A big question mark loomed over this year’s deployment on Exercise Snowstorm; another batch of pan-continental COVID restrictions had just been announced with attendance now only being possible for the treble vaccinated. After significant effort and juggling from the organisers the exercise finally was able to take place in mid-March.
Exercise Snowstorm is the annual Royal Artillery snowboarding training camp and competition. The aim of this is open up the sport to everyone, and take total novices to a point where they are able to compete in a number of events at the end of the two-week deployment. This year’s exercise saw 67 students from 14 different Artillery units come together to learn and experience competition, mostly for the first time. The best available competitors from here would go on to represent the Royal Artillery at the Army Championships in Exercise Snow Jack.
The National Reserve Headquarters Royal Artillery & Woolwich Garrison (or NRHQ for short), fielded a combined team of 6 reservists from NRHQ and 106 Regiment Royal Artillery and lengthy drive from London to Flachau in Austria provided a rather interesting ice-breaking experience given most of the team had never met.
On arrival in Austria we were greeted by blazing sun and perfect weather which was a very welcome surprise given military winter sports exercises are normally conducted at the coldest point in the year. This however proved a little bit of a double-edged sword as the lack of fresh snow and, daily melting and freezing of the old snow, made boarding quite challenging.
By the end of the first week, we had conducted completed both a qualifier and main race in Pairs Giant Slalom. The added pressure from racing head-to-head in a knock out competition really got the adrenaline pumping as one mistake would usually mean getting knocked out – although some individuals managed to fall multiple times and still win their races.
Snowboarding is quite punishing on the body, especially when on the slopes from 8 till 4 daily, starting the day on ice and finishing in sloppy slush. After the first week, everyone was ready for a day off after basically squatting and falling over for a week. Some teams took the opportunity to travel to Saltzberg, or to The Eagle’s Nest, just across the border in Berchtesgaden in Germany. Others retreated to a spa resort to briefly convalesce.
The second week involved preparation for the final two events in the championship. Due to the attrition rate and higher difficulty in these events, they were done as individual timed competitions to minimise further injury. First up was Boarder Cross, which is race down a track full of turns, dips and hills; this is quite nerve wracking as there are some parts where you just have to go full speed and hope you stay on your board! The next competition was Slope Style which is more like being in a skate park. The point here isn’t speed but rather the quality of tricks performed. For the majority these were limited to small jumps onto and off boxes. The more advanced riders were able to combine this with spins, grabs and other technically complex manoeuvres.
After two weeks of training and competition, it was time to come back to normality. The volume of kit purchased by individuals whilst out in Austria goes some way to show just how much the exercise, and snowboarding was enjoyed by those that attended despite the bumps, scrapes and sprains. NRHQ plans on growing the attendance for next year and sending a bigger team, and 106 also has aspirations of sending their own team. “I attended an Ex Snowstorm back in 2010, but the exercise has evolved tremendously and the organisers have done a cracking job in reigniting the passion I had for the sport. It is has a great social dynamic and I’ve got to know work colleagues new and old, in a totally different environment.” Capt Mathew Frost, NRHQ RA.
