorld and France.
7. TikTok, the Mountain Guide.
8. White Christmas with Simply Val d’Isère.
9. World Humanitarian Action Day.
Special Offers I have Spied....
Introducing ....for those that don't follow ski mountaineering....Emily Harrop. Born in Bourg St Maurice to British parents, and is France's big hope for an Olympic gold, or two.
Albanian Italian Lara Colturi celebrated her 19th Birthday by coming 2nd in Saturday's FIS World Cup Slalom.
Dynastar, Lange and Look will continue to keep Clément Noël in skis, boots and bindings for another 3 years.
The Surrey Schools Championships was a great success at the weekend.
Snowcentres have combined with SnowWorld and together they will run 12 indoor ski areas across UK and Europe, including France's only indoor piste.
Heard of mad and reckless behaviour, but 2 inexperienced and badly equipped hikers using TikTok to navigate the German Alps needed a helicopter to save them. They received a nice, big bill !
If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, with skiing thrown in, contact Kim at Simply Val d’Isère- they have just got another beautiful chalet....
World Humanitarian Action Day - remembering War Doctor's lunch with Queen Elizabeth, and all those who work with MSF . It is not easy. Many are left with PTSD.
Off to Annecy to cook a vegetarian lunch with Benoit Vidal !
00:11 - Weather 18th November 2025.
00:34 - Emily Harrop… French Ski mountaineer.
01:27 - Happy Birthday Lara Colturi.
01:51 - Clément Noël, Dynastar, Lange and Look.
02:22 - The Surrey Schools Championships.
02:41 - Snowcentres, SnowWorld and France.
03:19 - TikTok, the Mountain Guide.
04:22 - White Christmas with Simply Val d’Isère.
04:42 - World Humanitarian Action Day.
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Good morning Val d’Isère We had snow in town yesterday Quite damp snow in the afternoon But by time I left our art group At around eight thirty it was Cold and icy… And continuing to snow…. We LIKE snow !
Today will be sunny With a maximum temperature of just two degrees.
I am driving to Annecy So will be VERY HAPPY If it doesn’t snow again until tomorrow.
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Recently I have Mentioned a French skier With a VERY non-French name And How ski mountaineering Has it’s Olympic debut in Cortina….
Today I will combine them…. And mention France’s big medal hope…. 28-year-old Emily Harrop… Born in Bourg St Maurice To BRITISH parents… Not even a bit of Australian in her ! She is not exactly A newbie To the sport Having 8 World Cups…. And two European Championship medals In her long tally of achievements.
She started off as an Alpine racer But injury put paid to that…. So turned to ski mountaineering Eight years ago.
Definitely one to cheer for Racing up under red, white and blue Whatever style of flag….
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Was so dazzled By the British success at the weekend That forgot To wish Albanian Italian Lara Colturi A Happy Nineteenth Birthday……
Celebrated by Coming 2nd to Mikaela Shiffrin In Saturday’s slalom
Her mother was an Olympic champion So probably giving her a few tips For February.
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France’s most successful slalom skier Val’s Olympic Champion Clément Noël Who recovered from Last season’s serious injury To come 2nd in his first race back on Sunday Has renewed his sponsorship with For another 3 years. They clearly love him as much as we do !
For those wondering Dynastar do the skis Lange the boots And Look the bindings…
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Moving swiftly on from all this FIS World Cup And Olympic talk………
ALDERSHOT Was where it was REALLY at This weekend….
Nearly two hundred and twenty Enthusiastic Boys and girls Competed in The Surrey Schools Championships !
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While thinking of Not completely natural slopes….. That runs Hemel and Manchester’s indoor slopes Together they will Operate at twelve sites across Netherlands UK Germany Belgium And France…………..
As ignorant as I am I never even THOUGHT France ALSO had indoor skiing….
It does Just the one In North-East France Near-ish Luxembourg So far from our Alps And it is the biggest indoor piste in Europe.
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I have heard of people Blindly following Their cars GPS And being led If not up a garden path At least Along an unpaved Cattle track
Or a lorry Getting stuck Trying to squeeze under a low bridge…..
I have never heard Of using TikTok as a mountain guide…
2 hikers gave it a go In the German Alps….
Had to be rescued In the snow At Two thousand metres
Were they experienced. nope Any decent equipment Nope….
A helicopter was sent To drag them home.
What TikTok Also failed to share with them….
At this time of year Only experienced mountaineers Are advised to go above sixteen hundred metres….
So They were given a HUGE BILL……
An insurance MAY have covered it
suspect they were not insured And even if they were insurers often exclude Stupidity.
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Still Dreaming of a White Christmas ? With some skiing thrown in ? Have just added a fabulous Chalet for 8, or 10, depending how Close and cosy you all are… Send Super helpful Super Knowledgeable Kim a message I have put the link in the episode description.
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World Humanitarian Action Day…. Much needed Where do you start ? Did you read ‘War Doctor’? Or hear him on Desert Island Discs When he told the story Of having lunch With the Queen Elizabeth, not Camilla, When she said she had heard He had just come back from Syria ? He couldn’t speak…… How could he even START to explain The horror he had seen in Aleppo…..
She apparently Was super sweet And took him off to feed Treats to the corgis…..
Never underestimate How hard the staff for And similar Humanitarian organisations work Under terrible conditions
It takes a lot out of them. Many have PTSD. Returning to ‘normal’ life Is not easy.
NOT implying that Having lunch with the Queen Is ‘normal’….. He had clearly been on her List for a while !
Well today I am Cooking a vegetarian lunch with Benoit Vidal so better go and scrape the ice off the car…
Will be back Tomorrow. |