Page 24 - QARANC Vol 14 No 6 2013
P. 24
22 QARANC THE GAZETTE
MDHU Frimley Park Nordic Skiing Training
Camp, Dombas, Norway 3-18 December 2012
• Commanding Officer Lt Col Val Greed QARANC
• Senior Nursing Officer Lt Col Tessa Grieves RRC QARANC
• Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Julia Baldwin QARANC
MDHU Frimley Park Nordic Ninjas attended the annual AMS Nordic Skiing Training Camp run by 16 Medical Regiment with chief instructor Major Smith which was held in Dombas, Norway.
The location was beautiful you could see fantastic views of the Norwegian sloping hills and valleys. However the temperature was not so beautiful, when the Nordic Ninjas got off the train in Dombas it was a staggering -30c, you could feel your nose hairs freezing. We were wondering why we were given a 5–6 minute warning before each stop on the train but we come to the conclusion it was because it was so cold you needed plenty of time to layer up your warm kit before venturing out into the cold! On arrival we were shown to our accommodation, two log cabins which were amazing, we had some time to unpack and settle in before heading off to the opening brief from the Training Camp OC.
On the first day we were all split down into ability groups, most of the team were split up, we then made our way up the hill to the training area and biathlon range. We all gathered in our allotted groups but it was not long until some changes were made when the instructors realised people’s true ability!
After the first day skiing most of us were really tired apart from Frimley Parks’ star skier and PTI LCPL Sam Davies who would put Nordic Skiing second to being a PTI in his list of passions. Being so unprepared for the cold was not making the skiing any easier for the rest of us so we were pleased after 3 days of skiing we had all earned a day off. The day allowed us to see that we had improved on our skiing and fitness as well as getting some much needed rest, we took the opportunity to walk down into the local town to do some shopping. We all had high hopes for the souvenirs until we got there and realised how expensive everything was, we were shocked! We did not get another full day off during our trip but we used our spare time well, working as a team to make sure the cabins were tidy, the cupboards were fully stocked and the ski admin was done. Who knew there was so
much admin involved in this sport, we definitely underestimated how much work was involved until we got there.
We took it in turns to pair up and cook dinner for everyone, whilst others went down to wax and prep the skis for the next day. In the evening we would all catch up in one cabin and enjoy the feast that had been put out for us, this quickly turned into a “come dine with me” competition and dinner went from a bowl of pasta to a three course meal! Then it was the turn of Lt Claire Reed and Lt Nina Murphy. We were all banished from their cabin and were not allowed to know what was on the menu. We were very excited and hungry and all of a sudden there was a power cut. Our hosts had to resort to wearing head torches to do as much as they could without power or an oven, luckily the power came back on and they could carry on without the head torches. At this point we were getting really hungry, there was a knock at the door and we were given an official invitation, inviting us all to dinner at 20:00 on the condition that we sung Christmas carols. We had a fantastic meal that even included a cheese course at the end. It was nice because we had missed our unit Christmas dinner whilst we were away. After a few drinks and lots of laughs we all decided to take our fun down to the AMD cabin, we sung them Christmas carols and they kindly invited us in for a drink.
We Skied for another 9 days, all of us were improving despite the extreme cold weather and the lack of sun light because the days were drawing shorter, but we made the most of it and pushed on. Several changes were made to the ability groups over the 9 days and most of the Frimley Park Nordic Ninjas ended up in the same group. We all soon learned to love the “M1” a continuous uphill slog that seems to go on for miles and miles, but well worth the view when we eventually reached the top. We learnt two techniques ‘classic’ and ‘skate’ we all found that we were better at one than the other but it was good to mix it up. Towards the end of the camp we were just about getting the hang of the skiing and the endless admin that goes with it and we were
learning to use the correct waxes for that days temperature which makes a big difference when out on the snow.
It soon became race day at Dombas the excitement mixed with anxiety was floating in the air. The race was two loops of a 2.5km circuit up hills, on the flat and the dreaded down hills! Frimley Park Nordic Ninjas lined up as LCpl David Payne took the lead at position 5 followed shortly by LCpl Briony Downes at position 6 and the rest of the team in “fastest skier first” order. The day before the race we ‘walked the course’ as a team and helped each other with the stick wax making sure we put on enough for the race at the right temperature, so it would stick in the right places along the circuit. LCpl Payne was the first to fall on the first big corner of the track and was quickly over taken by LCpl Downes. Most of the field of 48 competitors were over taken by the overall winner, our very own LCpl Sam Davies and LCpl Downes took second fastest female novice, who was only beaten by one second. All of MDHU Frimley Park Nordic Ninjas finished the race in good times, including Cpl Goodlife, who double poled the whole way round and we all felt we benefited from the race experience. The trip to Norway was enjoyed by all and we have all learned new skills or improved the basic skills we already had. The was good team spirit as we helped each other over come the fear of hills and helped to defrost each other with hot drinks when some of us were so cold we thought we were turning into a human ice cube.
Overall the camp was a huge success for our skiing and for our team moral. We worked hard on the snow and we laughed even harder afterwards, talking about all the antics from the day. Some of us will be competing in the AMS championships in Serre Chevalier in February 13 and the rest cannot wait to do it all over again next year.
We would like to thank the QA Association for their kind donation towards the cost of the trip.
Pte Victoria Coughlin
MDHU Frimley Park