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...
Details of the new ski train to replace the previous direct service to France are still thin on the ground, but it does seem that a new service will definitely be coming in. In an recent interview with The Guardian, Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave confirmed that: “British skiers will be able to book...
Simon McIntyre – MD at Iglu Ski – recently contacted us to share his experience of driving in an electric vehicle to Val d’Isère. He recently spoke to Iain in Episode 176 of The Ski Podcast and you can listen to that conversation at ~39 minutes: EV to Val d’Isère He drove to France in...
Sadly, one of the worst kept secrets in skiing has now been confirmed: the ‘Travelski Express‘ will not run this winter direct from London to the Alps. Travelski have been unable to persuade Eurostar to continue their rental of one of their trains to travel direct from London St Pancras to Bourg St Maurice each...
Ski Flight Free founder recently travelled to Nice by train. Admittedly it was to take part in a triathlon, rather than ski, but this case study should still be of interest, especially as he used the Paris overnight service. Let’s take a look at how it went… Eurostar to Paris The journey started with Eurostar...
Serre Chevalier has added another element to its €3.6 million ‘Renewable Energy Programme’ by adding a second hydroelectric turbine. The programme has been underway in Serre Chevalier since 2016, and will mean that the ski resort will be able to meet its target of producing 30% of its own electricity consumption by the end of...
In the week of its Annual Congress, FIS is starting to show some signs of movement on sustainability, according to a new update from Protect Our Winters (POW). There are hints that the race calendar will be changed to reduce transatlantic travel and be delayed in its start by a week. The appointment of a...
Courchevel in Les 3 Vallées has been working with Savoyard start-up HéliosLite to integrate floating solar PV panels in the mountains. In conjunction with the Société des 3 Vallées deployment of a 245 KW array is planned for the Ariondaz reservoir at an altitude of 2000m. Another array is already in place on the Lac...
French snow groomer manufacturer CM Dupon has launched the world’s first fully electric snow groomer of standard size, designed at the request of Compagnie des Alpes (CDA). After testing in La Plagne last winter, the pre-production model of the Alpine B400 will go into operation this winter, with the company in discussion with several French...
According to research from the consumer website ‘Which?’ families can save money travelling by train, when compared to flying. The study looked specifically at the cost of air travel versus the cost of overnight train travel, which is currently enjoying a renaissance in continental Europe. Which? Notes that flights often seem cheaper in the first...
How many flights do you take a year? Purely from the fact that you’re reading this on Ski Flight Free, the chances are that you may at least be trying to cut down. The aviation sector is projected to be the single biggest source of emissions in the UK by 2050 due to the steadily...
Regular visitors to Ski Flight Free may recall that in September 2022 we reported that transfer company Cool Bus were upgrading their fleet of electric vehicles to include three new Mercedes EQV minibuses. Now the season has finished we checked in with founder Rob Forbes to see how the new vehicles worked out. The electric...
