During the February school half term, 40 RAF Air Cadets and 13 volunteer staff from across the South of England travelled to Germany. They participated in an expedition that was to see them undertake a full six-day programme of ski training and skiing at a variety of resort locations in Southern Bavaria and Austria.
This year saw the return of the expedition following a 3-year hiatus imposed by the pandemic. Basing ourselves in the Bavarian village of Vorderburg, the expedition has a long-standing relationship with the area around it, after first visiting in the late 1990’s. Participants are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds and regardless of their skiing experience and ability. In fact, the expedition has always prided itself on being able to successfully introduce absolute beginners to the Alps and Alpine skiing, which is possibly why it has managed to return year on year.
Unlike other cadet and school skiing trips, Alpine Adventure is completely self-sufficient with regards the delivery of ski training, in that we have developed a cadre of volunteer staff who have personally invested time to gain and maintain their Alpine Ski Leader qualification. This means that we are able to offer affordable access to those that wish to learn how to ski, as well as those that wish to develop their skiing ability, confidence and understanding on skis.
No preparation for the trip was required by the cadets undertaking it, as the format of training is built around introducing cadets to skiing on snow, to feel safe on skis, be safe skiing on the mountains and to ski successfully at a variety of ski resorts / terrains as a group and to feel safe, which are difficult for us to accomplish here in the UK. Ultimately, our hope is for all to enjoy the experience and want to go skiing again!
To acclimatise, a small party of ski leaders flew from the UK a day in advance of the main party of cadets and staff, who travelled the 23 hours by coach to Bavaria. This advance party undertook two days of preparatory training at Tannheim and Heuberg ski resorts, whilst also preparing the lodge to welcome the remainder of the expedition, who arrived late on Saturday night.
For the first three days of the main expedition initial training was undertaken at the ski resort around the village of Oberjoch. Here the cadets first took to the snow and began their training, which included developing the various techniques that they would require to be safely able to ski on the slopes.
The training the cadets undertook included;
Snow plough to get the cadets to develop basic speed control on skis. Getting going by accelerating and stopping safely on easier slopes.
Snow plough turning to develop directional control on skis, enabling the cadets to choose where and when to turn, which helps them develop the turning platform they will need to be able to ski the whole piste on Blue runs.
Plough parallel to discover the role of the turning ski and the supporting ski. Building an early platform for the parallel turn that cadets will perfect during the later phase of the expedition.
Basic parallel by skidding and turning the skis together, with increasing pace and movement. This encourages the cadets to make parallel turns from a stable, early platform at a controllable speed.
Straight running to develop mobility, movement and balance. The cadets discover good posture for skiing, as well as understand how the equipment works and to get moving.
Once the cadets were comfortable with the basic techniques of skiing, we introduced them to the chair and drag lifts that they would need to take to the top of runs and how to get on and off them safely. Then the fun really started, with cadets experiencing piste skiing for the first time and putting into practice what they had learned on the lower slopes on more challenging terrain.
With training and confidence consolidated, the expedition moved to Jungholz, a ski resort in Austria that can only be accessed from Germany as it’s link to Austria is at the top of a mountain! The runs here a conducive to getting the cadets to further develop their skiing ability…and to introduce them to Austrian hospitality and food, which after long sessions of skiing was a welcome break. Some cadets even tried out their language skills by ordering food and drink in German.
After Jungholz, the expedition visited the Heuberg and Balderschwang ski resorts for the final two days of the expedition where it was obvious that those that started out as nervous first timers had fully developed into competent skiers. It was at Heuberg that the ski ability of all cadets was assessed and Snowlife Ski Awards were allocated for their achievement.
During this years’ expedition, despite the warmer weather, the cadets enjoyed some of the best snow and skiing conditions, along with clear blue skies and uninterrupted sunshine. However, it was not all skiing, with evenings taken up with a quiz, bowling in Kempten and swimming at the Wonnemar pool in Sonthofen. Here the cadets experienced swimming in a heated outdoor pool and could relax after what had been a hectic period of training. On the Thursday night, we hosted an awards evening in the lodge where cadets gained their well-deserved awards. Some of the staff got dressed up and performed to provide light entertainment.
Cpl Keyford best summed up her thoughts about what the expedition meant to her;
‘Over 6 days, I was taught how to improve my skiing skills in a variety of ski resorts in both Germany and Austria and was awarded with my Snowlife Ski Award at the end of the week. Despite it being tiring, warm and sometimes challenging (and despite spending 23 hours on a coach to get there!). It was by far the best cadet experience I have ever had, and I have made countless friends and memories that will not be forgotten anytime soon! I have been able to develop skills in so many areas that I would have never thought possible, and I did it all whilst having countless hours of fun! Thank you to all the amazing staff who dedicated their time to provide us with such an amazing trip, and I will put my name down for next year!’
Whilst Cpl Dickson, a complete novice when it came to skiing, said;
‘It was really fun, especially doing the harder slopes. I got a 3-star award for my skiing, which enables me to do green, blue and possibly some red runs…..The food was amazing and the activities and awards evening were really fun. It let me make lots of friends.’
Despite having been away for 3 years, our return to Alpine skiing was better than we could ever have expected. Not only did the cadets gain valuable skills on the slopes, but more importantly they developed friendships and memories whilst also having fun, which is after all what we aimed to achieve in this expedition when we first sat down to start planning for it in January 2022.
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for supporting this expedition. www.rafct.com
