Ulysses’ Trust ID 2805
Exercise Shamrock Neige 12-19th March, Argentiere, France
253 (NI) Medical Regiment
From 12-19th March 2022, 253(NI) Medical Regiment took a group of 15 Soldiers and Officers, including 2 instructors to Argentiere, France. The group was made up of personnel from different Squadrons and Detachments of 253 from various locations in NI and England. The Instructors were from different Reserve units, wonderfully demonstrating the Team Northern Ireland ethos. The group stayed in UCPA hostel type accommodation and were split into 2 ski groups. 1 group completed Ski Foundation 1/SF1 (beginner) and the other group completed Ski Foundation 2/SF2 (intermediate). All successfully completed the course and several SF2 attendees will now begin the path to Ski Instructor. Below is a short daily diary entry from both Soldiers and Officers throughout the week.
Day 1 by Caroline
It was the first time skiing for myself and I really could not believe the huge improvement as they day went on. I developed massively in such a short amount of time, going from being Bambi on ice unable to stand up to then ploughing and going down slopes! Also, I really did enjoy the whole experience and I’m thankful to the army reserves for this amazing opportunity.
Day 2 by Jamie
Started on the green slope today, fell quite a lot of times all morning but later in the day we moved to the blue slope I was apprehensive about it at first but it all then seemed to click and I got down it and never fell once, I was so happy to finally get down a slope without falling! From never skiing in my life yesterday to getting down a blue slope today without falling, I could have never dreamt that I could ski after just two days!
Day 3 by Dempsey
Today we went to a new resort called Argentiére and our first task was to get up the mountain in a gondola and then on a ski lift, this was a first time for me and many others. After some one-to-one time with the SF2 team members we all felt our skiing had improved although the blue runs were a step up from the one we had done on day 2. After struggling down a steep blue run and a few falls we made it for a late lunch and got back out on the skis to end the day on a good note.
Day 4 by Stevie
Sunny day forecast after yesterday’s hostel weather programme, which involved a fair bit of survival skiing. Reveille at 07:00, breakfast at 07:30. Off to the slopes by 08:30, slight mishap as the OC 108 (Kerry) almost left the accommodation without one vital piece of kit. Her skis.
Decided to carry OC 107 skies instead of mine. And he watched me do it, had to return to accommodation very sheepish as I had been making fun of Kerry for forgetting her skies.
First run of the day – good morning skiing covering 2 valleys. Interesting incident on the ski lift when a 4 person chair lift turned into a 5 person chair lift when someone unexpected tried to join the lift and Nicola decided to sit on the young lads knee. Total panic ensued which all ended in a good outcome with laughs all round. Skins (ski touring) training in the afternoon, introduction to ski touring. Learnt how to fit skins, went for a small walk and completed some kick turns. Just as we had thought it was all done for the afternoon, the CO mentioned we should keep the skins on and go for a wee bimble up the hill, lots of sweating and heavy breathing we made it to the top and we had a great finish to the day.
Skied the following locations. Brevet and Flegere, highest point of 2525m. Covered various ski techniques in alpine. Intro to ski touring. Which led to a very early night for me.
Day 5 by Nicola
Another dry day and assessment day! SF1 proved their Snow Plough, turning and stopping skills and SF2 braved more red Runs and enjoyed some beautiful blues with stunning scenery. We returned to Le Tour as it’s a great all-round resort with the best of the snow for all levels. Part of SF1 and SF2 learning is weather awareness so it was evident the best skiing would be in the morning before the sun and temperature caused slush. Slushy snow means more falls!! The day ended with everyone passing the course.
It was a challenging week for all and tested all of us at different times. There were laughs, falls and tears but everything was overcome as that’s what AT is all about! We learnt about ourselves and each other with some unexpected leaders emerging from the groups.
The Exercise ended with 3 x potential ski instructors – amazing outcome. Another important objective was achieved – we all improved our Mental Health after a difficult couple of years.
Day 6 by Andrew
Today was our last day and after a night of cultural expression by celebrating St Patrick’s day we were up and ready for a varied day ahead. The plan was to ski in the morning, and then travel to Chamonix town in order to take the Aiguille du Midi Gondola to the highest point we’ve been all week and view the highest mountain in the Alps – Mont Blanc. At 0900 we walked to Grands Montets and skied down both the red slopes “Combes” and “Bochard”, going over the skills and techniques we learned earlier in the week as we went. The snow was particularly tricky in places but we were able to find our edges and ski all the way back down to the bottom of the mountain. After a quick change parade we caught the bus that would take us to Chamonix town centre. Usually the trip up the Gondola would cost €69 but this experience was covered by our ski passes. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that couldn’t be dismissed. It takes two gondolas and an elevator to take you to 3842 metres – the highest gondola in France. Thankfully we had almost the perfect day for it as it was only mildly cloudy. We could all feel the altitude and lack of oxygen at that height which was a valuable experience. There was a glass viewing box that allowed you to view hundreds of feet below into the abyss. After approximately an hour we were glad to get the gondola back down to normal oxygen levels and head back to the hostel to leave all our kit back and attend the debrief. Once again the chefs at the hostel pulled the boat out and we all got a fantastic last meal together.
