Actually, this was going to be an April Fool's blog, but technical hitches prevented me from getting on line in time. The idea, however, surely merits some airing - bogus or not.

Last year I gave a lecture in Riga, Latvia, and during a break was intrigued whilst strolling about the icy city to notice that the great frozen Dagauva river had its snowy surface liberally embossed with yeti-sized messages, even the distant ones perfectly legible from each bridge.  This was largely a local lonely hearts column ("Erika, you are my sunshine" - that kind of thing), and indeed I was surprised to find nothing for Acme Snow Shoes, or fake holes in the ice as part of a guerilla campaign attacking competitive products ("Buy Hotfoot Snowsh.... arrghh!").

Last week in Val d'Isere, I was equally bemused by the scarcity of off-piste ads - even the normally message-plastered pylons had been scoured of slapped-on stickers. Maybe they've moved the chairs across a bit?

Then I spotted my only 'snow ad' of the week: actually a large stamped-out complaint which stated "Scotland Sucks." This went down variously well with our mixed party (me being half-English, the rest of the tribe barbarians), but it called to mind the Latvian labours I'd seen previously, and the enormous blank canvas provided by the ski slopes and their surrounds, oft wiped-clean by fresh overnight dumps. What an advertising opportunity! What targeting potential!

The chalet team turned out to be expert skiers and permanently broke to boot.  For the modest fee of a case of vodka they volunteered to get out early, so that by the time most skiers had sufficiently recovered from their hangovers to venture up the mountain, I could have had half of Espace Killy looking like an Alpine version of Times Square!

How long before someone really does this?