Page 31 - QARANC Vol 17 No 1 2019

Upon arrival at the Polo club, we were shown to our accommodation. The ger (very similar to a yurt), which is the traditional Mongolian residential dwelling, is really quite remarkable given the environmental challenges. However, the wood burner required hourly manning when the temperature dropped.
We enjoyed a couple of days of polo in the sunshine but the weather soon changed and we were hit with snow and high winds. Notwithstanding, the training went on as did the tournament. We played a 3-chukka match and the British Army team won 4-2. Major Janet Johnson AGC scored the first goal and a ridiculously close spot penalty and Lieutenant Paul Erhahiemen scored two very handy goals.
Having finished the game, there was a big presentation ceremony where the owner of the club who is also a Government Minister, presented us with a book about the Mongolian Armed Forces and a ‘passport to the Mongolian Empire’. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Ulaanbaatar for dinner and drinks reception.
The reception was incredibly pleasant and after many speeches and presentations we mingled with the guests and did our bit for the GREAT campaign which showcases the best of Britain overseas. Seemingly having celebrity status, everyone wanted to have a picture or a selfie and chat about the polo.
The next morning, we said our goodbyes and departed Ulaanbaatar for Beijing and the subsequent flight back to London. It was truly a remarkable experience.
Lieutenant Paul Erhahiemen
Lieutenant Paul Erhahieman playing the tourist in Beijing
THE GAZETTE QARANC 29
AMS Skiing Championships
I have been part of 208 (Liverpool) Field Hospital for two years and I was lucky enough to compete at the AMS Skiing Championships last January, despite having no Nordic skiing experience.
Although I enjoyed the Nordic ski competition, I got around the course on a combination of will power, grit and determination, rather than any sort of recognised technique. I was aware that I was not the most stylish, so when the opportunity to train in Norway came, I jumped at it.
The training didn’t have the best of starts, with our group luggage lost in transit, somewhere between Amsterdam and Oslo. However, half of the group had managed to beg, borrow enough spare kit to brave the -11 degrees weather which was, apparently, warm for that time of year!
We spent the first day “Classic” skiing around the easier parts of the local area of Gala, either learning or refreshing existing basics. Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing, in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing where the boot
is attached to the ski from the toe to the heel. Besides Classic, another technique is Telemark skiing; either way as I had previously found out, this type of skiing requires strength and endurance.
The next day brought clear skies, fresh snow and the introduction of “skate” skiing. This was new to the majority of the group and whilst some took to it like ducks to water, others were more like Bambi on Ice. We spent our time improving our technique in both disciplines by practicing in the Gala arena, used for the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994 – a course full of steep ups and downs, twists and turns. As we became more confident, we explored more and more of the local countryside and started to really appreciate the beauty of Norway and understand the popularity of the sport in this part of the world. Picture perfect scenery of frozen lakes, glittering snow and stunning sunsets was undoubtedly one of the highlights of training.
The training finished on the last day with a mixed discipline race around the arena, so I wore a very fetching lycra outfit, in very balmy -18 degrees! The warm-up was understandably
enthusiastic, but as the race started the temperature didn’t matter as we navigated the ups and downs of the course.
I was pleased with my progress over the course of the week; I felt faster on the up sections, more controlled on the downs and generally fitter and stronger. The cold temperatures and sore everything were worth getting me across the line a whole ...four seconds faster than last time!
If I was asked to describe Nordic Skiing in one word I would choose ‘difficult’. I was told on the first day of training that beginners were split into Naturals and those that are NOT. As my colleagues performed stylish techniques they were shown only minutes earlier and I found myself sitting in the snow yet again, I was aware of what group I belonged to. Would it stop me Nordic Skiing again? Not a chance! I have come across no other sport which combines the fantastic scenery, physical challenge and sense of adventure and cannot wait to get back on my skis and do it all over again next year.
Lieutenant Jack Ward
208 (Liverpool) Field Hospital