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4th Regiment Royal Artillery
The 4RA Alpine Skiing Team deployed to Alpe d’Huez for the Gunners’ pre-Christmas training camp & competition. The 4RA team consisted of both members who had previous racing experience and com- plete novices.
Not even a 16-hour overnight drive could dampen the team’s high spirits as they drove up the famous Tour de France climb into the village of Alpe D’Huez. The team were looking forward to getting their skis on, some for the first time. Exercise ALPINE TIGER, the Royal Artillery’s annual Alpine Ski training camp and competition, provides an out- standing opportunity for troops to have 3 weeks of intense ski training, turning novice and tourist skiers into slalom rac- ers.
The week started well, with a few mem- bers of the team moving up a group, training at a higher difficulty. A spe- cial mention should go to Bdr Wilson (swiftly named the “Rotherham Pigeon”) who was warned that his ability “did not yet meet his ambition” by his French instructor after some daring falls. Some heavy snow gave the team an opportu- nity to practise their turns, making the most of the 16km La Sarenne, the long- est black run in the world.
Of course, this first two weeks did not just consist of training. The rest days offered a chance to relax and explore all that the resort had to offer. The FIFA World Cup added another element to the exercise, with every team squeezing into “Smithy’s” for the England matches.
Despite the result, the quarter final against France was of course the pick of the bunch.
Race week consisted of both slalom and giant slalom races. The prizes were indi- vidual for each event, as well as overall team prizes. The team prizes consid- ered a team’s fastest three results, so it was important that everyone raced to their full potential. The team went into the final week of competition with all 9 competitors raring to go. LBdr Williams produced some fantastic results at the top end of the leader board along with Gnr Redhead who won a range of nov- ice prizes.
After Christmas the “A” team consisting of Capt O’Connor, Lt Kelly, Bdr Wilson and LBdr Williams went onto compete at the Divisional Championships (Ex SPAR- TAN HIKE) in Serre Chevalier. This was the serious end of the season with the team having the opportunity to compete on the famous downhill course – with speeds of 100kph being recorded!
Throughout the competition all com- petitors certainly lived up to the “Fighting Fourth” reputation and displayed great courage throughout. LBdr Williams’ per- formance earned him the opportunity to qualify for the Army Championships but unfortunately he had to withdraw after a spectacular crash on the final downhill race.
Alpine Skiing Lt Nick Kelly RA
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