Introduction Alpine Ski Touring Course
“This is what skiing is about” – Ethan
A 6-day journey of discovery into a challenging alpine back country skiing environment by a mixed team of eight Senior Cadets and two Cadet Adult Volunteers who were experienced alpine skiers on piste but complete novices to alpine ski touring. The aim of the course was to achieve the Joint Service Alpine Ski Foundation Level 2 qualification (JSAT SF2) but by the end of the course, this was not the only thing the team achieved. The team grew into a group of friends, lifetime memories were made, self-confidence was gained and skiing abilities were developed. The CANSKI course brought ten passionate skiers together and saw them develop and grow, not only in their skiing ability but also in themselves.
Meet the team, Emma G, Amy, Toby, Jort, Oscar, Ethan, Marcus, Elliot, Emma M and Abigail. Most of the team members had developed their skiing ability through the CCAT Ski progression programme. As such most of the group had already crossed paths in the past resulting in a quickly bonded team. This became evident when it came to the first day as the group saw the difference in experience and therefore formed pairs that mutually supported each other.
“Not many people my age would be able to say they get to go to Canada skiing and get a chance like I have” – Emma G
The first two days saw the team head to Lake Louise and Sunshine alpine areas to develop the essential skills that would be required to tackle the off-piste conditions. There were some spectacular and amusing tumbles and falls – some whilst standing still. During the initial days of skiing there were emotional highs and lows, with all team members pushed out of their comfort zone. Marcus and Emma started day two struggling with pains in their shins but powered through, Toby found the black slope challenging but rewarding and Emma talked about how being partnered up with Marcus was motivational as he kept telling her she could do it even though she said she didn’t want to do it. By the end of day two, the team were successfully skiing down mogul runs, black runs and through the trees, ready for the next four days which would see them venturing into the backcountry. Essential lectures provided the team with the necessary knowledge to begin to self-risk manage ourselves as a group in the harsh environment. Temperatures were typically -15°C during the day with wind chill factor taken into consideration. We had a daily weather and avalanche forecast from our instructors Maj Kevin Edwards (OC CCAT) and Glyn Sheppard.
‘This was the best week of my life’ – Oscar
The touring began with a steady introduction on the Tuesday, learning how to skin up the steep slopes on skis, how to walk in them and how to turn. Sounds pretty basic right? Well you’re wrong, we spent quite a lot of time with our face in the snow, definitely a learning experience for Abigail who fell three times in the same spot. The team also learnt how to search and rescue someone caught in an avalanche which made the whole thought about avalanches a lot more realistic. Skiing back down, the powder was amazing and tested a few of the members to believe in their skiing ability. The second day of touring saw the team head up a three hour hike, this was a challenging exercise, yet really rewarding, with the views and the sense of achievement when they got to the top and then getting to ski down a gulley on fresh powder through the trees. However, this wonderful feeling fell short when Marcus got stuck in deep snow and the rest of the team had to clamber up and rescue him, which was exhausting due to the waist deep the snow and it was not a quick process. In the end the rescue was successful and this became a funny memorable moment for the entire team which was laughed about over dinner.
Our final day of touring saw the team face a bigger challenge, the slopes were steep, the wind was harsh and there were so many trees. Elliot described it perfectly by saying it was a different kind of fun compared to the other days. Amy noted that there was a lot more comradery as the team brought all the learning of the week together. Although the skiing skills were being brought together, the team faced various challenges during the day; the steep incline up which also resulted in a steep ski down, the harsh wind which was picking up a lot of the snow that was getting hurtled to our faces. The trees were proving to be a significant obstacle to negotiate on skis, if it wasn’t a stump catching a ski, it was people having to spread their skis to try slide over a tree. This meant that the team could not just hurtle down the hill with no thought, they had to plan their routes carefully as well as being aware of their surroundings.
‘I like sitting around the table and having a laugh when we are having our meals’ – Emma M
The team were responsible for shopping and cooking their own meals from breakfast to dinner. For many of the team this was the first time they were having to think about portion sizes, what ingredients are needed and how to cook things correctly. The first night saw an error in judgement in the amount of pasta, so much so that another ten people could have joined us and there would have still be some spare. The team finally got a hand on their portion size when it came to fajitas but then finding out we could get pizza delivered ruined any cookery instincts for Wednesday night. The week saw the more experienced cookers help teach the less experienced cookers and created a fun environment as quite a few noted that learning to cook here, was a lot better than Home Economics at school.
‘It was great getting to know each other, feeling more like a team’ – Toby
The week began with ten novices of ski touring and brought them together, challenged them physically and emotionally but by the end we felt confident in our back country alpine skiing. It was a challenging week, with all team members getting physically pushed. The memories made, good and bad, will stick with all of us for the rest of our lives, we saw people fly over moguls, get stuck in deep snow, falling over whilst standing still, as well as pushing through their individual fears, taking that push to go down the steep off piste slope and just believing in their own ability and developing their own individual skills. CANSKI 2020 was a huge success for the team and they are already planning their next ski adventures. The icing on the cake was being awarded the Joint Service Ski Foundation level 2 qualification.
The team would like to convey their sincerest thanks to the Ulysses Trust for financially supporting this expedition.
