Nov. 20, 2025

Ep 76 Ep 76 Torches in Tignes, to Palermo.

Ep 76 Ep 76 Torches in Tignes, to Palermo.
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Ep 76 Ep 76 Torches in Tignes, to Palermo.

1. Weather 20th November 2025.
2. Tignes is opening on Saturday.
3. Val Thorens wins "World's Best Ski Resort".
4. Olympic Gender Equality improvements.
5. Olympic Torch heading to Naples.
6. Tom Daley knits for the Winter Olympics.
7. Learn to Bobsleigh.
8. Hepatitis A outbreak in Czech Republic.
9. The Savoie has an 81 year old Triathlon World Champion.
10. USA National Absurdity day.

Calendar

Special Offers I have Spied....

Snow ! Lots predicted...

Tignes Funicular opens on Saturday, and there is a Torchlight Descent and Après fun that evening.  Lift pass prices increase from 40 euros a day this weekend to 75 from the middle of December.

From Sunday until Thursday 150 elite athletes are in Tignes for their annual 'Sports Stars' event which focuses on mentoring rising talent. 

The World Ski Awards have given 'the World's Best Ski Resort' to Val Thorens for the 10th time..... 

Milano Cortina have made gender equality a 'big thing'.  47% of the athletes will be women, and they will compete in 53.4% of the events.  Better than the 4.3% women in the first Olympics in 1924, when they could only compete in Figure Skating. 

The Olympic Torch will travel 12,000 km across Italy from Rome down to Naples.

Olympic diver Tom Daley's knitting will be worn by Team GBs flagbearers.... From 8th December you can buy your own hats and scarves. BenSherman.co.uk  Team GB shop.

La Plagne is just down the road…..And has France’s only Bobsleigh and skeleton track…..try the Bob Raft….or Bob Racing, or learn to be a pilot....

If you are going skiing in Bozi Dar, or visiting anywhere in the Czech Republic, be aware that there is a serious outbreak of Hepatits A. Careful with your hygiene… consider a vaccination.

The Savoie has a new Triathlon World Champion... in the 80-84 year category.  Congrats to 81 year old Albert Dulac.

USA National Absurdity Day.  Plenty of candidates for people or events to mock....

00:11 - Weather 20th November 2025.

00:37 - Tignes is opening on Saturday.

01:26 - Val Thorens wins "World's Best Ski Resort".

01:56 - Olympic Gender Equality improvements.

02:35 - Olympic Torch heading to Naples.

02:57 - Tom Daley knits for the Winter Olympics.

03:45 - Learn to Bobsleigh.

04:15 - Hepatitis A outbreak in Czech Republic.

04:50 - The Savoie has an 81 year old Triathlon World Champion.

05:32 - USA National Absurdity day.

Good morning Val d’Isère

Snowing today !

Down to 200 metres..

And cold

Down to

Minus eight

Sounds as though

We could get quite a lot of snow over the next few days…

I have seen a prediction for 25 centimetres

At ONE THOUSAND metres

By Friday

And of course we are a lot higher than that

So should

Have a lot more.

 

Tignes is opening

Partially

On Saturday !

Their Funicular opens at 9 am.

Lift passes are just 40 euros a day this weekend,

Moving up to 50 a day for the rest of the week.

65 a day when it opens fully on the 29th

And 75 a day from 13th December

 

At 17.30, so at the end of the ski day on Saturday

100 ski instructors

And Tignes club de sports members

Will do a torchlight descent

Followed by

Après-ski celebrations.

 

From Sunday until Thursday

150 elite French athletes

Have their annual

‘Sports Stars’ event

Which is all about

Mentoring rising talent.



The World Ski Awards

The global initiative

Recognising, rewarding and celebrating

Excellence in ski tourism..

Have named Val Thorens

As the World’s Best Ski Resort….

For the 10th time…

 

Not sure how it works….

I was shocked that we

Didn’t feature in the

List of nominees

Then saw it was just one from each country….

 

Don’t you think we deserve

To win next time ??

Milano Cortina 2026

Will set a landmark

For gender equality…

More women in more events

Than ever before

 

47 % of athletes will be women

50 of the 116 events will be for women

And 12 will be mixed

So women compete in

53.4 % of events. 

 

In the first Winter Olympics

In Chamonix in 19 24

Just 4.3 % were women,

And their only event was

figure skating.

 

The Olympic torch

Will criss-cross Italy

On it’s twelve thousand kilometre

Two month trip

Taking in Tourist hot spots

Rome’s Colosseum

Venice’s Grand Canal

Then to sunny southern

Palermo and Naples

Where snow is not a Big Thing.

  

Say Olympic Diving

And Tom Daley springs to most British Minds.

For the first time He will feature in the

WINTER Olympics….

Or at least

His knitting will…..

Worn by Team GBs flagbearers

Not all knotted by Tom

The fashion Brand Ben Sherman

Is hand-knitting the athletes

Hats and scarves.

Remember Tom

Was a flagbearer in his last Olympics  as he

Says

You also carry

The stories, hopes and identity of everyone

Who has made that journey with you.

 

They have generously

Made them available for YOU to buy your own.

Have put the link in the episode description.

Though you may have to wait until the

Eighth December.

BenSherman.co.uk

 

While you are waiting for the Olympics…

Fancy trying

Bobsleigh ?

La Plagne is just down the road…..

And has France’s only

Bobsleigh

And skeleton track…..

 

try the

Bob Raft….

An automatic four person bobsleigh

That goes eighty kilometres per hour….

Or

Bob Racing

Go with a  professional pilot

At up to 120 kilometres per hour….

OR…….

Learn to pilot it yourself………

 

If you are going skiing in Bozi Dar,

Near the German Border

Or anywhere in the Czech republic

Be careful…..

With your hygiene….

Remember the COVID handwashing adverts……..

 

Hepatitis A is spreading

Rapidly

Fever, nausea, belly ache

Jaundice……

 

Already about two and a half thousand cases

And nearly 30 deaths.

 

Might be worth talking to your doctor

Before you travel

As Hep A vaccination is very effective.

 

The Savoie has a new Triathlon World Champion !

Albert Dulac…..

Has won the

80 to 84

category…

 

Despite his arthritis

The 81-year-old

Battled over 7 and a half hours in Marbella

 

Interestingly he took up cycling at the age of 30

On the advice of his cardiologist…..

 

If he had heart troubles then

The advice clearly worked !

 

Later he took up marathon running

uphill racing

martial arts

cold water swimming

 

Then joined a triathlon club

Just

Two years ago.

 

USA National Absurdity Day….

 

Absurd….defined as

“Wildly unreasonable, illogical or inappropriate…”

 

Should be pretty easy this year

To find SOMETHING

Or SOME ONE   absurd

In the USA

 

Doodles and I are off to go

And play in the snow….

They roll, run and crawl.

I walk !

 

See you on a snowy Friday.