The Metro Ski & Snowboard Show is finally here and marks the beginning of the winter season. It's the first major event of the winter, with the Freeze Festival taking place next week and usually coincides with the Iglu team getting up to full strength for the season, with the last of our new starters arriving this week.
This year the ski show has moved location from the Kensington Olympia to Earls Court. Now, though the venues are not dissimilar in size, the purists out there may be a little disappointed to hear it has moved, especially the usual crowd from Meribel, La Tania and Val d'Isere who will usually decamp in the Hand & Flower pub on ski show Saturday. But it's not all bad news, for starters Earls Court in approximately a million times easier to get to from anywhere in London.
On arrival, the ski show is set out in its usual way, with the resort village greeting you at the entrance and the vast choice of shopping set toward the back. I have to point out that the shopping area this year is the largest I've seen, with Snow + Rock and Ellis Brigham taking centre stage as usual — it took me a lot longer to find Profeet than expected, if you are looking for them, they are hidden next to an escalator.
The ski village is filled with the usual suspects, with the Three Valleys taking over the France section and the Three Valley bar as vibrant as always (see above), even for mid-afternoon on a Wednesday. The evening also finished back at the bar, as the team from Val Thorens' Folie Deuce provided the afternoon's après party.
The Canadian village area was also busy — though that was probably down to the huskies on show and last year's record snowfall!
As mentioned the shopping area is vast, if you are looking for a bargain there is some of last season's kit on offer at discounted rates and also plenty of smaller, less known brands showing off their kit, who are well worth a visit — I especially liked the White Dot Freeride skis.
The entertainment on offer, as with previous years, is quite varied. There is a fantastic ski fashion show, put on by Land Rover, which goes on throughout the day and is definitely worth a look if you are after this year's must have kit. The freestyle exhibition was pretty good, with teenage skiers and snowboarders doing tricks that I'm now to old to remember the names of and the K2 Ollie Pop is bound to build up over the week.
The only disappointment was the Petanque piste, the actual layout was great, as was the game. The only problem was Pascal, the ESF instructor. Now, I was expecting an arrogant, but charming Frenchman, who would be a little too competitive. Though Pascal looked the part, he was a lot more Surrey than Savoie, which left me with an air of disappointment — sorry Pascal.
Overall the ski show is just the same old ski show, but, in a new location, with better bars and easier access. I'm sure it will be as busy as ever and if you are hoping to check out this season's kit, meet a few of the brands and want to check out some new resorts before booking your holiday, it is worth a visit — especially the Tartiflette stand.
