Winter Protector 2022 In March 2022, a team of 20 personnel from RAF Waddington deployed to Hintertux in Austria as part of Winter Protector for the first station Ski Exped since the outbreak of Covid 19.
T
he ski team comprised of 17 personnel of dif fering ranks, ages, and ability from all over the station complemented by three RAF ski instructors. The Exped was organised by Sgt Hurst and Sgt Brown from 31 Sqn Protector with the ski instructors led by the station training of ficer Fg Of f Morgan. The main aim of Ex WINTER PROTECTOR was to deliver a week’s APDT in the form of alpine skiing to RAF Waddington Service personnel. This was achieved through delivery of the Joint Service Ski Foundation 1 (SF1) course. 20 bleary eyed, but excited people met up at Waddington to get MT to Manchester Airport for the flight to Innsbruck. A short coach journey to the accommodation in Hintertux and our fantastic host ‘Kuki’
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was waiting to show us to our apartments. A walk to the local hire shop and the pre-arranged ski equipment was waiting for us all which lef t nothing to do that day other than to go out for a meal and sample the Austrian gastronomy. Day 1 The first day all the lif t passes were purchased for the group, everyone donned their new ski clothing, we were split into ability groups and assigned an instructor. We got the short bus journey to the glacier at Hintertux and headed up the mountain. The beginners headed to the nursery slopes to learn snow ploughs and basic ski drills whilst the other two intermediate groups headed towards the blue and red slopes so the instructors can assess their abilities. The day went without any dramas with everyone coming of f the mountain enthused, without
injury and excited for the next days skiing. Everyone made use of their issued CILOR that evening and chef ’d up their best culinary delights in their individual apartments and sampled some of Austria’s finest beer. Day 2 With no reported food poisoning cases from the previous night’s Master Chef auditions everyone met up at the Gondola beside our apartment and we went up to the Eggalm ski area to practise what we’d been taught the previous day and introduce new skills vital to either the issue of SF1 or the continued improvement of the intermediate skiers. The weather, whilst absolutely glorious, meant the snow conditions towards the end of the day were extremely challenging with the snow ‘chopping up’ resulting in some ‘survival’ skiing taking place. The group convened
at the apartment for the mandatory SF1 briefs on MET analyses then the time was our own again to try and improve on the previous night’s cooking. Day 3 Day 3 and everyone took the Gondola up the mountain to this time ski the area around Rastkogel and Penken which are located near to the town of Mayerhofen. Unfortunately at this stage one of the beginners had developed blisters across the front of her lower legs resulting from not having her boots and salopettes fitted properly; af ter consultation with the doctor it was decided skiing was not possible from that point. Two personnel from the intermediate group dropped down into the beginner group to concentrate on their basic skill drills which were not possible at the pace of the intermediate ski group.
