Station Snippets
WINTER IS COMING? – IT’S HERE ALL YEAR! Chf Tech Chris Edgar, CTS
B
y the time you read this the Winter Olympics in Beijing would have closed and now be a fading memory. You may have been inspired by Katie Ormerod and James Woods in the freestyle or Billy Major in the slalom events, or at least thought ‘that looks like fun’ (spoiler alert; it is). Not all winter sports are throwing yourself off ridiculous jumps or speeding through gates – although, if the thought of that floats your boat then there are a couple of RAF Squad managers who are always on the lookout for new talent! Skiing and snowboarding can offer many benefits, from improved flexibility, strength, and promoting a sense of well-being as well as being a social sport. At RAF Halton we have a popular Winter Sports club, and we are lucky to have The Snow Centre at Hemel Hempstead on our doorstep providing a yearround winter with its indoor 160m ski slope along with the largest nursery slope in the UK, and while the main slope is not massive compared to the Alps the snow is of great consistency and well looked after so it’s awesome to learn on or just keep your ski legs in shape before your next trip.
Lessons on the nursery slope.
Lessons on main slope.
by using RAF20 during the online booking process. RAFWSAA are the association that looks after RAF skiing, snowboard and telemark, and they focus on holding two annual events which RAF Halton attends: The Indoor Championships and exercise ALPINE CHALLENGE. The Indoors event is held in Milton Keynes’ SnoZone indoor slope and consists of ski slalom races and snowboard freestyle events as well as the opportunity to undertake lessons; it’s held every September and opens the Association’s winter season. Ex ALPINE CHALLENGE is the highlight of the calendar - two weeks in SaalbachHinterglemm, Austria, attended by roughly 800 RAF personnel. It’s open to every ability and the Whole Force including partners. Beginners can have a weeks’ worth of lessons for £10 or for those wanting to improve their skills, the prices reflect a massive saving.
RAFWSAA Instructors.
The main aim of the club is to introduce new skiers and snowboarders to the sport. At a basic level, we can offer advice and support to beginners, but of a more practical nature, we can enrol you into classes and provide funding to subsidise lessons and practice time at Hemel. This is supported through funding from the gym as well as the RAF Winter Sports Alpine Association’s (RAFWSAA) grassroots project. The Snow Centre also has a promotional code for RAF members which will offer 20% off all activities 18
Mainpoint Spring 2022
