Page 86 - Wish Stream Year of 2019

Exercise SLOVENIAN SKIER
OCdt Robbie
Morale was high across the group as we eagerly arrived at the airport on the morn- ing of the 13th December. Christmas
leave was nearly upon us after having completed the ‘hateful eight’ and, more importantly, we were about to learn and hopefully master Nordic skiing (most of us having no clue what this sport entailed).
The flight went seamlessly and, apart from a few OCdts struggling to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road, we arrived up the mountain in one piece. We were staying in Pokljuka in accommodation that was kindly pro- vided by the Slovenian army, and although very basic it served its purpose. We were very lucky that on arrival, the Biathlon World Cup was well underway which provided us with a great experi- ence to see how it is really meant to be done and intrigued us for what was to come.
local village, finding the beautiful Lake Bled and a Christmas market.
On the first day we woke early to get the most out of the snow and walked down to the track. Learning the very basics first, we warmed our legs and upper bodies up for a long day ahead.
After the competition had finished
with the French taking the vic-
tory, we had a short classroom-
based lesson on the basics and
different types of Nordic skiing. It
was a great introduction to Nor-
dic skiing, the various equipment
needed and how to clean the skis
(who knew that there are 30 different coloured waxes that each serve a different purpose?!).
Once lessons were completed, we headed back down the mountain to have a look around the
Slowly but surely, we introduced skis, one by one learning how to get the maximum glide on each leg by doing different exercises. We then intro- duced the poles and watched as everyone instantly forgot what their legs were meant to do. Once taught the basic movements and gliding, we
played some games and practiced our skills fur- ther, learning how to go up and down slopes and the different techniques used for each obstacle. Overall our first day Nordic skiing was brilliant, and we were all excited to perfect our technique over the upcoming week.
However, as the week persisted the weather con- ditions deteriorated, with little snow on the track and continuous rain, which led to a challenging environment for both learners and instructors. This meant the instructors having to find alterna- tive locations in order for us to continue to learn how to Nordic ski. Our British instructor, Mike, was brilliant at doing this and was keen for us to get as much Nordic skiing in as possible.
One of the days saw us make the hour-long drive to Planica. It was Planica that witnessed many of the group finally get to grips with the basics of Nordic skiing. A select few even looked
It was a great introduction to Nordic skiing...
84 SANDHURST