I am a National Snow Week Ambassador and I was really excited to go along to my first National Snow Show in October. The National Snow Week is a week celebrating everything the UK snowsports scene has to offer and plays host to mini events across the country for brands, associations, resorts and destinations. I went to the London show, taking place from 21–22 October 2023, at ExCeL London.
As an Ambassador I couldn’t wait to attend the National Snow Show, by the same organisers of The National Outdoor Expo.
I am also a National Outdoor Expo Ambassador and in March I attended the second show at the NEC in Birmingham, having been to the first one in 2022. The National Outdoor Expo is for anyone who is into outdoor activities, including walking, climbing, running, water, camping, eating outdoors and travelling excursions. The Expo has all the inspiration, kit, tech, nutrition and advice for you to get outside and active. I really enjoyed those shows and was looking forward to a dedicated snow one.
What Was On
There was lots to do at the show for all ages. People could choose to head over to the Snow Stage and hear an inspirational story from an Olympian whilst sipping on a beverage from the Alpine themed Après bar.
Professional coaches were on hand to chat about getting into snowsports and the benefits of starting to build skills and confidence before hitting the mountains.
The week also played host to a full week of industry events across the country, helping to build a stronger snowsports industry in the UK.
Family Friendly
I attended both the National Outdoor Expos with adventure friends so I decided to go along to the Snow Show with my youngest son, who is 9. All these shows are very family friendly and at Snow Week any adult can bring a child under 16 without charge.
Esprit Ski had a variety of activities to keep everyone entertained in the Family Zone, including a hoverboard. For the little ones, there was Arts & Crafts available throughout the show.
RAF Nordic along with their friends from Army Nordic and Snow Sport England offered opportunities to try your hand at roller skiing.
Photo from 2022 Show
Skiing and Snowboarding
The hugely popular Maxx Tracks indoor slope gave skiers and snowboarders of all abilities the chance to have-a-go and test their skills under the watchful eye of those in-the-know. A great opportunity to begin your Snowsports journey and feel more confident on the slope.
We queued for one of the taster sessions where you could try skiing, snowboarding or freestyle. We both opted for having a try at skiing as I've heard snowboarding is harder. We strapped on our boots and tottered onto the slope. There was a pole to hold on to and we were stood on a sloped moving travellator practising the feel of the skis. I really felt it on my legs as you are pushed forward by the boots. We tried stopping with a sow plough and I managed to even let go of the pole a few times! It was very good fun and definitely inspired me and my son to have lessons in the future.
I was keen to go with my child as we are going on a December holiday to Center Parcs at De Kempervennen holiday which has its own ski slope! He and I are the only ones in the family who seem keen to try out the ski slope so I thought the show would be perfect for this.
Skateboarding lessons
Graystone ran 100 ‘intro to skateboard’ lessons for total newbies over the weekend delivered by their expert coaches. I've always wanted to have a go at skateboarding so I gave it a try.
I was the only adult among a load of kids ha ha, but I managed to get a private lesson thankfully. This didn't prove any less embarrassing as I just managed to fall over a lot of times in front of members of the public still! See my reels on Instagram for the amount of times I fell over! My son was much more of a natural and really enjoyed it.
They also had trampolines for practicing your freestyle techniques on tramp skis and tramp boards, as well as a slack line.
Speakers
I was keen to see the amazing speakers and sessions over the weekend! From legends, athletes and comedy, to sustainability and quiz shows, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
There was two days of speaker sessions including the legendary Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards, Ed Leigh, Eve Muirhead and Chemmy Alcott. I went along to listen to the inspirational Chemmy Alcott and Millie Knight - a British skier who competed at international level for ParalympicsGB in alpine skiing in the slalom, giant slalom Super-G, super combined and Downhill events with a sighted guide! Watching the video of Millie slaloming behind her guide, knowing she couldn't even see him, was incredible.
Travel
We got some really cheap train tickets thanks to the Greater Anglia Hare Fares sale, with return fares costing just £10, and kids travelling for £2.
We got a train from Suffolk to London Liverpool Street on Saturday morning. From there, there are multiple ways of travelling to ExCeL London: Elizabeth line (Custom House station), Underground and DLR (ExCeL can be accessed via two DLR stations: Custom House and Prince Regent), cable car or Uber Boat.
Is the Snow Show something you would like to attend next year?