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What’s on at this years London Ski show 2018

Find out what is on at this year’s Ski Show 2018

The London Ski Show has been going for 45 years. The last few have seen some massive changes as it moved to a Battersea Park and is now called the Ski and Snowboard Festival.

There is more than before to see and do and the outside space that hosts the big kicker (Mount Battersea) and aprés stage is the best part of the whole show.

Below is our guide to what to see and what is new…

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The Facts

Dates: Thursday 25th October to Sunday 28th October (times vary)
Location: Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park
Price: Early Bird – £15 Full £25 Concessions £10 – Children £8 – Under 11’s Free
Website: skiandsnowboard.co.uk

 

What’s on at the Ski Show

Skiing and Snowboarding

There is more skiing and snowboarding to watch than ever before which is good as that is what the show is all about.

Mount Battersea is back with its pro riders hitting a real snow kicker pulling off some massive tricks. Expect to see some of our Olympic stars like Murray Buchan taking part in the pro rider demo alongside some emerging talent as well as Q & A’s with the stars of Team GB.

The Ski Club of Great Britain will be making the most of the real snow at the foot of Mount Battersea by offering avalanche training sessions before the big air starts.

If you fancy a bit of skiing yourself then there will be an artificial rolling ski slope for you to develop your skills on. Numbers are limited for this but you can book your place online prior to the event.
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Kids & Family

As the show is held during half term this year the organisers are making sure there is a tonne of things for kids to get involved in which will mean that you can spend a whole day there.

During the day there is entertainment in The Lodge area with children’s entertainers Tootles & Nibs that includes winter sports-themed games and activities, winter selfie station, arts & crafts and face painting.

There is also ice skating and rock climbing also available as part of the ticket price.

 

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Entertainment

Husky sledging is a new activity at this year’s festival for you to try, details are slim but we guess it will be a sleigh on wheels being towed by the dog around the site.

The show is also introducing a vintage Ferris wheel to the fun. From the top, you will get great views of the park and the Thames.

And the Apres is being ramped up with a headline set from Sunset Sons on Saturday night.

Exhibitors

The truth is that the show wouldn’t exist without the “trade show” element and for many people the chance to shop for all things ski related in one place is the reason they attend.

As well as that you can expect the usual mix of small and large tour operators, retailers such as Ellis Brigham and Finches Emporium, gap year opportunities like our friends Basecamp ski instructor courses, representatives from ski areas like the Three Valleys,

Naturally, there will be oodles of clothing and equipment for sale as well as the obligatory novelty helmet stand.

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Food

Since moving from Earls Court the food on offer is mountains better than in previous years with some of the street food being surprisingly tasty and at quite reasonable prices. It could be your first chance of the winter to get some tartiflette.

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Free Stuff

Don’t miss out on all the free stuff. Get it right and you could restock your stationery cupboard, bag some new sunglasses & get enough sweets to cover the trick or treaters over Halloween.
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UK ski shows

The UK ski show season will be kicking off on the 18th of October. The opening of the first show is often seen as a signal that the season is coming and that we will all be in the mountains soon.

This year there has been a few changes to some of the events. There is a new one, a change of location for one and there is the chance to save yourself a few quid on lift passes, especially if you are heading to La Tania or Meribel this winter.

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First up is the Scottish Ski Show, which is held in Glasgow’s SECC. The doors for this open on the 18th of October. This is the cheapest of the shows with the tickets costing just £10. I went this show on the first year it opened and that was three years ago. I am told that it has improved and there are some great bargains to be snapped up. It is also worth a look if you are keen to make the most of the Scottish ski areas this winter.

Next we have the brand new Ski and Snowboard Show North. This will be held at Manchester’s EventCity from the 25th of October to the 27th. Tickets for this are £12. This show is actually operated by VOS Media, who also run the London Ski and Snowboard Show. There did use to be a ski show held in Birmingham last year, but this has now been shelved in favour of the VOS operated one. We can only guess what this one will be like. The website suggest that it will have many of the same exhibitors and activities that the London one will be boasting the following week.

The show that gets most attention is the London Ski Show. It has been evolving over the years, with several venue changes too. For many years everyone has been hopping for change at the show, and now it has happened but has it made it a better show to attend? This year sees a chance for you to try out skiing, if you haven’t already. You could even get some freestyle lesson on the dry slope at the back of the hall. One thing that has caught our eye is the possibility of getting a 6 day, Three Valleys lift pass, for the price of 4 included in your show ticket price. That’s a saving of £45 on your lift pass which is not bad if you were planning to attend anyway. Although do check the small print as we noticed this offer is only to people visiting the show on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The last of the shows is the Freeze Festival. This has undergone a dramatic change this year so it will be hard for us to know what this one will be like. This year it has moved from Battersea Power Station and is now on Clapham Common. Instead of two days or three days of Music and Big Air competitions, Freeze will now be over five days. During this time there will be a section of Après Ski Bars and side shows. The Saturday night is the only night that will have big name live music, however they have only announced one act when we were writing this. Rail competitions will replace the Big Air comps, which if they are done well are great to watch. Ticket prices start at £8 for the non-weekend tickets.