Robert Thorne

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Articles

Skiing The Vallée Blanche

1 month ago | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne

Following my trip to Saint-Gervais in January, I thought I’d check out its next-door neighbour, Chamonix Mont-Blanc, and the legendary Vallée Blanche. Chamonix is one of the most iconic ski resorts in the world. Host to the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and a key stage in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup today, its ski and snowboard credentials are self-evident.
The Newly Fully Rail-Accessible Old French Ski Resort

Jan 28, 2025 | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne

I arrived in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to an ecstatic atmosphere. It was the eve of the opening ceremony for a massive infrastructure project, promising to revolutionise transport in the old spa town. Saint-Gervais, located in the picturesque and authentic Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc region of France, is already one of the most accessible French ski resorts for British skiers.
12 of the Best Ski Resorts to Reach by Train

Nov 10, 2024 | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne |Daniel Elkan

This winter a new sleeper train to Austria has added to the suite of train-travel options – making it easier to avoid airport queues and cut carbon emissions. Tickets for trains go on sale for dates between 9th January and 30th March 2025 this Tuesday 13th November. If the idea of snow fills you with joy but the thought of airport queues fills you with dread, there’s good news. A new overnight train service aimed at delivering skiers to the slopes has been launched for winter 2024–25.
Spring Skiing in Davos Klosters

Oct 2, 2024 | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne

Davos is a multifaceted resort. It’s one of the oldest ski areas in the Swiss Alps and the largest in its region; the favoured destination of a young Prince Charles, a hub for great writers from Arthur Conan Doyle to Thomas Mann, and of course, since 1971, the home of the World Economic Forum. I arrived there in March earlier this year, taking the three-hour train ride from Zurich via Landquart. Winter 2023/24 was a busy season for the resort, with good snow conditions throughout.
Gastein: The Most Romantic Destination in the Alps?

Feb 15, 2024 | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne

Long-time visitors to the Austrian Alps will know its biggest names: St. Anton, St. Christoph, Hopfgarten, Kitzbühel, and Ischgl—among others. Yet one resort that repeatedly sweeps below much of the UK’s radar these days is the Gastein Valley, a mere half-an-hour-drive from its better-known neighbour, Zell am See. Both are on the huge Ski amadé pass. I had the chance to visit Gastein this winter season to sample some of the best activities the resort offers.
New film set in Cairngorms is ‘an ode to Highland snow sports’

Jan 31, 2024 | thenational.scot | Robert Thorne

Film is ‘an ode to Highland snow sports’ A NEW snow sports film set in the Cairngorms and produced by US outdoor wear company Patagonia is set to have its Scottish premiere in the Highlands next month. The documentary Thrawn will be shown in Fort William, Aviemore and Portree on Skye on February 16, 21 and 25 respectively, and will be accompanied by panel discussions with the filmmakers.
Top Times in Tignes

Jan 7, 2024 | inthesnow.com | Patrick Thorne |Robert Thorne

The current season is shaping up to be one of Tignes’ best in recent years. I arrived on December 19th to the news that French freeskier Candide Thovex had jumped Tignes’ iconic Aiguille Percée. The atmosphere was electric: pisteurs, waiters, press officers, and ski guides were all keen to show me the video which has now amassed over 580,000 likes on Instagram. Thovex’s death-defying feat is a good omen for the resort after several poor seasons across the Alps.
'Cultural vandalism': Inside the plan to cut Gaelic at the University of Aberdeen

Dec 4, 2023 | thenational.scot | Robert Thorne

Aberdeen University's modern languages plan has sparked backlash (Image: Archive) THE University of Aberdeen is planning major cutbacks to its modern languages department, risking its potential closure and the end of honours programmes in French, Gaelic, German and Spanish. The university's senior management team (SMT) informed languages staff on Thursday that they were all at immediate “risk of redundancy”.
Inside our capital’s Gàidhlig community

Oct 16, 2023 | thenational.scot | Robert Thorne

ON a dreich Sunday in October, I attended the Seirbhis Gàidhlig at Greyfriars Kirk. Outside the old church, foreign voices were abound: flocks of tourists searching for Tom Riddell’s grave or a stick to lay on Bobby’s. Yet beyond the sliding doors, tucked in the back corner of the nave, resounds a low Gàidhlig murmur. The congregation is small, only a dozen or so, yet comprises a diverse range of age and sex. Behind me sit two male students, chatting merrily.
'Parties come, parties go': Yes activist looks at independence over the decades

Jul 24, 2023 | thenational.scot | Robert Thorne

IN an old crofthouse on Skye, amongst aged copies of Gàidhlig texts, fiddle music, and pipe smoke, I had the opportunity to speak to former SNP activist and electoral candidate Alasdair Martin. Martin joined the party’s Partick branch in 1970 as he graduated from the University of Glasgow. He had just turned 21 and while studying had met his wife-to-be, Christine.