Page 35 - Bugle Issue 16 Autumn 2020

5RIFLES
The leg endurance required for the race week is intense.
The team came back noticeably stronger and fitter
Ex FROSTED
BLADE 35
With legs burning, vision blurred and wind howling through your helmet
Ski racing is an exhilarating, thrilling and daring sport. For about one minute, skiers sit at the edge of control, pushing for every millisecond the mountain offers. With legs burning, vision blurred and wind howling through your helmet, it truly is an opportu- nity to escape the comfort zone we usually dwell within. In those breath-taking seconds of almost freefalling down the mountain, some of the biggest gains in personal devel- opment can be made, which undoubtedly contribute towards the enhancement of the Army’s moral component of fighting power. It is for this reason every year the Army holds alpine skiing championships.
The difference between this and free
skiing is that instead of being able to choose your moment to turn, the line of the slope
is forced upon you by alternating coloured poles in the ground that skiers need to turn around. Transitions in weight need to be made instantly and pressure on hips and knees is enormous to make it from gate to gate. The professionalism wasn’t only limited to the slope set up however, and the team began
to don skimpy tight-fitting race suits, giving minimum air resistance at high speeds if
not much in the way of insulation. Personal protective equipment was also needed in the form of attached slalom specific hand and shin
guards in order to stop team members from smacking into the ricocheting slalom poles as they fist bumped their way down the quickest line available.
5 RIFLES graded 3rd in the infantry and LCpl Owen was awarded second place individual athlete. Brave performances all around that were celebrated heartily before the team closed down and headed home.
Lt A Rogers OC 13 Pl
Representing the ‘Dogs’ from the slopes!
Lt Rogers maximising his airtime
RIFLES The Bugle 35