Tpr Rory Kyle said the following about his experiences:
‘The exercise was a great opportunity to develop new ski racing techniques under expert tuition. Through the week I was able to refresh the skills I already had, on and off piste before applying them in a competitive racing environment. The courses set demanded an appreciation of a good racing line in order to achieve a fast time, without being too easy or overly complex. As the snow changed, you quickly learnt what it meant to stay high on your line and use your edges effectively to combat the icy conditions. The ski racing at the end of the exercise was the highlight of the week and a worthy culmination to the training.’
From myself;
The Ulysees Trust grant awarded had a profound impact on Ex SNOWFOX 26. It enabled The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry to not only send the largest number of participants on the Exercise in recent years, but to encourage participation in AT at all levels, particularly at more junior levels. For the Regiment, it marks a much awaited return to AT after a hiatus over the last two years, serving as an excellent method for developing leadership, pushing soldiers out of their comfort zone, and cohesion within the wider Reserve Forces.
Ex SNOW FOX 26 – Ulysees Trust report.
After much deliberation and reorganisation, the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry (SNIY) kicked off the delayed Yeomanry ski season with Exercise (ALPINE) SNOW FOX XXVI in Les Arcs, France, between 05 – 12th March 2022. The expedition had been a long time in the making: twice delayed and once rebooked as a result of the ever-changing COVID-19 rules and regulations we have all become accustomed to in the 2021/2022 winter sports season, and still had presented plenty of hurdles
Ex SNOW FOX is the annual pan – Yeomanry Alpine Skiing Championship, held each year in various corners of the French Alps. As the only pan – Yeomanry championship in existence, it aims to foster and promote cohesion across the RAC Reserve through arduous physical activity and vying competition. SNIY provided 20 of the approximately 80 Reserve Forces personnel taking part in the competition, the SNIY accompanied by the Royal Yeomanry (RY), Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY), Queen’s Own Yeomanry (QOY) and a small contingent from the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY).
SNIY, the last Regt to reach Les Arcs, arrived at the accommodation in the early hours of the Sunday morning. After a few hours of sleep, the exercise commenced with four days skiing under the guidance of local instructors. With pre-determined ability groups, the more inexperienced skiers had an excellent opportunity to become accustomed to (most of the time!) having two skis on their feet on the beginner slopes within the resort, whilst the more experienced skiers spent their days jetting off to the far-flung corners of Les Arcs tackling black runs and the off-piste that Les Arcs had to offer. Conditions were superb – with many sporting pink cheeks and red noses soon after the first morning – and lessons were learnt, with all ability groups focussing on technique and race training.
Thursday saw the first day of the racing – a competitive clash on the ESF Giant Slalom course in Arcs 1600 to identify the individual SNOW FOX champion. The course was laid out so that racing provided a challenge for both novices and SNOW FOX veterans, meaning that all those who had only started skiing that week would still be able to compete. Following a brief from the race director, all competitors were offered the opportunity to ‘slide’ the course, affording the opportunity to inspect the various bends and turns, and perfect lines before decent. SNIY’s top performer was Tpr Rory Kyle, with an impressive fifth place out of the 80 competitors. Friday morning – the final day – saw all compete in the pan-Yeomanry competition, with each Regiment grading their skiers into four Yeoman strong ability teams, with the top three times counting towards the competition (the fourth present to register a third time in case of wipe-out!). Without any concentration lightning-fast skiers, this competition very much played into the strengths of the SNIY team which was armed with consistent performers throughout all ability levels. The Regt took home impressive wins with top B, C, and D teams, with the most notable achievement being the D team – most of whom had progressed from first timers to completing their first competitive Giant Slalom.
The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry are extremely grateful and hugely indebted to the Ulysees Trust for their generous support with Ex SNOW FOX 26. Complications due to COVID had previously made AT of this nature prohibitively expensive and inaccessible for the majority, however thanks to the Trust it was able to go ahead. Ex SNOW FOX very much achieved its aim in promoting cohesion and pushing soldiers out of their comfort zones in a foreign environment and was considered to be a resounding success by all. Thank you!
2Lt Sam Tomkinson – SNIY
