Headquarters Home Command
EXERCISE MONTY MERGER
26 Feb – 5 Mar 22
Exercise Monty Merger is Headquarters Home Commands’ annual skiing expedition to Mayrhofen, Austria. This year, thirty personnel participated in both alpine and ski touring. With varying abilities and skiing experience, the exercise accommodated Ski Foundation One (SF1) for beginners, Ski Foundation Two (SF2) for intermediates and Ski Foundation Three (SF3) for the advanced skiers.
With the COVID disruptions an ever-present threat to the trip, there was much relief when the diplomatic clearance finally came through in mid-February. This gave the green-light for the administration support team under the watchful eye of Major King and with the helping hand of the extremely capable WO2 (RQMS) Lawrenson to depart on the 15-hour road trip. The support team proved an integral component for the entire exercise transporting loan pool and personal equipment to Mayrhofer. Having arrived on 24 Feb they prepared all equipment for issue and were even kind enough to place personal baggage within the accommodation. Along with transporting loan pool stores they are also responsible for transporting the SF 3 groups to their touring locations, resolving any transport issues and escorting any injured personnel to hospital. They had the added complications and frustrations of dealing with a broken-down vehicle – to which we remain grateful for their tenacity.
The main body deployed from London Heathrow on 26 Feb to chaos, as all morning BA short haul flights were cancelled, citing IT errors. Fortunately for Exercise Monty Merger, the chief instructor, Lt Col Fitzsimons made the incredibly insightful decision to book a 1230hrs flight. This meant we were fortunately able to fly and duly arrived in Innsbruck, where members of the admin party were waiting to greet us. The weather was superb with bright blue skies and clean pristine snow-ideal conditions for both alpine and ski touring. The evening consisted of ski pass issue, orders (not the discipline type!) and being explicitly reminded that this was to be a week of arduous military training, and by no-means was this a holiday! By 2200hrs the bar was empty, and all personnel retired, eager to get some rest prior to the weeks training.
For skiers of all levels the Zillertal Valley and the surrounding areas offer a plethora of runs from blue to black. In total the area offers 506 km of piste, 181 lifts over the various locations. Zillertal proved an exceptional area, and value for money for the conduct of ski training. With at least 1m of fresh snow both SF 2 and SF 3 were able to get some powder under their skis and in some cases in their helmets!! Conditions were almost balmy at times with temperatures at 1800m reaching +10c with only -5c in the valley. Sun cream was the order of the week for this year’s participants. All students were reminded of the need to rehydrate and but for the SF3 group, the occasional coffee breaks! The SF 3 group consisted of individuals who had attended previous exercises and are working their way through the Joint Service Ski Scheme. This included a 2-day unenviable trek, including an overnight stay in a ‘hut’.
Throughout Exercise Monty Merger, every opportunity was taken to impart valuable mountain lessons, from avalanche training through to selecting the right kit and equipment and how to wax and look after skis. The most insightful of these lessons was learning the importance of having a ‘growth mindset’. The application of a growth mindset allows the individual to better conquer the day-to-day challenges faced, directly applicable to the ski training, as advocated by the extraordinary free-climber Alex Honnold. With this newly imparted technique applied, a notable boldness and stride was evident in the subsequent skiing!
For many of the novices the long blue runs proved to be both a mental and physical test. Under the expert tuition of Major Calderwood, the groups soon got to grips with the art of both the plough and plough parallel turn.
As part of the SF 2 course students are required to spend time off-piste and going uphill. Bespoke equipment is required for this phase and again was provided by our diligent administration team. Whilst there is no cost for taken touring equipment from loan pool stores, students invariably need to change boots or replace broken equipment.
The final day allows all the students to consolidate their weeks tuition with a day of skiing independent of their instructors. Whilst some groups spent a nice casual morning exploring the blue and a few red routes some individuals pushed themselves to the limit.
Ex Monty Merger has once again provided members of HQ Home Command with an opportunity to experience Alpine Skiing and ski touring for the first time. In all, 4 novice skiers achieved SF 1, 6 students will progress to SF 2, 7 students qualified at SF2 and 6 students have completed all foundation training and are now ready to embark on their Ski Leader courses. With financial restrictions being imposed across most of defence, Alpine and Ski touring can still be achieved. Seeking the best deals and value for money is time consuming but a necessity. Once again, the financial support of the Ulysses Trust made this possible. Many of those who attended this year would not have been able to do so due to financial constraints, we are very grateful.
The exercise provided an outstanding opportunity to develop ethos and unit cohesion difficult to achieve in such a busy HQ. The following comments were made:
“This has been a superbly arranged and led trip from start to finish – an exemplar of getting the balance between military training & relaxed team binding right. All the pre-briefings in MH and admin set the conditions for that relaxed and efficient execution – a definite sustain.”
“Quality of instruction was top-notch. I have gained a huge amount of technical knowledge, meaning I am now able to self-coach and continue improving in a way I have not been able to before.”
“Ex MM was probably the best organised and delivered AT trip I’ve ever been on in 22 years of Army service – including some I have organised myself.”
