Powder puffs

By CPL Simone Liebelt
Volume 48, No. 6, April 20, 2006

CPL Troy Vanderplas carves up the giant slalom at Crans Montana in Switzerland.

Photo by MAJ Murray Nelson

TRADING the hills of Austria for the slopes of Switzerland, cold weather was again on the cards for the ADF Alpine snow sports team.

As seen in AIR FORCE News’ April 6 edition, 12 members of the ADF’s Alpine snow sports team swapped their boardshorts for thermals and competed in the British Services International Alpine Ski and Snowboard Championships during the first week of February. The team raced against three British Services and a Swiss Army team.

After competing in the RAF championships in Austria and a solid two-week training session, the team moved to Crans Montana in Switzerland.

According to team manager, MAJ Murray Nelson, “Crans Montana was seeking certification of their racecourse for the World Cup circuit, so they went all-out to provide a top quality racecourse and a professionally run event.”

The championships had exclusive use of the course that catered for all four ski events:the slalom, giant slalom, super G and the downhill.

The first race was the downhill, and tested the nerve of the racers with some very fast sections. Usually an optional event, the downhill is a test of courage and a real buzz for racers.

In order to compete, the racers had to first undergo a series of timed practice runs in order to prove their competence and confidence at speed to officials, and to decide whether they wished to compete.

The speed training and the race itself gave the team confidence for the remaining races.

FLTLT Michael Pearson, who hadn’t raced before, managed not only quick times, but clean runs in every race
that helped keep the ADF team score competitive.

FLTLT Davin Johnson kept the pressure on the British competitors, and according to Nelson, was “very competitive right from the first race and had an aggressive style which was necessary for the standard of the courses set by the officials”.

The ADF boarder team, headed by CPL Troy Vanderplas, was also challenged with difficult courses and strong competitors from the British teams. Despite numerous falls at the beginning, Vanderplas improved dramatically and steadily climbed the placings list throughout the competition.

The boarders had the opportunity to compete in the downhill, an event unable to be held in Australia.

“The whole activity was a great experience for our team members. Apart from the standard of racing we experienced, our guys were impressed by how welcome the Brits made us feel, and also the profile of the event, which was attended by their Service chiefs and CDS (Chief of Defence Staff),” MAJ Nelson said.

Overall the ADF came in behind the British and Swiss teams, but by a margin much closer than they expected.

The 2006 single-Service alpine championships will be conducted from July 30 to August 5, and the ADF championships from August 6 to 11.

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