253: Fiona Easdale, Olympian & co-founder YSE Ski

In today’s episode Iain speaks with Fiona Easdale, managing director and co-founder of the Val d’Isere chalet specialist YSE Ski. 

She was racing downhill in the Winter Olympics at just 16 years old, then worked in sports management with World Cup winning footballers, before her return to the ski industry with Bladon Lines. 

There, she rose through the ranks to become managing director, before going off on her own to set up YSE Ski with John Yates-Smith – a company that’s now been in business for over 30 years. 

This episode is the latest in a series of podcasts I’ve been publishing focussing on women in the snowsports industry. Previous episodes have included BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott, GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling and former-Erna Low MD, Joanna Yellowlees-Bound.

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SHOW NOTES

Listen to Iain’s interview with John Yates-Smith in Episode 231 (3:45)
Read Iain’s summary of the latest Mountain Trade Network research (5:45)
Fiona competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics at just 16 years old (7:00)
Seba Johnson is the youngest Alpine skier to compete in the Olympics at 14 (7:30)
Fiona joined the Downhill Only Ski Club in Wengen (8:30)
Fiona finished 34th in Downhill, 37th in GS, 18th in Slalom and 10th in the Combined (11:30)
“Nobody gives us a chance. Why should they against the Alpine countries? But we’re having a go!” (13:30)
Konrad Bartelski was also at Innsbruck (15:00)
John Curry won gold for Team GB in the ice skating (16:00)
Fiona was injured in an Europa Cup race in Flaine (18:30)
IMG is a sports management agency (20:15)
Listen to Episode 252 about the Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines (21:45)
Fiona rose from Contracts Manager to MD (23:00)
How did it end at Bladon Lines? (29:00)
The founding of YSE (30:00)
Of 30 resorts offered by Bladon Lines, 60% of profits were in Val d'Isere (31:00)
YSE is a Val d’Isere specialist (33:45)
Dealing with global crises (35:00) 

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