I recently paid a visit to the Metro Ski and Snowboard show 2009, at the Olympia exhibition centre, in London. I have been going to the ski show, in its various formats, for over 20 years now and it has always inspired that feeling of the start of the new winter skiing season. This year was billed as the biggest ever and certainly I felt the atmosphere was good for a Wednesday evening, the first day of the show. It was nice to see plenty of people there especially in the current economic climate and most of the stand holders I spoke to were positive about the days business.

The big equipment retailers like Ellis Brigham and Snow & Rock had taken up their usual positions of authority and space in the middle of the big hall. Other specialist winter sports shops like Ski Bartlett looked like they had brisk trade when I walked through. Good deals are to be had at these shows on equipment, but if you want to buy ski boots just make sure you take your time and speak to an experienced full-time member of staff. The benefits of buying from a retailer, at the ski show, are that if something does need sorting out you can take the boots back to one of their stores. If you are a UK skier, then buying in the UK right now has its advantages with the current exchange rate not being favourable against the Euro or Dollar currencies.
Unfortunately, many British airlines are now charging extra for ski equipment. Still, owning your own equipment and buying it here still has its advantages over renting in resort. Your own boots will always feel more comfortable as you can ‘tailor’ them to your needs. Skis can be purchased to suit what you want and what level you are at and you know they have not been ‘trashed’ on some rocks and then patched over in the hire shop! It also means you don’t have to visit a hire shop, when you arrive in resort, saving time and hassle. Of course, it also gives you a bit of kudos with your skiing buddies who don’t own their own gear.

Anyway, back to the ski show. Overall, I think it’s a great event and long may it continue. The bar was packed out with everyone who is anyone in the industry and the after parties (which I avoided this year) are usually legendary events. The centre piece of the hall includes the ‘big air’ ramp where young freestyle skiers take turns in somersaulting over the kicker to music and crowds. This is a part of the ski show which I feel has lost some of its energy in the past few years, but maybe I’m just getting old! The organisers and promoters have certainly done a great job to rejuvenate the show in general as for several years it seemed to go through the doldrums and there was talk of it stopping altogether.

Something which I did find disappointing, this year, is the growing number of non-ski related stands. I have always understood that there are links with other industries which might be of interest to skiers. But when you pay money to go to a show you don’t want excessively pushy sales people harassing you to take up domestic electricity contracts. I ended up purposely avoiding that area because the sales people approached you off their stand as well, annoyingly.

The ski shows are an important part of the UK ski industry and along with Birmingham NEC (30th Oct – 1st Nov 09) and Manchester (not going ahead in 2009) they provide the consumer a chance to check out some of the best deals and talk to experts about where to ski and what equipment to use, all under one roof. For the seasonaires and professionals it’s a chance to catch up with old friends and share the excitement of the upcoming winter season.