Page 49 - 2023 AMA Spring

Paul, Sarah and Mickey finish the A Course
(I’m sure he was a nice man, but I wasn’t in the mood) informed us we’d just made the cut off. From there it was a slog of a boot pack up to the Col de Riedmattan (2920m). I got to the col, which is about 3m wide, ditched my bag and much to the bemusement of the Swiss soldiers, started walking back down. Passing Pete on the way I found Bruce, nicked his bag and left him with his ski poles. Catching Pete back up, we agreed that he should start the hand-over-hand rope descent down the far side of the col. Slightly concerned he’d opt for the sweet embrace of death over carrying on, I gave Bruce a hand down to join Pete at Les Dix (2690m) which ironically, was how we all felt. Some steep skiing, now down slush, took us to the Pas du Chat (2370m). From here we had a 4km traverse around the Lac des Dix (I know, a whole lake of them), the wide valley fully in the sun, with tem- peratures in the 30s and the snow giving way to exposed patches of mud which we then had to contend with. As we were approaching La Barme (2460m), we could see two Swiss Super Pumas making shuttles down the valley. We didn’t need any controller, fat or otherwise, to tell us we’d missed the cut off. Slightly ahead of Pete and Bruce, I crested the hill to the Refugio and was surprised to see Joe striding towards me to offer a consolatory
Start of Z Course
hand and to explain what was happening. It’s testament to the character of Joe, Ky and Paul, that despite their own disap- pointment at having missed the cut off by a mere 7 minutes, they got amongst helping our team out with drinks, food and getting out of dodge.
With a mixture of disappointment and elation at not having to ski up any more hills, we sat and waited to load our stick. As the helicopter flared and landed about 4ft from where we were sitting, I just hoped the gearbox had another 10 minutes to give to get us to the valley, it being a Super Puma after all. Down in the valley in the lovely thick chewy air, we got a brew and a feed and waited for the shuttle bus to take us up to Verbier. Once reunited with everyone, we were able to take stock. Mikey, Sarah and Paul had nailed the A course and Lambie, JP and Neil had got round the Z course in impressive time. The remaining 3 teams had all been timed out, some by seconds, some by minutes. The only things damaged were egos, and they heal in time. So, all in all, a successful trip. All up, a 3rd of all teams were timed out or opted for the jack wagon. Tellingly, the winning time was nearly 2 hours slower than previous years. Back to the hotel, shower, into stepping-out rig, and then out into Verbier to rehydrate.
Now, some may have detected a hint of negativity in what’s been written. I’d like to say here and now, I bloody loved it. Some of it was the most type 2 fun imaginable, but I’ll happily go and do it all again. I’m a skimo convert. It’s getting out in the backcountry, with friends (we’re all friends again), working hard and enjoying the skiing. What’s not to like about that? And dammit, if I don’t look good in Lycra! A lot of people grafted to make this trip happen, perhaps none more so than Ibbs - complete legend. The committee, Pete, Tom, Joe, KY and Mikey all put a hell of a lot of time and effort into it. And it’s much appreciated!
So how do you get involved? No PDG in 2023, so we have 2 training camps. One in Areches for two weeks and another in Arolla. The DIN is out, search for ski moun- taineering and follow British Army Skimo Team on Instaface. The ambition for the team is to get more soldiers out training, ready for the PDG 2024. We’ll do our best to get word out to the masses. Keep an eye on the AMA socials and website. If you have any questions, get in touch, we’ll happily help out where we can. Personally, I’m hoping to attend the training camps and get out to some races off my own back, specifically the Keb Classic is Sweden, mainly because it mentions a hot tub.
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 49