Page 80 - RADC 2020

SPORT & AT
Ex FROSTED KUKRI 20
Maj S Porter
I was extremely lucky again to have the opportunity to organise the British Forces Brunei skiing expedition, Ex FROSTED KUKRI 20, to Hakuba, Japan 23/02/20
– 06/03/20, just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the world.
This year we managed to nearly double the size of the exercise with x30 participants and x4 ski instructors. All participants were taken from across all units/depts based
in Brunei and depending on ability. With
x4 instructors we were able to take x16 novices (SF1), x8 intermediates (SF3) and x6 advanced (SF3) skiers.
When we arrived in Japan the season
had gotten off to a rotten start with some locals saying it was the worst season in 30 years, the obvious lack of snow on the lower slopes only confirming this. However, the
snow gods must have been smiling on us as the day after we arrived; it started snowing heavily for nearly three days. It looked like we were going to get to experience some Japow after all!
All in all, we had six days of skiing with all participants, bar two due to minor injuries, successfully completing their respective courses. After the skiing phase in Hakuba, as we did last year, we headed back to Tokyo for a cultural day. Unfortunately, due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 at the time, a lot of the major attractions were closed, but exercise participants were still able to get a flavour of what Tokyo had to offer.
I am hoping that the exercise will go ahead again next season and if there are any keen skiers in the Corps, surprisingly Brunei may just be the posting for you.
78 RADC BULLETIN 2020