The three day event comprised a Business Forum, a number of networking opportunities and a series of ski and snowboarding races.

Business Forum

Sir Edward Lister, the deputy mayor of London, and Tom Bloxham MBE, chair and co-founder of Urban Splash, were keynote speakers at the Business Forum.

Sir Edward outlined the work being undertaken by the Greater London Authority to ensure that the capital builds on its position as a global business destination and continue to create jobs and deliver economic growth.  He highlighted the unprecedented investment being made in infrastructure to unlock the development potential of brownfield sites outside the centre.  He also communicated the role City Hall plays in encouraging the private sector to invest and the need for it to work closely with locally-elected councils to drive continued regeneration.

Tom discussed the value gap between London and regions, and the opportunities available outside of the capital.  He highlighted the need for the imaginative regeneration of existing stock to develop distinctive, vibrant and sustainable communities.  He also expressed the benefits of greater devolution of power to major cities, passionately arguing that local people were better placed than Whitehall civil servants to make decisions on local issues.
Sir Edward and Tom were joined by Ezra Nahome, CEO of Lambert Smith Hampton, and Rupert Sheldon, Director at Palmer Capital, for a Q&A panel discussion chaired by Estates Gazette’s Emily Wright.

Ezra Nahome commented: “Sir Edward and Tom have been at the forefront of shaping the property markets in London and the regions over the past couple of decades, and the insight they provided was appreciated by everyone attending the Business Forum.  The calibre of the panel discussion also stood out for me, with questions covering a wide range of pressing issues such as the role of private equity and the practicalities of devolving more power to the regions.”

Race day

Despite challenging conditions caused by over a metre of snow falling in just a few hours, the Slalom and Dual Parallel Slalom races were hotly contested and well supported.  Former British Olympic skier turned broadcaster Graham Bell was on hand to offer advice to participants.

Ezra added: “We didn’t let the heavy snowfall we had on the Thursday evening stop us from enjoying the racing the following morning.  Despite the unfavourable weather, the large and enthusiastic crowd that turned up with cow bells to cheer on the racers was rewarded with some brave descents and spectacular wipe-outs.  The expert commentary provided by Olympic legend Graham Bell and Sean Brew, head of our London office, added to the atmosphere.
 
“The Ski Challenge and Business Forum marks a fantastic start to what I’m sure will be another landmark year for Lambert Smith Hampton.  It was an enjoyable way of spending quality time with our clients and I hope that the memories of the event will stay with all of our guests for a long time.

“I would like to thank our guest speakers, Graham Bell, our clients and sponsors - Estates Gazette, dwf and Wedlake Bell - for making the Ski Challenge and Business Forum the industry-leading event that it is.”

Race results

Nearly 100 people took part in the skiing and snowboard races, including a dual parallel slalom. The winners of each race were as follows:

Estates Gazette Cup - Fastest female
Sophie Wellesley-Wood, Hamptons B
Time: 19.37

Estates Gazette Cup - Fastest male
Lloyd Garvie, Burness Paull
Time: 14.74

Mixed Gender Cup
Hamptons B
Robert Walsby, James Wardle, Sophie Wellesley-Wood
Time: 55.84

Fund and Investment Cup (sponsored by DWF)
Store Property
Paul Rowland, Tessa Rowland, David Hughes

Commercial Property Masters Cup
Team Nahome
Guy Baker, Grenville Turner, Ezra Nahome
Time: 1:04.73

Newcomers Award - Individual winner
Will Heath, Redrow
Time: 22.90

Open Team Competition
Burness Paull 2
Lloyd Garvie, Neal still, Scott Garvie
Time: 51.41

Andy Tudor Memorial Cup for the Fastest Snowboarder
Will Hunting, M7
Nick Prescott, Knight Frank

Dual Parallel Slalom (sponsored by Wedlake Bell)
Hamptons

Most Stylish Descent (judged by Graham Bell)
Sophie Wellesley-Wood, Hamptons International
Hamptons B

LSH Cup
Knight Frank 1
Campbell Beaton, James Davies, Etienne Cadestin
Time: 50.28s

Our sponsors

The event was supported by Estates Gazette, with sponsorship from dwf and Wedlake Bell.