Page 32 - RADC Bulletin 2018

ADVENTUROUS TRAINING
Exercise Proton Serpent
LCpl Hull RADC
I was posted to the recruiting team in December 2017 and within a matter of weeks I was given the great opportunity of attending my first ski package with the Army. The two-week exercise, Ex Proton Serpent, was held in Serre Chevalier France, with amazing facilities and breath taking views.
I had skied as a child and surprised myself on the first day of lessons as to how much muscle memory I had, however I was still rusty. After a few nasty falls and some frustration, I developed my alpine skiing and built up my confidence in the first week.
The Nordic skiing aspect of the exercise
LCpl Wilson RADC
Every year the Army Medical Services holds Nordic and Alpine skiing championships in Serre Chevalier, France. In January 2018, a large HQ team was formed including a mix of RAMC, RADC and RAVC.
The exercise lasted for 2 weeks and involved competing in Alpine and Nordic races as well as a fun run where everyone got dressed up in fancy dress and raced up or down the hill on skis as well as a 20km Nordic patrol race.
The first week was a mix of Nordic and Alpine where in the morning we would go Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing in the afternoon. For Alpine we were put into different groups based on our ability and taken out for lessons with a ski instructor.
was a different story with it being my first time sampling the bizarrely long skis on flat ground. On the first day, I was like Bambi on ice but once I grasped the technique I could ski for many kilometres.
The first week was a build up towards
the AMS ski champs, which was daunting for a novice skier such as myself, however,
I took part in my first slalom race without a fall. My biggest achievement was completing the 5km Nordic race in a respectable 40 minutes, I couldn’t even stand up on the skis the week before!
Finally, let’s not forget about the sociable side of the trip. We hired toboggans and
During the first week we also had the fun race where our team dressed up as Noah’s Arc and this was followed by some après ski!
The second week saw us take part in Alpine races where some members of the team even won medals. The races were split between A races, B races and novice races. As well as the Alpine races, we also competed in 5km and 10km Nordic races
in teams. The last race we had was the Nordic patrol race, and from our team we entered a male team of 4 and a female team of 4. For the patrol race we had to carry 40kg between us, and take part in different obstacles and work together as a team in order to test our physical endurance and team working skills.
had many sociable dinners at the chalet, which was a joint effort to cook. Of course, our muscles ached from all our hard work, therefore we managed to fit in two spa trips taking full advantage of the facilities.
This trip gave me the opportunity to develop my ski skills, compete and meet new people. I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise and recommend attending a ski package with the AMS.
The best part of the exercise was learning new skills and meeting lots of new people throughout the AMS. Adventure training is something that definitely pushes you out of your comfort zone and helps you to grow as a person!
30 RADC BULLETIN 2018