'I HAVE TO SKI AT 70MPH AND TALK TO A CAMERA ON MY HAND!'

Four-time Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott talks to Donna Richardson about skiing fast while filming, her favourite resorts and reflections on the past year

- Chemmy Alcott

Former Winter Olympian and World Cup Alpine ski racer, Chemmy Alcott is always on the road. She recently returned to Flaine in the French Alps to spend time at the resort where she first learned to ski, and to enjoy Christmas with her family. Straight after the new year, Alcott drove to Klagenfurt in Austria's Carinthia region to host The Big Air competition for the opening programme of Ski Sunday, which airs on BBC2 from January 5. After Austria, she travelled to Italy for the next competition: the men's night-time slalom race in Madonna di Campiglio, where Dave Ryding (a British slalom racer) competed, before heading home for a short break with her kids. Then it was back on the road as Ski Sunday followed the FIS World Cup Circuit, filming in glamorous locations such as Cortina - where the Winter Olympics 2026 will be held - for the Ski World Cup, The Flying Circus.

'I definitely make life challenging,' says Alcott. 'I left Flaine at 4am because I had a 12-hour drive, not including the charging points as I needed power [for her EV Skoda Enyaq] to climb into the mountains on the border of Slovenia into Carinthia.'

It's not all go, however, as Alcott reveals she spent the festive period relaxing. 'We went to Flaine for Christmas and we had a fantastic start to winter. On Christmas Eve, we woke up to find 115cm of new snow,' she says. 'I just love the skiing. I love how easy everything is. Our life is able to play out in a 50m radius; it's perfect for families. We've got a café, a public swimming pool, a supermarket and the lifts, and I can sledge right outside the door. We spend the whole time making tunnels. It's a special place.'

FAMILY FUN