Visitors to this year’s Telegraph London Ski & Snowboard Festival at Battersea Park (24 – 27 October) had to brave torrential rain to get to the show on the first day.
The wet weather was particularly unwelcome for the exhibitors and other attractions which were outside the main hall, known as Battersea Evolution.
But this did not stop the action on the specially erected slope where professional skiers and snowboarders put on a great display, especially when the sun made a brief appearance in the afternoon.
QUESTION TIME: Sandra Strolz from Tiroler Zugspitz Arena enjoys a drink with Frank on the Tirol stand after the pub quiz
Staff from the Skier & Snowboarder magazine attended on the first day and here is a whistle-stop tour of the stands and some of the other attractions on offer during the four day show which included a talk by explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, a revolutionary Ski Technique Lab by Warren Smith, curling, an ice rink, dog sledding, live apres ski music, and a vintage Ferris Wheel.
At lunchtime on the first day, there was a special invitation to join in a pub quiz on the large Tirol Tourist Board stand manned by reps from many of the resorts in the Austrian area. Skier & Snowboarder editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin and his colleague Rob Freeman joined a team from Tiroler Zugspitz Arena but their extensive combined knowledge failed to land them a prize.
HANDMADE: Rupert Gammond shows some of his unique wooden skis and snowboards to Frank
If you are looking for a unique ski or snowboard, then look no further that ‘pfd’ (pure freeride design).
The stand, manned by the product’s founder and creator Rupert Gammond, saw a steady stream of interest from visitors checking out his handmade skis and snowboards which were, as his website describes, born out of ‘passions of creativity and freeride which merged together to produce fresh, purposeful designs with a pure, minimal approach’.
Of course, some of the visitors to the stand may have been attracted by the invitation to try a ‘taster’ of some of the beers and ciders being produced by Woodhall’s brewery.
The company is the brainchild of Ross Woodhall and Adam Barnes – who both worked on the Skier & Snowboarder magazine back in the 90s, Ross as a photographer and Adam as snowboard editor.
Watch out for their latest creation – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Mouthwash’, which they describe as ‘a harmonious marriage of drinks and rock bands for fans and quaffers alike’.
TALKING BALKAN: Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin with Bulgarian ski expert Yanko Popov and Louise Newton, the Head of Marketing & PR at Balkan Holidays
There were quick visits to say ‘hi’ to old friends on several stands including Balkan Holidays where Skier & Snowboarder staff were introduced to Yanko Popov, the manager of the Ski and Snowboard School, Ulen in Bansko, Bulgaria.
He was one of the Bulgarian experts on the Balkan Holidays stand who answered questions on skiing and snowboarding in the country throughout the show.
We bumped into former British ski racer and winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott on the SkiStar stand which featured the Swedish resorts of Sälen and Norway’s Trysil.
The big news here is that as well as new SAS Scandinavian Airline flights to the recently opened Scandinavian Mountains Airport, visitors have the option of an airport transfer to Sälen in the shape of a dog sled ride.
MOUNTAIN FODDER: Jean Marc Silva cooks up some Fondue on the France Montagnes stand
There was a chance to catch up with loads of friends from French ski areas on the France Montagnes stand where there was hospitality, plus wine and fondue, in abundance.
Then it was upstairs to ‘The Lodge’ for an apero with Swiss Tourism who also treated the assembled throng to some fantastic cheeses from Switzerland (see photo below).
This was swiftly followed by drinks in The Lodge with Paul Carter CEO of Hotelplan UK and his team from Inghams, Esprit, Ski Total, Flexiski and Santa’s Lapland.
Inghams is offering Japanese resorts as part of its programme this season and Paul was keen to stress that skiing and snowboarding in the land of the rising sun is not as expensive as you might think.
The audience was given a taste of Japanese cuisine with some Sushi and Sake.
FLEXIBLE FRIEND: Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin met up Peter Hillyard, the general manager of Flexiski which is now part of Hotelplan
Paul also introduced Peter Hillyard, the general manager of Flexiski. The company, which recently became part of Hotelplan, specialises in short breaks and ski weekends plus tailor made holidays to seven different countries.
As well as extolling the virtues of Japan, Paul Carter covered a whole range of issues during his presentation including Brexit, currency fluctuations, the reduction in the number of chalets on offer this season, to name but a few.
But he ended by saying what we really all wanted was… snow!
* News emerged during the Ski & Snowboard Festival that the Telegraph Media Group, whose events arm organises the London show, is up for sale. This follows several months of speculation, but it has now been confirmed by various media outlets that the Barclay Brothers, who own the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, will consider offers made for the Telegraph Media Group.
TALKING SHOP: Paul Carter, CEO of Hotelplan UK, holds court in The Lodge, upstairs at the Battersea Evolution
SWISS GET TOGETHER: Isabel the dog proved to be a big attraction at the Ski Festival and is pictured with (l-r): Martin Nydegger, CEO Switzerland Tourism, Alex Herrmann, Director Switzerland Tourism UK & Ireland), Simon Henwood, Head of Sales & Marketing Switzerland Tourism, and Sara Roloff, Head of Media and Communications UK & Ireland
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