Since I founded Ski Flight Free in 2019, I have cut down on my flights considerably in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint. Flight Free in 2024 and 2025 For the last two years, I have gone slightly further committed to the ‘Flight Free Challenge’ – created by Anna...
In June 2025, Eurostar confirmed that they would be running the ‘Eurostar Snow Train’ again for the forthcoming 2025/26 winter season. This is great news, plus there are some key changes to this year’s service that will make the journey more attractive for many travellers. What dates will the Eurostar...
In 2022, I looked at the carbon footprint of a ski holiday, based on some research by French ski resorts. The original research attempted to detail the carbon cost of a day’s skiing, and the differences your choices can make to the final figure. I’ve now updated these figures, to...
The options for train travel to the Alps this winter are outlined here: THE EUROSTAR SKI TRAIN (via Lille) Eurostar have confirmed that their snow train, reintroduced last winter will continue for 2025/26 with more departures, plus an option to return on the following Saturday (six days’ skiing), as well...
As well as founding Ski Flight Free, Iain also presents The Ski Podcast. In September 2023, Iain discussed new train travel options with Krissie Roe from Inghams: In September 2020, Iain was joined by Daniel Elkan from Snowcarbon and Anna Hughes from Flight Free UK in a Facebook Live event to discuss...
Make sure you pick up a copy of this month’s ‘Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Magazine’ encouraging skiers to #SkiFlightFree. You can find Iain’s opinion piece on the existential threat to ski resorts on page 20: Find out more at www.skiflightfree.org
Climate change represents an existential threat to human life on the planet. The evidence for this has been widely published, but you don’t have to take my word for it. This is what Britain’s most trusted man has to say on the subject: An existential threat to the ski industry...
The landslide in the Maurienne valley in August that moved 10,000 m3 of rock means that the Paris-Milan rail route remains blocked. However, skiers looking for train routes to the French Alps can still use Trenitalia this winter. Paris to Lyon and Chambéry From December 10, Trenitalia will offer five trains a day from Paris...
At Ski Flight Free we have been promoting train travel to the Alps over flying for years, so it was hugely encouraging to see a genuine increased level of interest at the shows at Birmingham and London during National Snow Week. Iain Martin, founder of Ski Flight Free, was invited to lead a panel at...
I’ve taken the train to the Alps and driven by electric car, but this winter I’m trying a new way of going skiing that should also be low carbon and also a lot of fun! In March, my family and another from Brighton will be driving to Les 2 Alpes in one of ‘Vans For...
Compagnie des Alpes are taking the next step to reduce carbon costs associated with their ski resorts and ski holidays by inviting bids to offer train services under the Travelski Express brand across Europe. Bids open to offer train travel to French resorts Yesterday it announced it is welcoming bids for suppliers to offer its...
Austrian rail operator ÖBB has confirmed that their NightJet service from Amsterdam to the Austrian Alps will continue to operate this winter. Departures from Amsterdam are every evening at 19.30, stopping at Cologne and connecting to Vienna, and via Munich to to Innsbruck. British travellers could choose to take the Eurostar to Amsterdam or...
Austria’s state railway ÖBB has confirmed they will be introducing a new fleet of night trains from December 2023. Thirty-three of the new trains will take to the rails in December 2023 and will be a significant upgrade on the previous models. The new trains put a focus on solo travelers, including pod-like single cabins,...
For anyone travelling to the Alps this winter, here’s a useful money-saving tip if you are booking connecting trains from Paris with SNCF. Each winter, I buy an SNCF ‘Carte Avantage‘. You can probably translate that yourself, but just in case, it’s the SNCF ‘Advantage Card’. And indeed, there can be a big advantage in buying...
It’s an axiom of business that competition leads to lower prices, so the news that Eurostar will soon face competition on the London-Paris high speed train route is very welcome. Monopolies are rarely good for the consumer, and it seems that Eurostar’s 30-year reign as the only company offering cross-channel rail travel may be over....
We were delighted to read about the ‘new’ second-hand ski gear shop, Antropia, which opened in Aime earlier this year. Through its network, Antropia collects skiwear such as jackets and ski pants from groups across local ski resorts, to keep clothing in the circular economy. The ski wear, mostly well-known brands and often nearly new,...
We were delighted to see Iain – founder of Ski Flight Free – quoted in a recent article about sustainability in the Evening Standard. If you are heading to either the Birmingham or London Ski Shows, then look out for the sustainability panel being led by Iain. It will be on Saturday 14 October in...
A new study has shown that a quarter of European ski resorts will have scarce snow every other year with 2C of global heating. This takes into account man-made snow created by snow cannons. Without these the number of resorts with ‘scarce snow’ would go up to almost half. Greenbashing an issue Ski resorts have...
Huge kudos to Inghams Ski, who are launching their own ski packages by train. They will offer train travel to France (via Lille) and Austria, Switzerland and Italy (via Paris). Full details will be released next month and shared here and on www.skilflightfree.org Although nothing has been confirmed yet, possible timings have been mooted as...
