Episode 55 - Peace in the Valley

As we glide towards the 2026/7 Biathlon World Cup season, host Lizzie Boyle takes you back to the very beginning: the first early indications of skiing and hunting in the northern reaches of prehistoric Scandinavia. From there, it's a downhill swoop through the centuries to the development of biathlon as a sport, and a quick introduction to the Biathlon World Cup itself. We'll explore the different race disciplines and the physical and mental challenge that biathlon presents, before setting out how you can watch biathlon on screen this weekend and throughout the coming season. Phew! You can find a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/17g0XoBf4OXayG04TMgVs-wuUcQIa1pJt/view?usp=sharing 

In this episode, we travel to Holmenkollen in Norway for the final weekend of the Biathlon World Cup season. Host Lizzie Boyle shares some of her favourite memories from her trip to Holmenkollen, alongside some Norwegian cultural history and some top tips for surviving a weekend in the snow. You can download a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tTUAQCblBsf1mWzPLIgbcD1Rzh4w_oZb/view?usp=sharing 

In this episode, host Lizzie Boyle takes you through what it means to be perfect - and why it might not always be the perfect thing. We'll have a look back to the Biathlon World Cup racing in Kontiolahti and Otepaa, some Greek philosophers, modern psychologists, and a Holmenkollen hero that everyone should get to know... You can find a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/13mN6R5jcc8Sa8TtBStTxx8ClKwP9hOca/view?usp=sharing 

In this episode, host Lizzie Boyle gives you the lowdown on parabiathlon ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics, looks ahead to the return of the World Cup Biathlon circuit this weekend, explores the evolution of the cyborg and explains why some pianos sound better than others. Because of course she does... You can find a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Km3lB6173bkeUSW1Un6jsesnUhSItYxi/view?usp=sharing 

And so the Winter Olympics are complete... In this episode, host Lizzie Boyle looks back on 60 million years of history (wait, what?) as well as the last week of Olympic biathlon competition. We'll have religious art, a pirate, a puppy dog, a lot of smiles, a shoutout to the party tent and a brief history of the Olympic medal: do you know what gold medals are made of? You can find a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Br7aGA2QKgQJM-WfxWT3CSoU_dbqlMUo/view?usp=sharing 

It's rest day at Milano Cortina 2026, which means a chance to catch up on last week's biathlon racing, look ahead to the week to come and go off on tangents including Indiana Jones movies, 1950s Cuba, film theory and, of course POCKETS!! I do definitely talk about biathlon, I promise! You can find a transcript of this episode at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uPlAq4OcIKSw1mKuKjmsrp5oGJW_AvxH/view?usp=sharing 

The final part of our pre-Olympics trilogy! In this segment, host Lizzie Boyle walks you through the schedule for biathlon at the 2026 Games and encourages you to find your favourites by taking the not-yet-patented Ski Shoot Repeat "Who's Your Biathlete?" Personality Test.... Go on, give it a try!

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, here's Part 2 of our epic episode - this part focuses on how to watch biathlon at the Olympics, both in terms of broadcasting but also how to get the most out of the experience. A user's guide to watching biathlon, if you will.

In the run-up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, this bite-sized episode will give you the basics of biathlon - how it works, the different race formats, just how far away those targets actually are - as well as some history of the sport. It also features my first ever memories of biathlon (which may not be what you expect...).

It's less than one week to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games so here's a special episode in celebration. From the basics of biathlon, through a bit of history, advice on how to watch, the schedule for the Games and the Ski Shoot Repeat Who's My Biathlete Personality Test to help you decide who to support... this episode is stacked and your host Lizzie Boyle is exhausted... As well as the full episode, you can listen to this epic in three parts - just check the episode listing. And as always, there's a transcript online: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g32mORf4_e03UrodlzrkFeKhXV0ZyU77/view?usp=sharing