Snow show London

A snowHead

Is it any good? I've got a free ticket and hoping to head over to brows skis and other gear.

A snowHead

I have free tickets (all w/e for 4) but can no longer make it, if anyone wants to go.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

This is a new venue so it's a bit 'wait and see'. Theres lots of talks and stuff lined up, bound to be plenty of tourism stands, etc. There WILL be toffee vodka.
If you're looking for kit recommendations you may get some mileage out of one of the GB Ski Test talks.

There will be some vendors there - Ellis Brigham are listed - but I noted on the socials today that no snowboard brands or vendors (i.e. TSA) have signed up to attend. TBH, looking at the map, apart from EB and Ski Exchange I don't think there are very many kit vendors at all.

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Will probably drop in as its close by and got free tix, otherwise I wouldn’t be going out of my way.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Sweet, thanks for the replies. I'll pop by as it's close.

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I'm chairing a panel discussion about Georgia and Japan at 15:30 on the Saturday (18th)

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@Mike Pow, are you there both days?

I’ll probably go on Sunday.

After all it is free

This link has a map https://londonsnowshow.com/london/show-info showing exhibitors, etc..

I've got a few spare free tickets as well if anyone needs some - for both days.

We can't make it now either.

I think the last time we went which was at Excel we enjoyed some of the speakers and a bit of the kit - Snow shepherd were there for instance. But we left feeling a little under whelmed if I'm honest, but most kit can be bought online or in resort..

I went to the Northern Snow Snow in Manchester and I much prefer the format they had and I think many of the ski makers do too as I saw Dynastar, Head, Nordica, Rossignol and Salomon with stalls. Along with Burton on the snowboarding side.

In my opinon, it being at an indoor snowdome helped as you can actually test equipment. Maybe they should consider Hemel Hempstead's Snow Centre for next year?

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Its definitely been at Olympia before, I’ve seen a picture they have of the show and a slope they built in the hall.

Ok - new venue in the 'new' format then - The last time it was in Olympia was about 15+ years ago or so, lasted 5 days and was an enormous trade show. Hell - I think that the last time I went there Snowheads had a stand... May have been the infamous Spacehopper event.

You know it makes sense.

am off to Olympia on Saturday with one of my daughters and her boyfriend, he has never skied or boarded before, and we are all going away in march to the 3v's, so am looking to get him some ideas for lessons either before or during the holiday (hopefully he will get some lessons at hemel before we go).
Also, see if we can snag some freebie lift passes at hemel.

last time i went to olympia was in 2009, didnt go to any ski shows for several years after that, until it resurfaced at battersea, not sure if there was a hyatus or i just could not be bothered as i did not go skiing for about a decade in that period.

even in 2009, there was a marked decline in the show from previous years, especially the 90's and early 2000's when i went regularly.

in the heyday, there were all the main ski retailers, with a large presence, and lots of other varied exhibitors, even up on the balcony above the main hall. there was at least one slope, and am sure there used to be a big display from crystal (?) where you could enter a competition, for a fee, to win a ski chalet, that they then rented back of you.

it used to be a good day out, though sometimes very expensive Toofy Grin

and from memory, it lasted several days, i am sure there used to be a "media" day on the Friday, it was always on the local news channels, then lasted until the following Sunday. but these were mainly pre-internet days, so i wonder if a lot of retailers do not bother as they will probably do the majority of their business online?

anyway, looking forward to some free vodka shots, brownie samples and fudge, along with picking up various lip balm/pens/resort stickers and key rings etc Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Yeah, bringing Sideways_Junior along on Saturday, who treats it as a personal swag-fest but its getting harder for him - he can't rely on cheeky-cuteness like he did when he was small - now its more feral south-London Faginism, although he is on crutches at the moment so he may try the pity-a-poor-cripple routine.

The Sake tasters on the Go Japan stand are always appreciated while pretending I can afford that sweet Hokkaido powder anytime soon. KANPAI!

A snowHead

I worked for Snow & Rock at the various ski shows in the 90s. London was a 2 day set up, then certainly Thursday through to Sunday. We were taken out for a meal on the Sunday night once we had broken down the stand and loaded the lorries. The show used to be heaving and S&R would sell as much at the show as in any of their shops in a year.
Always a main slope with displays.
Had my first Red Bulls there - staff got freebies, and add to that the drambuie stall and we managed to last the 12 hour days!
I also did Birmingham and Sheffield. At Sheffield, Eddie the legend Eagle jumped over a load of double decker busses.

A snowHead

Don't forget to visit the customised cat food, assorted cat charities and the " our miracle spray to clean your specs" stands.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

It used to be a marathon

Set up Thursday

Press morning Friday

Then open to the public from Friday afternoon through to the following Sunday (10 days)

After all it is free

These comments are bringing back memories of the Daily Mail (I think?) Ski show in the G-Mex back in the early 90s Very Happy

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Had a great day yesterday

Very good buzz around the hall

Some new locations from last year

Talks were good but acoustics still a problem

My talk went well I think. Decent crowd listening.

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We also went yesterday and were a little bit disappointed. I agree that the audio was a little bit of a problem - too much echo where the noise was just going over each other.

it did feel like there was less than last year, I think not having a slope sponsor was a downer - no learner slope for people to try out and I think that also affects the overall feel. It would be really good next year to see a beginner slope and also a demo slope now that they have the height to be able to do that, similar to the older shows.

Felt like a real lack of retailers at the show i.e. ElisBirgham only had a tiny stall with the very top end stuff, virtually no snowboarding stuff at all.

Hopefully this was just as a result of it being the first of the new team providing the show. Location was better than Excel that's for sure.

We're not sure if we would bother next year at the moment and would rather spend the money on a family trip to one of the indoor slopes

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Thought the initial stand alone raccoon events National Snow Shows in the NEC were OK, but their launch of the London Snow Show killed the NEC one - it was absolutely dire for stall holders on the Sunday of the last one, there was just bored stall holders milling around most of the day and barely anyone else there.

NEC made a lot more sense for people from the North and the National Snow Show got Ski Scotland going back after a hiatus, eXcel was fairly decent location for people travelling from Scotland. But the Northern Snow Show wins hands down, a fraction of the cost, logistically easier, and more geographically appropriate for Scottish skiing and the North of England slopes. The only real purpose of such shows in the internet age is to actually get hands on physical goods - an indoor snow slope therefore makes sense for gear companies to go to.

I think the London Snow Show is done frankly. Every few years, someone else tries to flog the dead horse. In fact, the first time I went to the Battersea Park incarnation of it, I was pretty disappointed, it just didn’t feel any bigger or better than the thrown together short term shows in the early 2010s in the SECC in Glasgow. I had expectations of something much bigger, grander with a lot more going on and that just wasn’t the case.

I was talking to a few stall holders yesterday and most were saying that they were quite positive about the event. Good engagement etc.

From a punters viewpoint, it was good if you were looking for info and to maybe book something - which i was and i did get a good discount on the trip I booked. But if you were going there for kit you'd be pretty disappointed. Ski Exchange had a stand twice as big as EB, hardly and snowboarding kit.

You know it makes sense.

I think the show would have been better off staying at the NEC, it was a central location where everyone, North, Midlands and the South could get to in a reasonable amount of time. When it all went to London my interest in going ended, I've driven to Heathrow enough times to know how long that journey is!

The Northern Snow Show is much more ideal and I think being able to ski and test the equipment adds something to the experience. That's why I think a Hemel Hempstead version might be the way to go for the South.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Went yesterday and was very underwhelmed, even after seeing the list of exhibitors. Ski Exchange had a lot of kit, but £700 for a pair of preloved Atomic G8's no thankyou. I paid the same for a new pair at the end of last season. Also the stand looked like a ski outlet version of TKMaxx. Ellis Brigham, you couldn't swing a cat in their two man tent sized stand. Though Mrs S did purchase a lovely jacket. Thought the Warren Miller ski tech lab was very good, it was confirmed that my lack of flex in my Achilles, my (60 year old) knackered hips and back reduce my leg rotation, so as yet Im not flexible enough to attend one of their courses. But heres a book for £20.00 with all the exercises you need to do.

We did take the opportunity to pop down to the S&R and Ellis Brigham shops to have a mooch. Again very disappointed in what was on offer. The S&R ski hardware section wasn't even open.

A snowHead

i went yesterday, with one of my daughters and her boyfriend, even with free tickets i was disappointed, and i had been looking forward to it returning to Olympia.

as others have said, there were minimal kit retailers, no slope of any kind, and most annoyingly no snow centre presence to grab a free lift pass or two!!

on the bright side, it is always nice to spot Chemmy at the show Very Happy

it wouldn't have been so bad if I had gone on my own, as I was able to use my weekly travelcard to get to Olympia and back. but I paid for daughters and boyfriend travelcards, then ended up shelling out for a below average pub meal near St Pancras, as we went for a wander around kings cross after leaving the snow show, so i was over £150 down with nothing to show for it Shocked

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Yeah I nipped in yesterday as I was close and was disappointed at the lack of equipment on sale. It felt 90% ski area stands which for mid October feels a bit late for tapping up new custom for this coming season - a lot of people have booked or at least have decided where they will book. Agree with your take on Ski Exchange Skitech. But the stall seemed busy which perhaps indicates that there is room for more ski equipment stands.

Generally a lot of the stands more trade show rather than consumer oriented.

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Much improved on last year, as has been said acoustics a problem , two blokes on top of the bus banging on which nobody could hear, which made hearing any of the other two speaker venues a challenge, they should work on their timings, my ears were ringing !

Had a really good chat with the lady from 3 Zinnen which was extremely useful, dropped into Snowcamp and made a donation to get got two hours in Hemel, bought some stuff from Swiss Mountain rescue, shared some memories with the guy from Hakuba (we have skied Shiga Kogen and Zao), discovered more about sking in Cape Breton the accommodation looks good. Thought having someone who checks your X-rays was strange but the service by CheckMyXray is interesting if you have an accident, Life Pass seems a good development.

Had a long chat with DPS about the ski range, the 79 should be attractive to anyone wanting an all mountain ski, but skies mainly on piste, talked through Phantom as well.

We both go something out of this years show and felt it had taken a step forward.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Got the late on Sunday so it wasnt very busy. Yes, not much in the way of kit, Ski Exchange didnt have much , mainly resorts (the usual suspects) and ancilliary type stands. But I got want I wanted, alpine soles for a GW boot, a chat with Solutions4Feet and Carv. Bought a fleece for a fussy daughter (via a texted picture, ironically it was a Picture one). But no Hemel and their free hour.

Happily it was only a 25 minute walk from home, so easy to get to and free tickets, or probably wouldnt have bothered.

But it terms of booking anything, other than ideas for the following season, it always seems just a little late for this season as that's usually booked already.

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we popped in Sunday morning and thought it was ok.
Pros -

Like @radar had a nice chat to the lady from Drei Zinnen, she was thrilled that we'd been and enjoyed it so magically produced couple of neck warmers for us, our only decent freebies.
Spoke to some guys from Snowcamp and made a donation, kudos to the young guys who were on the stand, it's not an easy job talking to strangers especially for a teenager. https://www.snow-camp.org.uk/
found a very knowledgeable and helpful guy on the Nordika stand so he explained about their ski range and a couple of specific models which left my wife and I with a favourable impression, makes us more likely to try / buy their skis.
Interesting chat to a guy who has just set up a Nordic ski company operating out of Northern Italy close to the Dolomit ski resorts, will look out for them and probably try if they start offering short learn-to-nordic-ski breaks. https://wildtracknordic.com/
Helpful chat with James ? from Saulz d'ouz, quite likely we'll use them for our annual group trip in 2027 https://sauzeonline.com/
Japan looks interesting but the lady I spoke to didn't have great English so couldn't understand/answer all my questions.
Handy location for cafes etc outside of the event itself
Looked to be some fun stuff for the kids.
Spoke to Carv - I had an account issue which I wanted to actually speak to someone about, it was resolved efficiently after I was given the right person to talk to and he'd got on the venue wifi. thanks Conner if you read this. It was much easier to do this F2F and my 2026 season pass is now activated so will be able to give it a go in January Very Happy

Weaknesses

Like others disappointed in the acoustics, was difficult to hear what the guys on the stands were saying even when you were stood next to them, I tried to listen to a talk on sustainability by Ian M but gave up. I've been to trade shows there and don't remember it being that bad, maybe too much open space due to the relatively small number of stands ? Maybe too many talk going on at the same time ? maybe just a cr@p design !
Food and drink was terrible, £8 for a tea and bad coffee, didn't see anything I could eat (gluten intolerant).
Would have liked to see more manufacturers (the Nordica stand had people actually trying/buying boots so hopefully they got some sales)
No decent show offers on equipment

We were in London for something else so just cost a couple of travel cards and a few coffees so it was worth it for us. Hopefully they got enough interest to give it another go next year and can grow it.

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Much better than Excel but nothing like the glory days of Olympia, Earls Court and even the Royal Horticultural Hall! Didn't have to travel too far, and with free tickets, it was certainly an ok visit. Went lateish on Saturday afternoon and wanted to chat to someone on the Norway stand about a trip there this season. But they had given up engaging punters and were holding an invite-only social event with music etc, so that was disappointing. However, the ladies on the Scandinavian Mountain Airport stand were very nice and very helpful. Sweden's gain may be Norway's loss! Was not really looking for kit or clothing but there definitely wasn't much there. Ellis Brigham's return to the show was underwhelming! The venue lends itself to a demo slope of some sort and that would certainly give the punters something else to look at. And do they need all those lecture theatres - one would be enough.

After all it is free

Very interesting and important feedback

Will be meeting with the organiser tomorrow and will direct him to this thread

Any other feedback / suggestions keep them coming and I will pass on

He wants to make it bigger and better each year

@Mike Pow, I've just edited my post, couple of typos. Very Happy

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I went on Saturday, for the first time for a number of years since I moved to Switzerland as the timing of trips back to my home city London rarely coincided. I used to be a regular back in the day and it was a shame that there was no ‘stunt slope’ or massive retailer and manufacturer stalls like before.

I came looking to buy a new helmet as I don’t like buying these online and there was next to nothing to look at. Food on offer was underwhelming too so I ate elsewhere.

On the positive side though the talks hosted by Chemmy were enjoyable (I saw the Pat Sharples, Carv, & Warren Smith talks and the Tim Warwood game show), and it inspired me to invest in a Carv system for this winter at their stall.

Other stalls that were there were decent and I picked up some interesting reading material, magazines, etc.

So overall I enjoyed a nice few hours there, missed the vibe of the older shows, but was worth the time and helped build the positive vibes for the upcoming season.

Help!!

Snow show London

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