The World Snowboard Guide headed to the Birmingham for the last day of the NEC Daily Telegraph Ski & Board Show. Working in conjunction with the Animal Bike Tour and with the Kodak Play Sport in hand we set about capturing the event which offered something for everyone from the complete beginner to the season pro.

Turning up and heading straight to the Big Air Freestyle Show, it was clear from the start this was going to be far more action packed event than the Cruise Exhibition next door. Some of the world best skiers and boarders were in attendance and it did not take long for the pro snowboarders Danny Morandini, Chicco Ciapponi and Lucy Lieberherr to get things underway nailing tricks much to the delight of the crowd.

With the crowd still on a high from the early morning aerial assault the crowd headed en masse to the Animal Bike Tour. Here we were treated to  a demo by some of the UK best riders including Martyn Ashton, Blake Sampson and James Thorne doing a fine job as MC. The guys did not disappoint as they threw down some amazing tricks backed by James Thorne, who did a fine job at whipping the crowd into frenzy for the finale, an amazing one wheeled assault on the ladder of doom that closed the show.

Needing a break from the action so far we headed to the Talk Theatre for A presentation from Graham Bell. It was clear from the off this would be no boring slideshow as he ran the crowd through their paces on how to get fit for the season, and a quick Q and A session led to him telling us the dream places he wants to ride. Feeling hyped from the talk we set out for some Lunch a quick Chilli Dog and beer (like been on the slopes already).

After lunch we hit the shops where all the big UK Stalls were in attendance and pre season bargains were being snapped up by eager punters. After seeing the gear for the season ahead we decided to look around at the resort stands representing all areas of the globe not forgetting our very own Tamworth Snow Dome. After viewing the stalls we decided to check out the beginner’s slope watching the kids learn their first turns brought back good memories of why we all fell in love with the sport in the first place. Feeling even more excited about the coming season ahead we watched the final Big Air Show and headed home excited about the coming season and dreaming of holidays to come.