I must admit, despite Chamonix being the most fabulous place to ski in the whole of the Alps, the local tourist office certainly needs to get its act together to promote the valley and its facilities compared to the other ski resorts. Competiing destination stands were splendid, breath-taking and alot of energy and time and money had obviously gone into the promotion of the resorts.

L’école du ski français , the French Ski School (ESF) has a presence at the show, explaining what it is like to ski the Valley Blanche: 20 km of pure fantastic ski sensation staring from the Aiguille du Midi (which literally means, the Mid Day Needle) with breath taking views.

Yak & Yeti  (yak-yeti.com) has a stand at the show. They offer fabulous adventures like heli-skiing, and also give the concierge service in the valley to home owners.  Being a member gives you discounts on all their products. All Chalet Les Cîmes clients can enjoy these benefits. You can even choose to buy a chalet as the Alps Luxury Villas company also has a stand with a portfolio of chalets for sale.

All in all, it was an interesting day: I brought my three kids (10,9,7 yrs old), they ice-skated, had snowball fights and tested surfing on a board that was placed on a hydrolique movement with bouncy cushions to catch the fall. They tried on ski boots, had their feet placed in molds by Salomon, tested back protectors  from the highest new technology, ski clothing from all the famous brands, with rainbow colours, goggles, hats, gloves, …..you name, it´s on show in London. I discovered the new Custom V Rocker snowboard by Burton, and of course, had a refreshing beer while listing to live music hoping to win the daily Chamonix draw to win a pair of skis.

I splashed out for my Chalet Les Cîmes guests on a fabulous automatic massage device which I personally tested: 15 minutes of pure bliss, while my sore body muscles were soothed away, despite the hi-energy show music banging away in the background.

If you are in London town I urge you to head to Olympia – not only can you see all the new fangled ski gear, but you can also benefit from purchases and reservations at extra special show rates.

The Metro Ski & Snowboard show is on till Sunday.