Page 62 - Mercian Eagle 2017

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EX FROSTED BLADE 32 – A MERCIAN Perspective
Capt England, 2IC KOHIMA Coy
Infantry alpine skiing has improved vastly over the last few seasons, with the 2016/17 season proving to be a breakthrough year for the Corps, as the team went on to win the Army Championships. The Mercian Regiment has also seen great improvements over this time with both regular Battalions now mainstays at Ex FROSTED BLADE,
the Infantry Championships, and both are consistently producing excellent results. With 3 skiers selected to race for the
Infantry at the end of FRSOTED BLADE, this represented a quarter of the team and a sign of the progress the Regiment as a whole is making.
year’s success stories were exceptional. LCpl Wood, Pte Morris and Pte Bowen
in particular look like promising talents for the future. With this year’s Army Champion having learned to ski as a novice on FROSTED BLADE 5 years ago, there is proof that through constant work and continuing to attend the exercise, novices can turn in to the Army’s best.
Ex FROSTED BLADE itself is 6 weeks long and consists of 5 rigorous weeks of training where soldiers are split in to ability groups, working on technical skiing ability before moving on to the practicing ‘in the gates’. There is analysis work in the evenings and soldiers are expected to keep themselves fit in their free time. This training is all focussed towards the final week of the exercise,
Race Week. The week includes 6 races contributing to team and individual awards,
with each Battalion submitting a team of 4 for the ‘A’ Hill and for the ‘B’ Hill. At the end of the week a prize giving is held to reward all the winners, present some awards for significant contributions and also some humorous prizes.
With a gold medal
in the team downhill,
1 MERCIAN secured the Regiment’s first gold
medal in recent memory. Further medals were won by Lt Cole, Cpl Houghton and Pte Oates, with 2 MERCIAN’s Pte Bowen coming fourth overall in the novice category. The announcement of the Infantry Team
Ex FROSTED BLADE’s stated mission is to provide training and racing experience for Infantry team members, test junior officer and SNCO planning and leadership, and, importantly, to teach novice skiers how
to ski and race over a
period of 6 weeks. This
final point is probably
the most satisfying
aspect of the exercise.
Whilst success for a
Battalion will almost
certainly be judged on
medals and trophies,
for a team captain little
is more rewarding than
seeing a young soldier
go from never using
a pair of skis before
to throwing themselves down a downhill course. Both 1 and 2 MERCIAN have a history of success in this field. Often both Battalions take more than the required 2 novice skiers in the 8 man team, and this
The 1 and 2 MERCIAN ‘A’ teams at the bottom of the Giant Slalom in Val D’Isere
saw Lt Cole, Lt Yaxley and Lt England all named in the team to travel to the Army Championships where they would go and win significant silverware.
As the Mercian Regiment continues to stake its place as a force in Infantry skiing, the value of the sport and this exercise should not be understated. There are few sports which can take a complete novice and turn them in to a racer within 6 weeks. There are few situations as intimidating as standing in the starting gate of a downhill race, knowing you are about to throw yourself down a mountain, over jumps and around gates at speeds of up to 70mph. There are also few better experiences than 6 weeks in Val D’Isere over Christmas in an environment which is built on team spirit,
a drive to improve and a competitive spirit. As the exercise improves, so does the Regiment and long may this continue.
‘Little is more rewarding than seeing a young soldier go from never using a pair of skis before to throwing themselves down a downhill course’
Lt Cole taking on a slalom course
(From L - R) Lt Yaxley, Lt England and Lt Cole after their selection for the Infantry Team
Lt England skiing the GS course
THE MERCIAN EAGLE