Page 50 - Wish Stream Year of 2019

Exercise ALPINE RIDGE
OCdt Prince
Mountain biking in Sölden, Austria! For those that do mountain biking, it sounds brilliant doesn’t it! Picturesque rolling
alpine mountains, with what seems like never- ending downhill, matched with an extensive bike lift network to get you to the top of the best runs. Though here are ten good reasons for those that don’t mountain bike, why it is the AT you have been dreaming of (outside of the skiing seasons).
First: planning the trip was relatively painless. With mountain biking instructors being in ample supply here at the Academy, it was a quick win sorting not one but two instructors, whose advice on kit and route planning proved invaluable.
Second: we chose to drive; in the process this forced us to complete our UK, French, and Euro- pean FMT matrix tests, which last for the dura- tion of your military career.
Third: with a big budget we were blessed with being able to get excellent full suspension bikes – and better still we had a whole rather lovely apartment to ourselves right in the centre of Sölden, near all the bike lifts.
Fourth: there are bike lifts! Without labouring the point, this made the experience exceptional, cutting out some uneventful inclines and allow- ing us to jump straight onto the downhill trails; a
48 SANDHURST