Page 65 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

To this day Norwegians claim
to have invented skiing, and
so it made sense that six
Officer Cadets headed to the frigid
landscapes of Norway for a crash
course in cross-country skiing. It is
a huge sport in Norway and a won-
derful way to explore the trails that
wind through the woods and hills
of the country. Those who are talented can also choose to pick up a rifle and try their hand at a biathlon, a race combining skiing and marks- manship. We chose cross-country over alpine, a choice many saw as perverse, for the increased physical and technical challenge that it offered.
So, amongst the alluringly beautiful hills of Nor- way, we began our first trial of cross-country ski- ing. Akin to Bambi on ice, Officer Cadets initially struggled to come to terms with this alien sport as bemused Norwegians effortlessly glided by. On thin skis a gentle decline became a perilous free fall, the up-hills became laborious, and even the flats threatened total wipeouts. That first day we finished exhausted, aching, and wondering how we would improve over the next week.
Our instructor patiently brought us up to speed, taking a group of mainly novices, applying basic principles one by one until he built up some sort of dexterity amongst us. As well as being incred- ibly knowledgeable and a very good teacher, he
OCdt Harrison
also knew how to keep us sustained with plentiful coffee breaks and a seemingly endless supply of home- made flapjacks.
The group progressed rapidly and on the third day we attempted a 15km circuit that wound its way through the hills of Sjusjoen. It was a gloriously
sunny day, in fact the only day where we saw the sun at all. The views from the summits were well worth the effort of the climb. The loop was a highlight of our trip and it was a great feeling of accomplishment having had just three days of experience.
The final few days saw us practice ‘skating’, a form of cross-country skiing akin to ice skat- ing. This divided the group with some effortless speeding across the snow, leaving the less coor- dinated members floundering behind. Learning two different disciplines of skiing was very useful to our overall confidence on the snow.
Of course, this trip would not have been possible without the grants made by The Sandhurst Trust, Commandant’s fund, and all the help and support we received from the Academy itself. The week allowed us to learn a skill we would never have otherwise had the opportunity to try, and we all look forward to being able to apply what we have learnt to our respective units after Sandhurst.
Exercise THOR’S HAMMER
We chose cross- country over alpine, a choice many saw as per verse...
SANDHURST 63