Hit the slopes of West Ken

The winter nights are drawing in and the department stores are busily auditioning Santas, so there's one thing you really must do very soon - and it's not buying presents.

It's time to book next year's skiing holiday, and to make sure you make the right decision, the world's biggest indoor winter sports exhibition is coming to the capital.

The Ski and Snowboard Show, which opens tomorrow at Olympia, promises everything the ski enthusiast could possibly need from cutting edge fashion and the best holiday deals to tips from daredevil enthusiasts on how to get noticed on the slopes - without breaking your neck.

British Olympic downhill racer Martin Bell will be among the world's top skiers and snowboarders offering breathtaking displays of their skills on the show's giant indoor piste - complete with 300 tons of artificial powder snow.

Marie Francis, director of the Ski and Snowboard Show, said: "If you ski or board you'd be mad to miss the show. It's a skiers' paradise with everything under one roof.

"We seem to have quite a health-conscious nation that's crazy about snow and the great outdoors, and the interest in skiing and boarding is growing every year. No matter how old people are when they try it, once they've skied, they ski for life."

The 10-day show will feature competitions galore and those brave enough can try to win £40,000 in the Big Air challenge. Competitors from around the world will accelerate up a 38-degree ramp towards a giant kicker, which will propel them high into the air, spinning and flipping in a bid to impress the judges. This year, women will be taking part for the first time.

There will also be a competition to win an annual ski holiday for life. And for those unwilling to take to the slopes in front of 100,000 ski and snowboarding enthusiasts, the show will feature a more tame pursuit: shopping.

All the latest gadgets and hardware including skis, boots, boards and clothing will be on sale from the best retailers in the country.

The Ski and Snowboard Show, sponsored by the Daily Mail, runs from 26 October until 4 November.
Open: weekends 10am-7pm, weekdays 12-10pm
Olympia Exhibition Hall, Hammersmith Road, London W14
Tube: Olympia; buses: Nos 27, 10, 9, 391
For advance bookings call the ticket hotline on 08705 90 00 90.
For more details: www.dailymailskishow.co.uk