Page 140 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Adventure Training 8 – 15 February 2014 Exercise Tiger Rag
Bright and very early on 9 February members of The Band and Bugles of The Rifles, along with some members of The Band of the Royal Logistics Corps, set off for a week of Adventurous Training Skiing in Bavaria, Germany.
skiing going on, getting better as the day progressed. There were a couple of funny moments, one being when LCpl Duncombe decided to snow plough through the
group, knocking them all over. The T-bar lifts also caught a few people out today, especially Musn Lacey and Lacey. On almost reaching the top of the lift they were chatting away when their skis got tangled and immediately threw them off!
the slope and arrived safely at the bottom. The afternoon had some juggling of group numbers and some of the members moving up to the next level. Musn Uttley immediately regretted his decision when he was forced into an “initiation” into the most advanced group with the Off-Piste Jump Challenge and he found himself face first in the snow.
Day four started with a short minibus drive down the road to the nearby destination of Ofterschwang. The groups split off and due to the Ski Tracks App the aim for several people was to try and outdo yesterday’s maximum speed. This didn’t turn out as planned for most as they all resulted in rather spectacular crashes, Rfn Loudon wiped out at an impressive 69.3 mph, Rfn McIntyre looked like a scene from Sochi as he caught some rather respectful ‘air time’ before landing on his face at 55 mph, however, the day’s best argument with the snow went to LCpl Chave going ‘head over heels’, quite literally, at 57 mph
resulting in his nose looking as if he had gone a few rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson.
Day five saw the group ski across the mountains from
Germany into Austria. The vast ski resort provided all the groups with many different slopes to suit their abilities. After a short break at the top of the mountain for a group photo, everyone split off again to enjoy their final afternoon.
Whilst the beginners started their day at the bottom of the slopes, the so called more “experienced” skiers ventured up to the dizzier heights of the advanced slopes. All was going swimmingly
until there was a call
on the radio that one
of our more advanced
skiers had gone over
with a possible broken
ankle. It turned out to
be our own calamity
Sjt Jon Sayeg-Priestley
who needed the help of Mountain Rescue to get him down the mountain after falling whilst trying to perform a basic stop. Meanwhile Rfn Lewis, who had never
skied before, decided to use his infantry combat training to the full when he needed help to stop. He zoned in on a suspicious looking, rather large shed at the bottom of the slope and snow ploughed into the front door. All this before lunchtime! The rest of the day was filled with further development of skills, and by the end of the day most people were feeling the burn and glad to
get their boots off. At dinner that evening Sjt Sayeg-Priestley returned from the hospital, fortunately not too seriously hurt, but it was the end of his skiing for the week.
Day two started with a treacherous
drive up into the mountains where it was snowing and a chilly minus five degrees. After an hour on the slopes the sun came out, shortly followed by the sun cream, and stayed for a beautiful day with clear visibility for the slopes. The absolute beginners group had progressed onto plough turns, side stepping, side slipping and how to
go as fast as possible on the runs. There were many tumbles, including Rfn Lewis’ somersault turn and Musn Crawley’s
many falls. Meanwhile in the more advanced groups there was more fluent
By the end of day two the Ski Tracker App had spread through
the group like a virus, with many people
using it on their smart phones. The App records speed down the slopes and now the
main prerogative was to out-do each other’s maximum speed.
Day three started much the same as day two; chilly and cloudy; however the weather cleared up by 1100 and we had an enjoyable afternoon
skiing in the sunshine.
Sjt Sayeg-Priestley returned from the hospital, fortunately not too seriously hurt
The resort proved
difficult to navigate for
some of the members,
with the piste numbers
causing confusion.
Some of the more
inexperienced skiers did not appreciate the Band Serjeant-Major’s map reading skills when they found themselves on a far more challenging slope than planned. However their sense of achievement outweighed their annoyance once they had conquered
Rfn Loudon wiped out at an impressive 69.3 mph
Swift and Bold CD
Also out our new CD ‘Swift and Bold’ featuring The Band
and Bugles of The Rifles, The Salamanca Band and Bugles
of The Rifles (V), The Waterloo Band and Bugles of The
Rifles (V) and Alastair Caplin and music from the ‘Swift and Bold’ Royal Albert Hall Concert is now on sale. For more information please contact the band office on: 01962 888217.
138 THE BAND AND BUGLES OF THE RIFLES
THE RIFLES