Dec. 17, 2025

Ep 91 GBs Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Gold.

Ep 91 GBs Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Gold.
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Ep 91 GBs Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Gold.

1. Weather 17th December 2025.
2. Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Europa Cup Giant Slalom.
3. Mikaela Shiffrin won the Night Slalom.
4. Cyprien Sarrazin is back on skis.
5. Mariah Carey singing at the Winter Olympics.
6. Olympic accommodation.
7. Take your helmet to La Rosière.
8. Check your bindings.
9. Frost bitten climbers.
10. 19-year-old lady found dead on a blue run.
11. Know your Mushrooms.
12. Visiting Firemen.
13. L’Officiel Riviera special Val edition.
14. Pamper your phone.

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Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Europa Cup Giant Slalom and Mikaela Shiffrin Courchavel's World Cup night Slalom.

France's Cyprien Sarrazin is finally back on skis after his near fatal accident a year ago.

Mariah Carey is performing in the Opening Ceremony in Milan.

Olympic Athletes in Cortina will be housed in posh and cosy mobile homes.

If you are going skiing in La Rosière, and are planning to nip to La Thuile, maybe for a pasta lunch, remember that you need to have a helmet to ski in Italy, or risk a fine.

A halfpipe skier had an interesting binding moment.... came off at both heels when landed in World Cup event.

Another complicated night rescue of inexperienced, ill equipped and badly dressed climbers., this time near Grenoble.

In Vars, a 19-year- old French lady was found dead on a blue run, after the pistes had closed. Her autopsy is awaited and an investigation has been opened.

Don't confuse your True and False Morels........ several people in a small village have feasted on the false ones and now have a serious neurological disease.

If firemen arrive at your door....buy a calendar.... all in a good cause...

There is a special Val edition of L’Officiel Riviera.

Device appreciation day.... pamper your phone.... or ski to lunch at the Panoramic......

00:11 - Weather 17th December 2025.

00:32 - Freddy Carrick-Smith wins Europa Cup Giant Slalom.

00:51 - Mikaela Shiffrin won the Night Slalom.

01:15 - Cyprien Sarrazin is back on skis.

01:53 - Mariah Carey singing at the Winter Olympics.

02:21 - Olympic accommodation.

02:42 - Take your helmet to La Rosière.

03:04 - Check your bindings.

03:34 - Frost bitten climbers.

04:15 - 19-year-old lady found dead on a blue run.

04:39 - Know your Mushrooms

05:40 - Visiting Firemen.

06:13 - L’Officiel Riviera special Val edition.

06:27 - Pamper your phone.

Good morning Val d’Isère

Yesterday was the first

Miserable day we have had this season

Today could be similar

With clouds this morning

And A bit of snow

Though have also been promised a some sunshine

To light up our afternoon ski…

Maximum temperature of plus two

And minimum

Minus six.

Not much wind.

 

Freddy Carrick-Smith

Won the Europa Cup Giant Slalom….

GBs first ever gold in this race.

The French described it as

A surprise win

It might have been to THEM

But WE know how hard Freddy

And his brothers

Have been training….

 

Mikaela Shiffrin

Won yesterday’s night slalom in

Courchavel.

24 year old Marion Chevrier

From La Plagne

Was Frances fastest lady

And came nineth

British Victoria Palla

Wasn’t fast enough to qualify for the 2nd run

It must have been a tricky course

As seventeen didn’t finish the first run.

 

It was good to see a video of

31 year old French Ski Racer

Cyprien Sarrazin

Back on skis….

A year after he nearly died

When he crashed

Training for the downhill in Bormio

 

He feels that he is lucky

That

He doesn’t remember

The twenty metres before his fall

When he span out of control

And hit his head

 

Or the five days afterwards

 

There is no date

For his return to racing

But

Being back on snow

Is a small

Turn

 on his piste to full recovery

 

Grammy winner

56-year-old

American singer

Mariah Carey

Is the first star

To confirm

They are performing

At the

Winter Olympic

Opening Ceremony in Milan

 

There will also be three alpine hubs

Staging smaller

Synchronised

Opening celebrations.

 

 

Ballet Star Roberto Bolle

Will headline the closing ceremony

On 22nd February in Verona

 

 

Accommodation is always

An issue

In a busy ski resort

So no different for the

Olympic athletes…

 

Cortina have a solution….

Nearly four hundred

Mobile homes…..

 

They do look quite posh

And well heated

 

Not like a standard caravan

In the middle of the winter.

 

If you are planning a trip to La Rosière

Remember that it connects with

Italian La Thuile

And

Helmets are now

Compulsory in Italy.

 

La Rosière isn’t far from Val….

You may well be tempted

There for the day…

 

Don’t forget either your helmet

Or a stash of cash

To pay the fine.

 

We are always being reminded

To check our bindings….

Will they hold us tight

When we need them

And let us loose

When we fall

To stop us snapping a leg or two ?

 

In the World Cup in China recently

When

American Halfpipe skier

Matt LaBaugh

Landed

He

Didn’t come out of his bindings…

instead

he

snapped both heels of his bindings off the ski

 

impressively

he still finished fifth.

 

 

The French mountain rescue service

Were out

Near Grenoble

On Monday night

After two

Inexperienced

And

Poorly equipped

Men

Underdressed for the weather

went climbing…

 

it all took longer than they thought

or not thought….

So

When night fell

They were still stuck on a snowy slope

 

The rescue was

Technical

Ie tricky ….

 

Anchors

Winches

And a helicopter

 

They were exhausted,

Hypothermic

With frostbitten fingers and toes

But

Didn’t need to go to hospital.

 

This wasn’t in Val…

 

At the end of the day

An hour after the lifts closed

In a resort near Briançon

A 19-year-old French lady

Was found alone

Dead on a blue run….

 

Nobody had any idea

What had happened.

 

An investigation has been launched

And the postmortem awaited…

 

So sad for her family and friends.

 

Know your mushrooms….

The True Morel

Is a luxury

Subtle flavour

Low in fat

High in vitamin D

 

Its’ lookalike

The False Morel….

Comes from a different family

Contains toxic hydrazines

Improperly cooked

Or if you eat too much

You risk

Digestive problems

Liver damage

Neurological disease…

 

In the Savoie village of Montchavin

Which has 200 permanent residents

Over the last 10 years

There have been sixteen people

Diagnosed

With the neurological disease

ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

 

They all regularly ate False Morels

 

This is not Proof

But might be a reason

That it is forbidden to eat them

In many countries

Including France.

 

If you get a ring on the doorbell

And find 3 of our firemen

Outside…

Don’t panic….

It is probably not a fire

Or a medical emergency…

This is the time of year

When they sell

Calendars….

The theme this year

Is around

Holidays

Including

St Patricks Day in March

 

All donations

Are gratefully received

And go to help children of Pompiers

And ease the lives of

Our charming and hard working

First Aiders cum Fire fighters

 

If you are near a newsagent……..

Have a peek at the current issue of

L’Officiel Riviera

It is a special edition

Focused on Val d’Isère

 

Maybe even buy a copy…

 

Don’t know who made this one up…

National Device appreciation day…

The day to

Pamper your

Phones

Computer

Ipad…

 

Hmmmmm

Think I will just go

Skiing……

Having lunch at the

Panoramic in Tignes

So looking forward to THAT.

 

Will report back tomorrow.