Ski Racing in the UK

[sng_plainbox]On a bright sunny midsummer morning I woke up far too early to travel around the M25. I was not heading towards a waterpark the beach or a park to make the most of the sun. I was going to the Hemel National, one of the UK’s largest ski race events. Despite having been involved in the ski industry for several years I have never attended one of the many indoor or dry slope races that take place every year.

I had no idea what to expect when I arrived but was amazed when I did. Teams from across the UK had made the journey to compete, with some coming from as far away as Norfolk and Manchester. The entire centre was buzzing with people doing last minute ski servicing or panicking that they did not yet have a bib.

The organisers had set up 3 courses, one with stubbies which are knee height rubbery gates that bend on impact for the juniors. Then 2 other courses with full size gates for the older racers.

Supporting the athletes were various coaches and clubs as well as a gaggle of parents all cheering on their child. On top of that some of the UK’s top racers were in attendance. Ed Drake one of the UK hopefuls for the 2014 winter Olympics opened all of the races.

Ed Drake opening at Hemel National

The youngsters all charged the course with the lack of fear that I have come to expect and while some looked a little wobbly others displayed real finesse and were considerably faster than some of the older racers.

The youngsters have no concept of fear yet.

The older racers all held their own. With the fastest racers completing the courses in just over 11 seconds there was absolutely no room for error. One mistake meant that you were out of the running.

What amazed me the most about the day was how technical some of the courses were. As there was so little space it seemed that a lot of features were put in to a short course. This meant the athletes had to be really light on their feet and ready to make the rhythm changes.

The commitment and time that people put into racing in the UK is incredible, but there are slightly less intense options if you want to find a way to keep your ski legs through the summer or hone your skills before you go on a ski instructor training course.

There are clubs at dry ski slopes and indoor snow domes across the UK that offer training and fun races for more information check out http://www.britski.org/. [/sng_plainbox]