LACW Shelley O'Brien cruising along.

January 2001 - sweltering temperatures and perfect beach weather. While the majority of Aussies were revelling in the heat, six Australian Defence Force members were cooling their heels in the high Alps of France.

A solo Navy and five RAAF snowboarders travelled abroad to compete in the 2001 RAF Alpine Championships held in Les Menuires, France which is part of the 'Trois Vallees' (Three Valleys) resort from 6 - 20 January. Their competition was in the form of 150 male and 30 female riders from RAF Bases scattered throughout the United Kingdom and around Europe.

Team members were Leading Seaman Rick Dorey (Navy), Leading Aircraftwoman Shelley O'Brien (2OCU), Corporal Darren O'Brien (77SQN), Flight Lieutenant Thurstan Williams (TFLM SQN), Leading Aircraftman Adam Watson (3SQN) and Team Captain; Corporal Stephen Medaris (77SQN).

LS Dorey is currently based at HMAS Albatross on the NSW South Coast, whilst all RAAF members are located at Williamtown near Newcastle. Unfortunately, FLTLT Williams was forced to withdraw from two of the three races. While visiting relatives in the UK a week prior to competition he suffered a broken collarbone when demonstrating how not to ride a quad-bike.

LS Rick Dorey gets some air.

The conditions were challenging. France, like most of Europe had been without decent snowfalls all season. The French resorts are rumoured to be amongst the best in the world, yet there were many high traffic areas close to the villages where snow conditions were inferior to normal conditions in Australia.

The three races run included the Duel Slalom (DS), Giant Slalom (GS) and Snow-Boardercross (SBX). The GS involves each competitor racing on a course against the clock around gates. The DS consists of two riders racing each other on near identical GS courses, and the SBX is similar to a dirt bike motocross track complete with banked turns and jumps with four riders racing down the course at the same time.

It was a welcome change having the courses set and inspected by International Snowboard Federation (ISF) members. This ensured every course was challenging, even to the more experienced riders.

The Snow-Boardercross was run on a course recently used for a world cup event. The starting ramp claimed many casualties as riders jostled to reach the first turn for prime position. The Aussies dominated, gaining top placing in all three races.

CPL O'Brien took out the men's overall, winning each of his races and LACW O'Brien won the women's overall. CPL Medaris was second overall. The most inspiring performance, however, was FLTLT Williams coming an impressive 6th overall in the GS; with a recovering collarbone and only a couple of hours training prior. Although two team members had never raced before, all the Aussies managed to finish in the top 20 of the 150 competitors.

After competition, the team relaxed a little and enjoyed the resort, which claims to have the biggest ski area in the world. Spanning across four valleys, Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens and several mountains, one could never get bored with the surroundings. The infamous Mont Blanc provided a breath-taking backdrop from the gondola, which had a base station right outside the hotel's door.

The nightlife was never-ending, with plenty of restaurants, pubs and great nightclubs that kept team members entertained, and our energy levels high. The last run of the day usually ended at one of the team's favourite watering holes with a glass of local ale.

The cuisine was mouth-watering, as was the European beer. Everyone in the resort was cheery; most of the visitors were holiday-makers and the atmosphere was fantastic. Most nights the pubs were busier than the slopes that day.

The RAAF has extended an invitation to the RAF to form a snowboard team to take part in the annual RAAF Alpine Sports Association (RASA) competition later this year, to be held at Mount Hotham, Victoria in August. Definitely an indication of snowboarding's continuing growth within the Defence Force.

For more on the RAF 2001 competition complete with race results, visit the web site at www.rafsnowboarders.org.uk and RASA at on the Defence Intranet.

By LACW Shelley O'Brien