Visitors get to try out all the new gear for free at The Snow Centre

Two leading snowboard brands, Burton and Flow, will demonstrate their collection for 2011 just 20 minutes outside of London. Visitors can try out all the new gear at The Snow Centre on Friday 27th August from 7pm – 11pm  which will make boarding a cooler experience than ever before. Representatives from both brands will be there to answer questions and help riders choose the right board. The top brands will bring in the latest technological developments.

The Ski Club of Great Britain are looking for people to join a focus group at The Snow Centre.

Ski Club Focus Group @ Snow Centre 31st March: anyone who is interested will have to fill a brief online form in on the Ski Club website, there are three sessions on the 31st March at 11am — 1.30pm or 2pm — 4.30pm or 6pm — 8pm. The Ski Club wants feedback about their website, any views and ideas are welcome.

Pro skier Peter Silver Gillespie takes to the slopes in this amazing shot — skiing on TOP of a snow centre. The 39-year-old ski ace — an internationally qualified ski coach and an examiner of ski instructors — took to the 160m-long roof on the Snow Centre to take advantage of the deluge of real snow that has hit the UK this week.

Freestyle fanatics are invited to enter a competition to become the next Warren Miller of the snow sports world.

The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead’s indoor snow slope, has launched a competition to see who can create the best freestyle video this side of the Alps. Season freestyle passes worth over £1,500 are up for grabs for the best overall video and the flick that generates the most YouTube hits.

The UK may only be a 2 hour flight from the Alps but once the snow has melted in popular resorts like Val D’Isere and Zermatt, the residents of London usually resign themselves to putting their ski and snowboard equipment into storage for a few months and turning their attentions to other pursuits until the next winter season comes around. Not that running, cycling, rowing or playing tennis aren’t great fun, especially when the sun is shining, but for a committed winter sports fan, the prospect of eight months or more without any snow action can be pretty demoralising.

Cheer up snow lovers. The season is far from over. In fact, it’s only just begun. A brand new ski destination officially opened its pristine slopes to the skiing and snowboarding public this month.