Page 117 - Wish Stream Year of 2019

With record snowfall in the Alps, Regi- ments from across the Royal Artillery packed shovels and snow chains and headed to Austria for Exercise SNOW STORM 19 (ExSS19). ExSS19 is the annual RA snow- boarding training camp and championship, held on the slopes of the Flachauwinkl,
Austria from 19th January to 2nd
February 2019.
2Lt Will Walkter
could stand up and link turns with confidence in three to four days. For 2Lt Lydia Brownlow, this was her first experience of snowboarding. “I was really surprised at how quickly we all progressed – mainly, I’m sure, due to having a great instruc- tor. I really didn’t expect to be standing up on
Teams navigate across five Euro-
pean countries to meet at Exer-
cise HQ in Austria for registra-
tion ahead of the first phase of
the exercise. Riders were divided
into three ability groups; novice, intermediate and open riders, then allocated an experienced instructor who would guide them from zero to snowboarding hero in just six days. This year saw the introduction of new BASI qualified Snowboarding Instructors from within the Regi- ment who have honed their skills during previous years on ExSS19 and are now giving back to the sport.
ExSS19 is a demanding exercise with a steep learning curve. All competitors are given eight full hours of instruction every day in all weathers to prepare for the competition. Most of the novices
Exercise SNOW STORM 19
ExSS19 is a demanding exercise with a steep learning curve.
day one, let alone actually boarding down a small slope.”
The experienced riders spent the first week honing their technique and learning new tricks ahead of the competition. By days five and six, self-discipline and a robust sense of humour were essential for tolerating
the inevitable aches and bruises that come with learning a physical sport, and the mandatory rest day on Saturday is most welcome.
Phase two of the exercise is competition week. Individuals compete for points in three disci- plines: Paired Giant Slalom (PGS), Boardercross (SBX), an assault course on snow and Slope- style (SS), jumping over various obstacles, hope- fully with style. To determine the order of riders in the elimination heats of PGS and SBX, a ‘seed- ing’ heat is conducted. All riders are tasked with boarding down a giant slalom course twice in the fastest time possible.
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