UKAFWSA Yearbook 2023 by jandaniell

UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association

YEARBOOK 2023/2024 www.ukafwsa.org

Contents President’s Foreword and Welcome

Headline Sponsor Introduction

Chair’s Introduction

2024 Season Calendar

Inter-Services Snow Sports Championships report

Inter-Services Adapted Ice Sports Championships report

Disciplines: Alpine

Snowboard

Telemark

Luge

Cresta

Nordic

Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team

2023 Inter Services Snow and Ice Sports Results

President’s Foreword and Welcome General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen President UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association It is my very great pleasure to welcome you to the 2023 edition of the Armed Forces Winter Sports Association yearbook. As I approach the end of my Army service, I feel incredibly fortunate to have served you as President. It has been a privilege to witness our very best winter sports athletes show real courage, pushing themselves beyond excellence, as well as being able to offer winter sports to those for the first time who would never have otherwise had a chance to participate. Winter sports develops teamwork, moral and physical courage as well as giving our service personnel a welcome change from the battle rhythm of operations and deployment training. I am enormously grateful for our sponsors, without whom it would not be possible. As inflation bites and the public sector and defence is squeezed to provide the best value for money for the taxpayer, being able to deliver these opportunities to our service personnel is even more precious. At the time of going to press, the committee are working hard to secure sponsorship for the upcoming season. In the last year we have seen post-Covid winter sports come back with a bang. In April, the Armed Forces Snowboarding team competed at the Brit Championships in the Cairngorms and put in an excellent performance with several podium places. I was also delighted that our Alpine and snowboarding teams travelled all the way to the Blue Mountains to compete in the Australian Defence Force Championships, we look forward to reciprocating in February when the ADF compete in Méribel. After the disruption of Covid and resorts hosting world cup events, this year’s calendar has finally settled on the coming season. The Ice Sports Championships will be heading to St Moritz, the Inter-Services Nordic Championships will again be in Ruhpolding and the Snow Sports Championships will be returning to Méribel where we will welcome our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh.

This all represents an enormous amount of work on the part of the various organising committees, and this edition of the yearbook should record some special thanks on behalf of all of us who benefit from the efforts of some outstanding individuals. To Major General Jez Bennett who has been appointed Vice Chair of the Association; to Commodore Richard Winter who has now left the Service – thank you for everything you have done for winter sports – and the very best of luck to his successor Commodore Rich Harris, the new Chair of the Association. We also say thank you and farewell to Air Commodore Dave Tozer who has handed over the reins of the ISSSC Directorship to Brigadier Chris Haw MC; and 2023 will be the last year for Commodore Jol Woodard as a Trustee, he will hand over to Captain Tim Davey (RN). I am also grateful for Commander Nicky Cullen who is stepping down as Director of Media and Squadron Leader Heather Ratnage-Black as she hands over as Director Ice Sports. I am sure I speak for all of us in Armed Forces Winter Sports as I say a huge thank you to them all for playing such crucial roles in keeping winter sports alive and well.

Jon Cole CB OBE Director BT Defence It is with privilege that BT Defence is associated with each Single Service and the Armed Forces Winter Sports Associations. Like our fellow sponsors, we believe in “giving back” to the incredible people of our Armed Forces. The Defence Industry sees itself very much part of the strategic capacity of UK Defence, evidenced in the conflicts and instability of today that we witness needing the teamwork of military and industrial organisations. BT is proud to be playing its part in supporting UK Defence with secure and resilient networks and services. Servicepeople are asked to do extraordinary acts in their contribution to UK Defence. This demands much sacrifice, and many qualities including bravery, teamwork, discipline, growth mindset. Winter Sports provide a fabulous breeding ground to develop such qualities from novice level to elite, across all disciplines. It is inclusive, where the courage required is equal regardless of gender, age, rank, service, capbadge/trade group.

We wish every participant in this season’s events an unforgettable and productive opportunity to have some fun whilst nurturing skills and strengthening qualities. And let us consider those of Corporal Waters MM crossing his own metaphorical start line/start gate on Pegasus Bridge in June 1944, as he declared: “Go to it!”

Chair’s Introduction Commodore Richard Harris Chair UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association First of all, thank you for my warm welcome as the new Chair of UKAFWSA. The association is in great shape and I’m really grateful for the handover from Rich Winter. I am only sorry I missed last year’s racing, but I am very much looking forward to my first season to witness our military personnel challenging themselves and demonstrating what demanding sport can do for our people and their service. The forthcoming 2024 season has the Winter Sports calendar back on track, with events being held in their “usual” slots. Last year saw ISSSC delayed until March, due to the FIS Alpine World Cup being held in Meribel in February. It was a very successful event, but challenged by melting snow and longer daylight! I’m told some of our floodlit events had to start later in the day and were often pushing through slush! But this year we look forward to getting back to the darker night routines and harder packed snow events, as well as welcoming the Australian Defence Force back to Meribel. Our Antipodean compatriots hosted a small UKAFWSA Alpine and Snowboard team down under this summer and we look forward to returning their hospitality alongside a strong competitive spirit.

Of course, the Association is not just about the Alpine, telemark and snowboarding events, but also the grace and skill of the biathlon and the sheer courage of those sledging sports – cresta, luge, skeleton and bobsleigh. Nordic biathlon is having a resurgence across the military and it was extremely pleasing to read that the Royal Navy’s AB Evelyn Merritt became the British National 15km Classic Biathlon Champion in February whilst competing at Ex Rucksack. Hopefully we will see more of this in Rupholding this coming season.

The ICE championship will be held in St Moritz this season, the home of Cresta. The Ice sports have an excellent track record of developing national, international and Olympic champions, so I will be watching our military sliders with a keen interest to see the talent of the future developing in our competitions.

All calendar dates for our UKAFWSA events can be found in this yearbook, alongside forewords and adverts from our sponsors – thank you one and all, without your funding we would not be able to develop our military personnel to provide such an impressive demonstration of the grit and courage necessary for elite winter sports. In my first year as Chair I will be following everyone’s season, their highs and lows, and look forward to reporting back this time next year. In the meantime, I also look forward to meeting, cheering and speaking to you all across the season. Good luck!

2024 SEASON CALENDAR Event

Date

RN Alpine Championships Les Deux Alps, FRA

5 – 19 January 2024

Army Telemark Championships – Ex Telemark Titan Pralognan La Vanoise, FRA

5 – 17 January 2024

RAF Alpine Championships Saalbach/Hinteglemm, AUT

5 – 19 January 2024

Army Ski Championships – Ex Lion’s Challenge Serre Chevalier, FRA

19 – 29 January 2024

Army Snowboard Championships – Ex Snow Jack Stubai, AUT

20 January – 3 February 2024

Nordic Army, Inter-Services and Brit Championships Ruhpolding, GER Ex Rucksack

20 January – 4 February 2024

Inter-Service Snow Sports Championships Meribel, FRA

3 – 10 February 2024

Cresta Inter– Services Championships St Moritz, CH

31 January 2024

British Ski Championships Tignes, FRA

25 Mar – 7 April 2024

Inter-Service Ice Sports Championships St Moritz, CH

19 – 23 February 2024

Brits Snowboard Championships tbc

tbc

2025 ISSSC Meribel, FRA 2026 ISSSC Meribel, FRA

1 – 8 February 2025 31 January – 06 February 2026

2026 Winter Games and Para Olympics Milan and Cortina d’Ampesso ITA

6 – 22 March 2026

Inter Service Snow Sports Championships 2023 Major General Jez Bennett CBE Chair ISSSC Emerging from the Covid Pandemic and two years of no championships, we thought that ISSSC 23 would be a breeze…. however, we had to find a new competition week due to the Alpine World Cup event in the first week of February….our week! How dare they!? But, with excellent negotiation between the town of Meribel, our single Service chairs and discipline chairs, the InterService Snow Sports Championships was held “once only” in March 2023.

The race programme for all three disciplines had significant tweaks, due to the longer daylight hours (impacting on night racing) and earlier starts for the speed events to preserve the snow condition. Additionally, due to at least 6 weeks between the single Service competitions, we agreed to hold a speed training camp so that the Alpine racers could get their “legs” back and to factor in the different finish conditions due to the world cup stands which were still present. This extra week proved a huge success, with all competitors valuing the extra time to bond – the camaraderie built during this training week was evident on the slopes and in the finish areas, as well as at the Brits later in March.

You can read the thrills and spills in the individual Chairs’ reports on the coming pages, but highlights of the week included a historic win for the Royal Navy Women as overall Alpine champions, the telemarkers having its first true female tri-service competition at ISSSC, and the Army becoming both male and female overall snowboard champions. And the Snowboard prizes being awarded by the RAF Snowboard Team in an act of true Sportsmanship (we will say no more)! We also introduced a “Teamwork Thursday” event where all competitors were encouraged to visit each other’s events. The photo of boarders, telemarkers and alpine at this finish area speaks volumes.

Following the Inter Service Championships, our snowboarders headed up to the Cairngorms for the Brits. Again, a full report is within Lt Col Mack’s article, but our racers faced challenges of a different kind – high winds, fog and limited training times on the courses. Despite this, we had a strong showing across the events and our team gained a higher level competition experience and the invaluable opportunity of riding alongside GB snowboarders.

That summer, a small team, captained by Lt Sian Lewis RN, headed to Australia at the invitation of the Australian Defence Force, to compete against their skiers and snowboarders. A great experience to compete in a different International Arena and we look forward to reciprocating their hospitality when they visit Meribel for ISSSC 24.

2023 marked my final ISSSC as Director and after 5 years, I now hand over the reins to Brig Chris Haw, who is stepping up from Chair Telemark. I move into a new position as Vice President of the Association from which I aim to nag senior military to come and support their service racers and sliders! As I step away from the director role in ISSSC, I extend my thanks to the Mayor of Meribel, Thierry Monin and Marc Bourreau, head of ESF who have been amazing to work with.

Kata Escott CB UK Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space

The UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Championships are an invaluable annual opportunity to rekindle old friendships, forge new relationships and to catch up with colleagues and partners from across defence and industry in convivial surroundings. They are also a great opportunity for our Armed Forces to develop closer links with industry. For Airbus it is a particularly big year because 2024 marks the tenth year we have sponsored the championship’s blue riband race: the downhill. And what a formidable race this is, challenging competitors both physically and mentally in an uncompromising and unforgiving environment. Over the years, as one of the longest serving sponsors, we have come to appreciate just how important the championships are: as an inter-service event it brings the elite from across the Forces. Their commitment, focus and determination is outstanding. These few days in the snow are their shop-window - the culmination of training and competing at the highest levels. And it is these values that we share – being best in class, determination to succeed, and delivery when it counts – that encourages us to stand by the Association and support this celebration of excellence. We are looking forward to a memorable week of competition, excitement and camaraderie. We hope to meet as many of you as possible during the course of the event. Best of luck to all, and our thanks as ever to the hard-working staff who support the event behind the scenes.

Chris Shaw Chief Operating Officer, Thales UK I am delighted once again to continue Thales UK’s support for the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Championships. Our robust history of support for our Armed Forces continues to be a tremendous source of pride for us, and it is a personal pleasure to extend this backing into the arena of winter sports. The camaraderie and team spirit displayed during these championships bring to life the deep-rooted military values of discipline, courage, respect, teamwork and integrity, all of which closely align with our own values at Thales UK. As a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, we recognise the immense value of serving personnel, reservists and military families to our business. They bring a wealth of diverse knowledge, expertise and a level of professionalism that is deeply ingrained from their time in service. As a result, we always eagerly welcome members of this skilled and professional community to our company, providing exciting opportunities for them to continue their careers in the corporate world. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers for all that they do all year long to get us to this point and wish all of the competitors the best of luck. May the slopes be fast, the sun bright and the snow perfect. Here’s to a fantastic championship!

Inter-Service Ice Sports Championships 2023 Sqdn Ldr Heather Ratnage-Black RAF Director ISISC and Chair Skeleton

Lt Col Helen Smyth RAMC Chair Bobsleigh

BLUE SKIES AND NORWEIGIAN SMILES – SKELETON EVENT UKAF WSA Inter Service Ice Championships 2023 took to the road once again to change venue and settled in Lillehammer. With Konigssee, Germany, remaining in rebuild phase following the floods of 2021 and Igls, Austria, preparing for re-modelling, the choice of tracks suitable for our athletes across the 3 disciplines was significantly reduced. The staff of Lillehammer are always exceptionally supportive of our athletes and staff but the journey to transport equipment across Europe is not undertaken lightly. Fortunately the track facilities and ice quality made the journey more than worthwhile! A good mix of familiar faces and new blood were the fabric of each Service’s skeleton team this year and it was encouraging to see the cooperation between everyone to learn from each other whilst maintaining the competitive edge. Fastest start for the men was taken by newcomer Cpl Johan Van Heerden RM in a time of 4.91sec. For the women Flt Lt Nicole Burger took the fastest start title in 5.36 sec. In the team and individual and team competition we had Flt Llt Rhys Thornbury OLY returning to the ice who mixed his experience of GB coach and international athlete to lead the RAF Men’s team to their 17th consecutive Inter Service Skeleton victory. The Female competition was hotly contested with the RN ensuring the RAF worked hard to achieve the 18

victory. Final places came down to the last run of the day with only two hundredths of a second separating 1st and 2nd place after 4 runs resulting in AS1 Chelsea Ainsley retaining her title! Genuinely gripping competition and a delight to see the return to a full Inter Service event once again.

BOBSLEIGH EVENT The last Inter Service Ice Sports Championships were held a couple of weeks before the world entered lockdown in 2020 and whilst there was a Festival of Ice held in Igls last year, this is the first year since 2020 that an Inter Service Ice Sports Championships has been held. As you can imagine everyone was delighted to be back competing on ice for the various Bobsleigh Trophies and all 3 services had several weeks of training prior to the Championships. This year the Inter Service Championships took place in Lillehammer, Norway; the last time we visited Lillehammer was in 2017 so it was a welcome return to a challenging track in a beautiful location, some 15kms north of Lillehammer. The track was completed in 1992 and hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1994 and the Youth Olympic Games in 2016. The track is 1710m in length with 16 corners and bobsleighs can reach speeds of 128km/h. Every bobsleigh track has its challenges and corner 13 at Lillehammer is the one corner that is most talked about (and respected). This is the corner that attracts most spectators!

The Inter Service Bobsleigh Championships followed the usual format of 3 days of training followed by 2 days of racing. The Championships follow the format of the World Championships with 4 race runs over 2 days. The one difference to the World Championships is that the start order on the second day is based on the old World Championship rules (reverse of the day 1 draw) to ensure no one team gets the best ice.

In order to qualify for the race, each driver needed to have 2 clean runs down the track from the Bob start. As most athletes had been in Lillehammer for at least a week then this didn’t prove to be too difficult. The number of sleds allowed to race from each Service were 4 for the male team and the top 3 sleds would count towards the team trophy and in the women’s race, 3 sleds were allowed to race, with the top 2 sleds counting towards the team trophy. A 4 run race is always a challenge and is full of excitement as the pressure on race day is immense and it is no easy feat getting down the track 4 times. Consistency is absolutely key, and the concentration levels of the pilots are off the scale. Race preparations began in earnest early on in the week. The teams spent hours polishing runners, aligning their bobsleighs and ensuring that the bobsleighs and athletes were weighed so that on race day they would not be overweight as that would lead to disqualification.

The Championships were visited by CGS who not only watched the first day of bobsleigh racing, but he also experienced the track in a 4 man bobsleigh driven by Olympic Bronze Medallist Sean Olsson. CGS took time to speak to our athletes and understand what drives them to compete in the sport and he witnessed the camaraderie between athletes in all 3 services. It was a real privilege for the bobsleigh fraternity to welcome CGS out to Norway and we were all delighted when he enjoyed his bobsleigh run.

The male championships drew WO2 John Jackson RM out of retirement to race one more time and he set a fantastic example to the younger members of the service teams. The service coaches were all experienced drivers with the Army Team being coached by Brad Hall and Sean Olsson, the RN/RM by Lee Johnston and John Jackson and the RAF by Graham Richardson. It really was fantastic to see the ex-military coaches and the international drivers giving back to the sport by coaching the next generation. Whilst this is a competitive Championships, the bonds between coaches, athletes and support staff are simply superb and there was plenty of time post sliding to catch up on many years of friendship. For the first 22

times in a number of years, the majority of the athletes were all accommodated together, and this ensured that there was plenty of time for catching up. The race draw was conducted after sliding on Wed 1 Mar, where the start list for the first run was drawn. The start list for the second day of sliding (3rd run) was a reverse of the first run race draw. The second race run as well as the final race run would be the slowest bob to the fastest which always makes for a nail biting conclusion to any Championships. The race days were not without drama, there were 3 crashes during the first race run which led to 2 disqualifications as the bobsleighs did not cross the finish line to get a time. One of the sleds, although it crashed, did cross the finish line with its athletes on board so they were able to slide again. Thankfully there were no significant injuries and all sliders walked away from the track. At the end of the first day of racing, LCpl Nick Gleeson and Rfn Tom Harris ARMY were in first place, 0.51 sec ahead of Sgt Adz Baird and Mne Taylor Lawrence RN/RM and in the women’s race, Flt Lt Rachel Herod and AS1 Emily Cantley RAF were in first place, 0.74 secs ahead of Gnr Sienna Wilkinson and Sgt Sally Barratt ARMY. The second day of racing saw the Army and RAF male teams start with 3 sleds each whilst the RN/RM still had 4 sleds racing. This meant that all the Army and RAF sleds had to successfully cross the finish line to compete for the team trophy. It was yet another day of incredible racing and drama with some crashes and nonstarters. Everybody gave it their all and it was a terrific race. It was a nail biting and eventful team championships in both the male and female races with little room left for error as the number of bobsleighs racing reduced on the second day. In the end the Army male and female teams triumphed, regaining the Interservice Bobsleigh Champions title after a number of years. The Army Male team were awarded the Mo Hammond Trophy with a combined time of 10 min 34.20 secs with the runners up being the RN/RM with a combined time of 10 min 37.41 secs. This was a close race as this small margin was at the end of 12 race runs over 2 days of racing (3 sleds, 4 runs). The Army Female team were crowned Army Female Champions with a combined time of 7 min 39.99 secs (8 race runs over 2 days of racing (2 sleds, 4 runs). Prize giving took place on the last evening and Commodore Woodard very kindly presented the bobsleighers with their trophies. The Chairman’s Trophy for the season was awarded to Sqn Ldr Nige Crosbie in recognition for all his work with the RAF team and more widely with all 3 Services during the single service training and the Inter Service Championships and his outstanding work ethic and willingness to help at all times.

Sqn Ldr Nige Crosie being presented the Chair’s Trophy by Cdre Jol Woodard RN, Chair RNWSA

The results were as follows:

Individual Male Champions – LCpl Nick Gleeson and Rfn Tom Harris ARMY Individual Male Runners-Up – Sgt Adam Baird and Mne Taylor Lawrence RN/RM Individual Male 3rd place – WO2 John Jackson and Cpl Johan Van Heerdan RN/RM

Individual Female Champions – Flt Lt Rachel Herod and AS1 Emily Cantley RAF Individual Female Runners-Up – Gnr Sienna Wilkinson and Sgt Sally Barratt ARMY Individual Female 3rd place – AB Zoe Morris and AB Grace Brown RN/RM

Best Novice Drivers Pte Callum Dixon – ARMY Gnr Sienna Wilkinson – ARMY Fastest Brakeman with a start time of 5.07secs – Rfn Tom Harris ARMY Fastest Brakewoman with a start time of 5.87secs – AS1 Emily Cantley RAF

We are delighted to be sponsoring the Armed Forces Winter Sports Association through our relationship with Team Forces. The AFWSA plays a vital role in supporting our service personnel to achieve sporting excellence, through the organisation and development of world class events. The Winter Sports Championship encapsulates a rich history of sporting prowess in the Armed Forces, displaying feats of courage, professionalism, skill, and teamwork – all key skills required by our Armed Forces to compete in the modern battlespace. At IBM we support Allied Forces across the world, with a mission to integrate data, platforms, and systems to power decision advantage, accurately and at speed. Trust, integrity, and innovation are at the core of our mission to deliver advanced, secure, and collaborative solutions in the pursuit of national security and resilience. We are extremely proud of our IBM armed forces veterans, and reservists, from around the world who collaborate every day with our serving military personnel to ensure the UK and our allies are at the forefront of technology and innovation. In 2023 IBM received the Gold Standard for the Armed Forces Covenant which demonstrates our ongoing commitment in supporting veterans entering the civilian workplace as well as our commitment to serving members. We very much look forward to attending the events in Meribel this year and wish all of the competitors the very best of luck.

Paul Macpherson Lead Partner for UK Defence IBM

Steve Wadey Chief Executive Officer, QinetiQ I am once again delighted that QinetiQ is able to maintain its support for the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association (UK AFWSA). Against the backdrop of an increasingly challenging global security environment that has inevitably placed changing demands on our military customers and colleagues, it is encouraging to see that these Inter-Services Snow sports Championships and all they stand for are still able to be held. I look forward to supporting another successful championships at the Meribel resort that continues to host these championships so very well. We are extremely proud of our collaboration and association with the UK Armed Forces, and respect the way that military colleagues across all operating domains continue to deliver amazing capability in response to increasingly challenging European and global security threats, as well as humanitarian crises. We also appreciate the ongoing efforts of our military colleagues in delivering the required outcomes from the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper 2023 refresh, whilst also maintaining core military output and responding the continuing Ukraine crisis, wider threats to European security and most recently the on-going conflict in Gaza. We are very privileged to play our part in enabling UK military capability, and value the close and enduring relationships that we have with our partners and customers in Defence. The impressive achievements of our Armed Forces are only possible because of the inspiring people that make up today’s services, who rise to all challenges with unswerving loyalty and a characteristic ‘can do’ approach. In these difficult times, the role that sport and adventurous training plays is arguably more important than ever in retaining and developing inspiring people within the Armed Forces. We remain proud to enable this through our continuing support for the UK AFWSA, and especially for the inspirational Armed Forces Para-Snow sport Team (AFPST). As always, the dedication, courage and team-work displayed by all ISSSC competitors and those in the other UK AFWSA competitions throughout the season is humbling. These attributes, together with a relentless focus on performance, continue to serve as a great example to us all in whatever we do, whether in industry or the military. I and colleagues across the Defence enterprise wish all ISSSC competitors’ safe training and racing this season, and look forward to supporting you all on the slopes in early 2024. 28

ALPINE DISCIPLINE Lt Col Spook Spenlove-Brown SCOTS DG Chair Alpine “It's good to ski for fun, but I still want to win races as often as possible’. Hermann Maier I was lucky enough to stand in for Col Rupert Kitchen as Chairman Alpine for the championships and my first time at ISSSC. This year’s season has been hampered throughout by lack of snow and warm weather. Almost all World Cup racing has been affected and organisers have been at pains to change programmes to suit the conditions. We were later in the season due to the World Championships held in Courchevel and Meribel some ten days before. This allowed the teams to have a full week’s training prior to the event on the Olympic piste, honing skills, bonding teams, and individuals after a considerable break off snow. Arriving in Meribel to rain and sicky wet snow didn’t bode well. Making a conscious decision to wait for colder conditions later in the week and bank the speed training that had taken place during the previous training week we changed the programme and kicked off with Slalom, sponsored by BT, on a very hot Sunday morning. The slope had to be salted, which increases the freezing rate and hardens soft snow to keep the snow from rutting. This changes racing techniques and forces the racers into slower race lines and to make mistakes. In the men’s race Lt Josh Serdet convincingly beat Cpl Barney Rudge from the RAF by 10 seconds, with Spr Matt Jessop giving the Army individual first and third and securing the team prize. In the Women’s race Fg Off Kirsty Guest beat Maj Tessa Pirie from the Army, with Lilias Hopkinson from the Royal Navy coming in third. Overall the Army Women took the team prize with the RAF second by 38.23 points.

We moved on to Giant Slalom, praying for colder conditions and being forced to use salt to stabilise the piste. The wait for the salt to set the course was rewarded by a great race seeing Kirsty Guest dominate the women’s race, beating Tessa Pirie by a comfortable 9.24 seconds and Lilias Hopkinson again securing a bronze medal. The Army Women took a convincing team victory with five racers in the top ten with the Royal Navy coming second. AB Graeme Price from the Royal Navy put down a blistering second run to win the men’s individual competition, with Lt Josh Serdet in second and Lt James French for the Royal Navy in third. The RAF won the team competition with some great team racing, piping the Royal Navy by 2.62 points.

Due to the weather and some welcomed snow, we delayed a further day starting early to run Super Giant Slalom (Super G), the first of our speed events sponsored by PWC. We were blessed with a perfect bluebird day and fast course. In the women’s race Tessa Pirie narrowly missed beating Kirsty Guest by five hundredth of a second, with a now familiar Lilias Hopkinson coming in third. The Army women failed to get four team members down the course and were disqualified. The Royal Navy were victorious over the RAF in the team event. The men’s race was also dominated by the Royal Navy, with Graeme Price taking the gold from his teammate James French and Spr Duncan Kuwall coming in third for the Army. In

the team race the Army were beaten by only 2.27 points by the Royal Navy making it a clean sweep for the senior service in Super G

With the temperature dropping overnight we gave our competitor perfect conditions for the Airbus sponsored Downhill, the Blue Riband event, on the Roc de Fer piste used as the venue for the 1992 Olympic Downhill. Speed always gives some surprise results and although the usual suspect featured on the podium but credit should be given to those who gave it their all with some plucky skiing, focus and dedication. In the women’s race Kirsty Guest won her fourth individual race by just 1.34 seconds from Tessa Pirie, with Cpl Maddy Critchley getting her first podium of the championship in third. The Army comfortably won the team race with women RAF second and Royal Navy in third. The Royal Navy cleaned up in the men’s race; Graeme Price winning with James French runner up and Flt Lt Ross LuiceSmith finishing in third for the RAF. The team race was a convincing victory by the Royal Navy over the Army, with the RAF in third.

Our final race was the combined event, a combination of Downhill and Slalom. Having taken the downhill results, we started the racers in reverse order for a single slalom run with a rolling podium in the finish area. As racers beat the next previous competitor, they take up position on the podium (as in the World Cup). The Women’s combined race was convincingly won by Kirsty Guest, with Tessa Pirie second and Lilias Hopkinson third. The men’s races saw James French just beat Fg Offr Dan Barton from the RAF by seven hundreds of a seconds and Josh Serdet for the Army taking the Bronze medal. Overall the Army men and Royal Navy women were outright winners, with Lt Josh Serdet (Army) and Fg Ofr Kirsty Guest RAF as our combined Individual Champions. Finally a big thank you to Yannick and his ESF team for their huge support, flexibility and good humour for running all the races in challenging condition; the hill team for their dedication, early starts and professionalism; the competitors for a great atmosphere; competitive spirit and some great skiing and the sponsors for their generosity. Look forward to 2024 and pray for snow.

BMC are proud again to sponsor the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association via Team Forces, supporting wellbeing through sport and adventure for our armed forces. I look forward to another successful InterServices Snow Sports Championship in Meribel that brings many of us together to build long-lasting partnerships.

We continue to work closely with the digital operations organisations, enabling efficiencies in services and infrastructure required to manage todays digital battlefield in a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment.

“BMC aims to build long lasting partnerships that drive positive impact for the benefit of the UK Armed forces, enabled by automation and efficiencies from leading-edge technology.”

Stéphane Chantalou Vice President International Strategic Sales BMC

Snowboard Discipline Lieutenant Colonel Naomi Mack Chair Snowboard This year saw the UKAF ISSSC competition delayed until March, which brings its own challenges for all disciplines, and significant programme change for the Snowboarding side – all competitors adapted well, and I was particularly impressed with the flexibility that the competitors showed to the daily changes. But all enjoyed the glorious sunshine! The addition of a combined training week pre competition enhanced team cohesion and bonded the sS teams. The ability to train on a ‘rough’ version of the SnowBoard Cross (SBX) course created the conditions for feisty competition. A large dump of snow pre event provided mild issues, particularly as the ESF course shapers were retasked to provide avalanche rescue and clearance leaving the hill team to work tirelessly to ready the course for competition. Their quick response to the emergency and then subsequent continued support for the competition upon returning showed the extraordinary support they give to us year upon year. The finished course provided challenge (and a fair few clashes), but most importantly injury free!

The women’s competition was dominated by the Army and RN, with LBdr Jordan Buckley (Army) taking firs POSET Aaby Aldridge and AB Jasmine Maunder from the RN taking second and third respectively. RN won the team prize with one point in it. The men’s competition was tight with the RN taking the overall, with their team depth coming through. SSgt Chris Marshall (Army) took first, with Fg Offr Chris

Harrington a close second and POET Curtis Gale from the RN taking third. A big shout out to our BFBS sponsor, and specifically a large thank you to Simon Bucks and Lisa Mitchell, your support on the mountain was much welcomed.

The change to March, and lighter longer days meant that that the AIRTANKER parallel slalom night event could not be had at the Meribel Stade. Instead, a hard fought contest took place on the Mottaret Stade in the Day, but the scheduling allowed for much support from the sponsors, as well as a sponsor forerunner race between Qinetiq and Endace.

Steve Tsirtsonis (Endace) and Simon Manvell (QinetiQ)

A spread of results across the women gave an Army, RAF and RN podium result for SSgt Lisa Quinn, Cpl Jasmine Furber, and Lt Cdr Hana Rabuzin, with the team competition fairly tight across the services, with Army coming out top. Men’s results saw Army dominate with first and third (Cpl Dan Robinson and SSgt David Grant), with AB Simon Andrews taking second for the RN. The Army overall smashed the team competition with all six riders coming in the top ten. A great competition, but all teams unanimously voted for a return to the night competition for 2024, and the challenging conditions of the Meribel Stade.

The Endace sponsored Slopestyle competition saw a continuation of the format adopted in 2022 reducing the competitors to selected riders only. Much debate raged over this ensued all week – are we pushing those who are less talented at this element if they do not compete? But it does provide for a reduction in risk of injury. The competition itself was of an excellent standard, with the best trick going to WO2 Sven Benevides with a ‘Frontboard, backboard switch-up’, and a really close competition with the RAF taking it with one point over the RN, despite RN coming first and third (AB Simon Andrews and Lt Ryan Clamp), with Army coming second (Pte Ned Hussey). Women’s competition was equally tight, with SSgt Lisa Quinn taking first, RN’s POSET Aaby Aldridge taking second and RAF’s Cpl Jasmine Furber taking third. Overall winner going to Army.

Overall Championship team prizes were won by Army for both men and women - a mix-up in the results led to the RAF being announced as the overall winner. The RAF team magnanimously declared this couldn’t be correct, and an immediate representation took place, and which could have been a disaster – showed a real sense of camaraderie and good sportsmanship between the teams, demonstrating the combined service ethos. Overall a superb championships, with real competition throughout, with excellent support from the Sponsors. 41

British Championships (the ‘Brits’). Following the ISSSC, the British Snowboard Championships provided an excellent opportunity for the UK Armed Forces Combined Service snowboard team to compete against the best British athletes and raise the profile of military snowboarding. The 10-member team, led by SSgt Grant, trained under renowned coaches Sebastian Kern and Joe Mather to prepare for the slopestyle, rail jam, and banked slalom competitions. The competition was held in the Caingorms this year, allowing a larger contingent to go the Championships as part of a development. The challenging conditions, with winds, fog, and limited training time on the features, made preparations difficult. However, the team made the most of the situation and still achieved some strong results in the competitions. Cpl Jasmine Furber led the way for the women, placing 2nd in slopestyle and rail jam and 3rd in banked slalom. AB Simon Andrews also had a good showing, placing 7th in the men's banked slalom. Several team members pushed themselves beyond their comfort zone by attempting the larger jumps and more challenging rails. The competitions also provided important experience for those who don't regularly compete at this level and the team received praise from the British snowboarding community for their spirit, attitudes, and contributions to the event. The exposure from competing at the British Championships will help promote military snowboarding going forward. The UKAF team excelled both in terms of results and public engagement yet again. Pushing themselves in an excellent setting with challenging weather, coaching and grit allowed some great progression. The team dynamics were brilliant, and the results are testament to everyone’s determination and talents. The access to GB riders was also an inspiration. The benefit of a training week cannot be underestimated and is fundamental to the continued success and development of UK Armed Forces participation on this national scale.

Team selection for the UKAF team is considered not only the highlight of the Service Snowboarding calendar but also an honour and a privilege. The support and level of funding that was invested into the team this year was appreciated by all team members. The opportunities that arise from representing at this level are priceless, and the benefit and experience that each service gains from their selected riders attending are immense. The overall level of Military Snowboarding continues to develop, and it is hoped that the public’s perception of the military has been enhanced through the team’s demonstration of professionalism, courage and team spirit.

“We are delighted to be returning to the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association again this year. Working as a team is a key element to success and to achieving outstanding results – an attribute that is demonstrated by all competitors of this event, and we are proud to be a part of such a fantastic ‘team of teams’.” Mark Alexander, CEO, AirTanker

It is a pleasure to be supporting the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association once again for the 17th year. Through our sponsorship of the RAF Snowboarding Team, we are proud to enable opportunities for the team to further develop their skills and introduce new members to the squad. Every year is a busy year for Voyager, however this year we have seen an unprecedented level of flying operations and many challenges to overcome. Following on from last year, Voyager has continued to play an essential role in Defence for the UK and our allied nations, reinforcing NATO’s response to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Supporting Typhoon aircraft, Voyager offers additional fuel for the fighters, enabling greater range and endurance which demonstrates the reach of UK air power to support NATO’s defence mission. In addition, using our civil registered aircraft, we have provided support to the RAF and our allied nations, operating weekly flights transporting Ukrainians to and from Rzeszow, Poland, as part of the UKs commitment in providing military training to support their efforts in fighting for their country. This year, we supported the Royal British Legion and Team UK in their participation in Invictus Games 2023. We transported Team UK, their friends and family, free of charge to and from the games which were held in Dusseldorf. Furthermore, our partnership with Jet2.com continued to grow as we operated two of our civil registered aircraft throughout their summer flying programme, with one aircraft continuing to operate flights throughout their winter season. It has once again been an incredibly busy year and the success of Voyager has been achieved through the unfailing dedication and commitment of the Voyager Force, our fantastic whole force team of military and civilian personnel that support all operations. Looking back on 2023, our results speak for themselves: our fleet of 14 aircraft flew over 4,500 sectors to 245 different airports, transporting over 500,000 passengers and delivered over 23,000 tonnes of fuel to almost 4,500 receiving aircraft. From all of us at AirTanker, we wish every team the very best of health and good luck in the championships this year! 45

Steve Tsirtsonis Regional VP of EMEA Government, Endace We are excited to once again be a sponsor of the UKAFWSA. It is always a wonderful opportunity to witness the outstanding performances of competitors, to catch up with old friends, and to make some great new friends too. Endace is a proud supporter of many armed forces sports events, and the UKAFWSA is always a highlight of the year. I am always impressed by the wonderful spirit of the UKAFWSA. While intensely competitive, it is also always conducted in a friendly, supportive and convivial atmosphere, and the achievements of all the competitors are celebrated with genuine pride from everybody in what their comrades have accomplished. It truly is a credit to our armed forces and Endace feels very privileged to be a part of it. The organisation of the UKAFWSA is an incredible feat of logistics and the team does an amazing job year after year. The event is truly a tribute to the professionalism, dedication and teamwork of the Armed Forces. In these uncertain global times, it is reassuring to know the people dedicated to the defence of this country are of such calibre and integrity. Our thanks to you all.

Telemark Discipline

Brigadier Chris Haw MC Royal Marines Chair Telemark As a consequence of Meribel hosting this year’s “Championnats Du Monde FIS Ski Alpin”, 2023 proved to be another ‘non-standard’ year for the ISSSC; however, the adapted pre-event training schedules for all 3 Services, during the week prior to the Championships, and the recommencement of our teams’ ‘traditional’ selection training and racing ensured the event could be run safely and, as it turned out, highly successfully, thanks in no small part to the dedication and professionalism of our Meribel hosts and the superb hill team.

Army Team Captain Lt Col Daz Howells on the Balfour Beatty Giant Slalom Jump

Single Service selection was centred around the RAF Championships in Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria for the RAF, and Ex TELEMARK TITAN in Pralognan la Vanoise (PLV), France. For the RAF, poor snow conditions forced racing higher up than usual to new pistes and some excellent venues for race development. For the RN and Army Ex TELEMARK TITAN continues to provide an excellent venue for identifying and building new talent. For all 3 Services a key line of effort for 2023 was the promotion of women’s Telemarking at their respective Championships, which would enable, for the first time, a true tri-service competition at the ISSSC.

Following a highly successful training week, in which particular focus was placed upon the development of our female athletes, racing started on the Sunday, a day earlier than the traditional programme, with the Balfour Beatty Giant Slalom. Surprisingly firm conditions for the time of year and clear skies, couple with a gigantic stadium – a legacy of the World Championships – created a fantastic setting for the first race of the championships. With favourite Lt James French RN a ‘Did Not Start’ due to a timing clash with his Alpine race, the scene was set for the Army to take an early lead in the Championship, and they duly capitalised, taking the top 4 slots with Capt Stefan Hurst 1st and Team Captain, veteran, Lt Col Daz Howells taking the final counting place in 4th for an Army clean sweep. Despite this, the RN were looking strong, with newcomer Capt Will Minsall showing significant promise taking 5th place and it was only Flt Lt Rich Pike, RAF who could get amongst the top RN racers with a very respectable 7th place. The women’s race saw a win for Officer Cadet Iona Kelly, one of 2 racers from Exeter UOTC, who although able to represent the Army, could not qualify for medallic recognition. So, it was a win for the RAF with Squadron Leader Clare Thomas in 1st and Flight Lieutenant Sarah Shave taking Silver.

Cpl Steve Fryer takes a tumble in the Advalus Telemark Sprint

Next up was the Advalus Telemark Sprint, with the weather slightly overcast and minor concerns about the firmness of the snow, conditions were not optimal but well within scope for another great race. Following his disastrous first day, Lt James French RN was back in business running 7 seconds clear of 2nd placed Capt Stefan Hurst (Army) over the 2-run course comprising 16 GS gates, a 15m jump, a 360 wrap and a 150m skate. With AET Matt Deane RN also finding form to take 3rd it was an overall win for the RN this time, following some uncharacteristic mistakes for some of the Army big hitters. For the RAF it was again Flt Lt Rich Pike who took the highest placing with 11th; however, the stage was now set for a close fight between the RN and Army for the Men’s Championship. In the women’s race, Medical Assistant (MA) Tezney Murphy’s RN debut meant, that for the first time, Telemark had succeeded in tri-service representation in a Championship race and a full podium. Again, OCdts Iona Kelly and Phoebe Garrett from Exeter UOTC both skied superbly; however, it was Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas who took the podium, with Sarah Shave second and Tezney in 3rd. 52

Women’s Podium in the Advalus Telemark Sprint: 1st - Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas (RAF) , 2nd Flt Lt Sarah Shave, 3rd – MA Tezney Murphy.

Newcomer AET Matthew Deane RN in the Gates on the BMT Telemark Classic 53

After a well-earned day’s break from racing our competitors assembled for what was to be, in the Men’s event, the closest run BMT Telemark Classic in memory, with only 3 points separating the top 4 racers from the Army and RN. With the top 2 places going ‘to script’: Lt James French (RN) followed by Captain Stefan Hurst (Army), 3rd went to Capt Ben Atkinson (Army) who re-found his form after a disappointing Sprint race. However, it was newcomers AET Matt Deane and Capt Will Minshall taking 4th and 5th respectively who enabled some depth to the RN individual win from French, that afforded and overall win for the RN and prompted the observation that “men’s Telemark was no longer about the ‘old boys’ – the future is here!” There were some brave performances, and 2 top ten placings from the RAF; notably Team Captain, Wing Commander Jonno Young showing he ‘still has it’ to take an impressive 9th.

Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas and MA Tenzey Murphy in the Final of the GardaWorld Telemark Sprint

The women’s race saw our largest field yet with 6 racers from all 3 Services competing it what is arguably the toughest race of the ISSSC. With 32 GS gates, a formidable 15m jump, a 360 degree wrap and a

250m skate all designed to test aerobic and anaerobic capacity to destruction, just turning up at the start should warrant significant respect! In all cases the women proved equal to the task with highly credible performances and another first-time racer Flt Lt Emma Tadman debuting. Results followed those of the previous two races with individual and team wins for Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas and the RAF respectively. As always, the Telemark Championship finished with the GardaWorld Parallel Sprint, a huge crowd pleaser and this year’s had all the thrills and spills we’ve come to expect from sending 2 racers down a tight GS and into a head to head wrap and skate. First up was the women’s event. With the Army’s women unable to medal, due to their reserve status in UOTC, it was down to them to forerun and both Iona and Phoebe hit the course with all the enthusiasm and energy they had consistently shown throughout the whole Championship to great accolade. The main women’s race was a tight 4-way ski off, with Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas RAF and MA Tezney Murphy RN narrowly qualifying for the final, and despite a superb debut Championship for the RN’s Tezney Murphy, it was the veteran Sqn Ldr Clare Thomas who took the win to make it a clean sweep. With 2 team wins for the RN and only one for the Army there was everything to play for in the men’s final race and as promised it was a spectacle. With all 3 Services represented in the quarter final it was the Army’s experienced racers that broke through to dominate after fantastic performances from Team Captain, Lt Col Daz Howells and SSgt Danny Johnson who made it an all Army ‘small final’; however, as predicted it was a French/Hurst ski off for 1st place and despite giving it everything he had Hurst again fell to James French who took the win.

Telemark Camaraderie in the gruelling BMT Telemark Classic final sprint

So with 2 wins to both the RN and Army it came down to the points and in the end it was the Army’s experience and consistency that won out. But standby! Thanks to emerging talent, including ‘Best Newcomer’ Capt Will Minshall next year’s racing promises to be tighter than ever. However, the biggest win of the Telemark Championships must go to all of our women athletes who are blazing the trail in this sport. With the RAF making history as the 1st women’s (and RAF!) Telemark team to win at the ISSSC all eyes will be on the other 2 Services to see if the gap can be narrowed next year. Finally, on behalf of the whole Telemark community, a huge thank you to our sponsors, to Meribel, the Armed Forces race committee and to our fellow teams in the Snowboard and Alpine disciplines for another fantastic year.

Luge Discipline Commander Ed Rolls Chair Luge (Cdr Ed Rolls has been on Advanced Command and Staff Course for the entirety of this season; many of the words are courtesy of Lt Dan Wrigglesworth RN for which he has my thanks.) This year’s Luge season started in January at the location of last year’s competition, Igls, Austria. As is tradition, it took the form of two oneweek novice camps, hosted by the Army and with the Royal Nay taking part, while the RAF ran their own events. As has been mentioned several times by our novice Lugers, Igls is a great track to learn on, and despite having the potential to bite, it has several starting points available that slowly build on difficulty and speed, allowing the chance to progress at an even pace, giving the slider plenty of opportunity to learn the nuances of luge sled control. Following on from the novice camp, it was time for the Single Service and Inter-Service Championships, this season held in Lillehammer, Norway. Athletes travelled from across the globe to be able to participate, and

thankfully most airport arrivals were timed nicely to get everyone to the track in good time. Following a brief period of acclimatisation and track walking, training began in earnest. As was mentioned in last year’s report, the skill-fade from several seasons away from sliding has meant that for many, this was a challenging and slightly bruising re-introduction to the discipline!

All three Services fielded strong teams of sliders, expertly tutored (as ever) by the ex-Olympian civilian coach, Mike Howard. There was time to walk down to each section of the track, analysing the strengths and weaknesses from the day before and looking at the optimum lines in and out of the corners, hopefully identifying steering points – although this is tricky at 60mph. There was definitely some nervous excitement from the athletes prior to training, but once started, the nerves turned to steely determination to keep improving.

With training runs out of the way, the Inter Service Ice Championships were held on the final Friday of the fortnight. As race day arrived, morale amongst the teams was high, with plenty of inter-service rivalry. The format this year was to field a team of five sliders, with the top four times to count towards the grand t otal. Unfortunately, the RN champ crashed out on his first run and was unable to regain control of his sled, but all sliders, regardless of service, rallied together and completed their runs, with some 63

spectacular regains from near bail-out scenarios. The vast experience of both the Army and RAF teams came to the fore, with the final results:

RAF - gold, Army - silver, RN - bronze.

This has proved to be a successful and rejuvenating year. For all three services, there have been changes of faces, key roles, and perhaps most importantly, a healthy crop of new sliders coming through, all of whom have big plans for the new season. The Army and RAF already have mature training organisations, and the good news is that for the first time, there are plans for an RN grassroots camp in the summer, with their own novice camp towards the end of the year. With fair seas and a following wind, there is also the intention to hold next season’s Inter Services at San Moritz – a track that very few of the sliders from any of the services have been to before. This should be a great leveller, and I look forward to reporting back to you with the results next year.

Ben Chapman Chief Executive, BFBS For those of you like me who have suffered past injury whilst skiing and can no longer join in, you’ll be pleased to know that BFBS is covering a greater range of winter sport than ever. The British Forces Broadcasting Service offers the perfect armchair skiing opportunity! Our team of journalists and camera crew are here on the slopes in Meribel to capture and report on the amazing competitive spirit of so many of our talented sports people. Sport continues to be at the heart of BFBS, we contribute to the running of a great variety of military sports and provide as much coverage as we can of these events. Please head to BFBS Sport on YouTube to enjoy live streams of many events and catchup on coverage. Further reporting will be found on our social channels and Forces.net. As a charity, we are dedicated to entertaining, informing, connecting and championing the armed forces, their families and veterans. We are the only trusted media organisation devoted to reporting on the UK military, not only on ops and on exercise, but across the whole range of sporting competitions and other activities throughout the forces world. The best of luck to all the competitors this week. To everyone else, have an enjoyable and rewarding stay.

Cresta Discipline Maj Paul Chishick Chair Cresta The 2022/23 season saw Cresta numbers reverting to their pre-COVID levels with a strong season for the services. We had an excellent number of beginners from all three services, with a particular increase in numbers of Royal Navy novices. The Army Novices’ week continues to take place before Top Opening, enabling the Army to bring their beginners without impacting the other services’ riding, and enabling wider grass roots participation. We had some competitive racing on InterServices Day with some excellent up and coming talent and probably our closest teams in some years.

Surg Cdr David Potter in the run

After a couple of years of snowy race days in the last couple of years, the weather was significantly preferable for the Interservices Race Day this season; sub-zero temperatures had hardened the ice and we were graced with clear cold conditions – perfect for racing. Throughout practice days on the lead up to race day all three Services were looking as close as they have been for some time, and seemed equally matched with no clear favourite. There had been significant improvement from both new and returning riders alike. The RAF had been in a particularly strong position this season, with a strong fleet of modern toboggans and some up and coming talent, such as MAcr Stephen Barnes, who has been showing excellent form in only his third season. For the Navy, Surg Lt Michael Riveros-Laycock made the team in his second year of riding and their team retain a number of experienced reservists. The Army welcomed Capt Alex Villiers-Smith to the team in only his second year riding, after posting some very impressive times.

Maj Tom Wythe exiting the run with style

On the day of the race, though, MAcr Barnes’ fall in the second course of the race dashed the RAF hopes of glory. The RAF Captain, Flt Lt Stephen Kingdom held his nerve, carrying a nasty injury and posted three great times, seeing him finish third individually. The Royal Navy, captained by Surg Cdr David Potter held out, with the captain posting some blistering times and deservedly winning the Lord Trenchard Trophy and the Auty Speed cup. The Army, however, with their strength in depth, managed to hold onto the Prince Philip Trophy for the fourth year running.

LNN Sarah Belcher gets some airtime at Shuttlecock Services Ladies’ riding continues to go from strength to strength with three more qualifying for Top this year – half of all services Top Conversions this season. In the ladies’ race, Capt Natalie Waddington made a strong impact in her first year riding but sadly fell during the race. Lt Evans, showing true form, won the Ladies Race by nearly 2 seconds. Flt Lt Mimi Hobbs, who converted to a flat top toboggan

Flt Lt Mimi Hobbs RAF in the run and qualified for Top this season, finished second overall in the Ladies race and Sqn Ldr Maddie Smith, also converting to a flat top toboggan and qualifying for Top, finished third. The RAF were the winners of the Services’ Ladies Pairs team race, followed by the Royal Navy. We now have 5 Services ladies who have qualified to ride from Top in the last couple of years – a tremendous achievement.

The Services Ladies’ Teams

We remain hugely grateful to the chairman and trustees of the UKAFWSA for their support, as well as the St Moritz Tobogganing Club for allowing us to compete on the run. Inter Service Cresta continues to grow, and with the additional funding streams opening up, we hope to strengthen participation in ladies’ Cresta in all services. I must pass on our thanks to all of the Services’ very generous sponsors, for their continued support.

The Lord Trenchard - Inter-Services' Prizegiving

Nordic Discipline Brigadier Lee Daley Chair Nordic

EX RUCKSACK 2023 CHAMPIONSHIPS After a 2 year hiatus Ex Rucksack was warmly welcomed back to Ruhpolding Bavaria for the 23rd year and 47th edition of the Championship in the Army Winter Sports Association’s 75th Anniversary year. Following some superb competitions in Serre Chevalier and Les Contamines (France) Army teams were joined by the RAF, Navy and civilians to compete for national and InterService titles at the British National, Army, InterService Nordic Ski Championships. 22 races where staged with 223 competitors registered from all 3 services regular and reserve, civilian clubs, and international competitors. There was significant change in 2023, a high percentage of novices, a new organising committee and a new Burgermeister (Mayor) or Ruhpolding Justus Pfeifer (a former Tornado in the Luftwaffe). Well supported by our senior officers and blessed with better than forecast snow conditions the competition was a great return to the loips and a rekindling of the hugely positive “Nordic Ethos” and community.

Congratulations to our Inter Service winners the Army, RA Ladies (Female combination winners).

Congratulations to our Inter Service winners and 5 Bn REME (Kentish and SAS Cup Winners). Finally a congratulations to 6RLC the Princess Marina Champions in partnership with their Alpine team.

Cross Country Phase. The Cross country phase kicked off with the 15Km Classic Technique race. For the first time in Rucksacks history the male and female teams racing equal distances. A women’s field of 37 competitors saw some close racing, the eventual winner Lt Emily Smith (Inf Women) proving the strongest and the RLC Women winning the team title. In the Men’s race WO2 Ben Wooley (17 P&M) secured the win ahead of the former title holder Cpl Ryan Wallace (21 Engr), 17 P&M took the team title and the Army retained both interService titles. The 5km XC relay served to reinforce the team positions for both the RLC women and 17 P&M men, both winning to lead the combinations moving into the biathlon phase of the competition.

Biathlon Phase. The biathlon phase saw a step up in competition with the arrival of the British Biathlon Team. In the Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint Bdr Ciara Mitchell shot well to secure the overall win ahead of strong competition from Holly Rees Lay (London Hyde Park ski club) and Zara Stewart (British Biathlon). In the team competition the RA women secured a convincing win over the RLC Women. Poor snow conditions forced a re-run of the men’s 10km Sprint won by former World Cup athlete and EuroSport commentator (Scott Dixon) closely followed by Sean Benson (British Biathlon). The top 3 services places were closed out by 17P&M, Pte Alfie Sprake winning by almost 1 minute. The Army winning the InterService competition. The Women’s 4 x 6 relay saw a convincing win by the RA Women setting up a patrol race finale for the overall combination. 17 P&M went into the 4 x 7.5 Km Biathlon Relay as firm favourites following their superb 10km performance, however 5 Bn REME had other ideas and carved a minute advantage for their final leg novice skier Lt Seb Tyrie. Pitted against the 10Km Sprint winner and national athlete Pte Alfie Sprake Lt Tyrie held his nerve on the Loips and in the range to leave 5Bn REME in touching distance of the overall Championship victory leading into the patrol race.

Patrol Phase. A challenging patrol course set by Capt Emily Simpson and Capt Ash Allen saw the competitors inspected by Lt Gen Ian Cave (Commander Home Command) before embarking on a 30 Km ski with 2 visits to the range equipped with the newly converted .22 SA rifles. The women’s combination hung in the balance between the RLC and the RA. The RA women secured victory with only 2 minutes to spare after over 3 hours of racing to win the overall combination. The strength of 5 Bn REME shone through once again in the patrol with a convincing win confirming their status as Army and InterService Unit Nordic Team Champions, the first time a REME team has achieved this accolade.

The 2023 race programme and results can be found here: link

Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team Elizabeth Burgess We help serving military personnel and veterans recover both mentally and physically through challenge and competition on snow. From beginners joining our Foundation Team to Winter Paralympic hopefuls, we offer opportunities for all abilities, through the restorative power of competitive Snowsports. Competition is at Our Core

In September 2022 we held a Newcomers Event in Castleford to welcome potential beneficiaries to the team. The day was a roaring success, with the chance to strengthen old friendships and make new ones both on and off the slopes. After lockdown, the ability to meet face to face and get back onto the snow was a liberating experience. A two-day race in Castleford in October was followed by a further two-day race event in November, to ready the team for the year ahead.

Since the New Year we were then pretty busy with a Snowboard Team participating at the Royal Navy Ski & Snowboard Championships in Tigne, our Alpine Team attending the Divisional Championships and Army Championships in Serre Chevalier, our nordic team descending on France for a training camp, and we had AFPST Athletes competing at the British and Inter Service Telemark Championships AFPST Telemark World Class AFPST Athletes

Last season, we had six athletes take part in the Beijing Paralympic and as we have launched into the start of the next cycle we have a number of Athletes on the pathway programmes with real potential for the Paralympics in 2026. Also Shona

Brownlee, Alex Slegg, Scott Meenagh and Steve Arnold remain on World Class programmes, although sadly all UK Sport funding was removed from the Para Nordic Programme despite Scott's 6th place finish at the Paralympics! But hey we like a challenge and proving what is possible as we dare to dream.

This dream certainly came true for Scott Meenagh at the World Para Nordic Championships in January 2023 when he secured the first ever medal for Biathlon, taking home Silver in the 12.5km Biathlon. We were so proud of Scott and the Teams journey, we are hoping this might be enough to secure some future funding. World Marathon Challenge 777! For AFPST Athlete Darren Edwards kayaking from Lands’ End to John O’Groats last year that took 26 days, spanned 1400 kms and raised a tremendous £100,000 wasn't enough; so January 2023 we saw him take on the World Marathon Challenge. Seven Marathons, in seven continents over seven days. Joining him was AFPST Athlete Sally Orange, Luke Wigman and Carl Simmons who also completed the challenge. Darren broke records being the first disabled person to complete this event and raised over £75K!

International Competition Then it was time for the season finale in Colorado! The AFPST has always been known for igniting the competitive spirit in our athletes, and this event held in Winter Park was the biggest yet. We were thrilled to have an Invictus Foundation Team of Athletes from Ukraine, Romania, Columbia, Australia, Canada, and Nigeria join us on the snow. With so many adaptive athletes competing, the energy at the event was unparalleled, showing just what is possible as we push boundaries, challenge perception, and change lives together. You can watch the AFPST Winter Park video to get a glimpse of the action. This year, our goal was to engage with our athletes, bringing the team together and giving them a renewed sense of purpose and direction. America was the perfect setting to achieve this, and our ten-day trip to Winter Park was centered entirely around our athletes. It was an incredibly unifying experience for our 80-strong team, set against the backdrop of blue skies, pristine snowcovered runs, and breathtaking mountain scenery. Each of the three snowsport disciplines organized two races for our athletes. Competition remained the primary focus of the event, culminating in a prize-giving

ceremony to celebrate some truly outstanding performances. We have to give a huge thanks to our amazing American hosts, who provided support and adaptive sports equipment. The YMCA in the Rockies proved to be the ideal adaptive-friendly location for our stay, offering reasonable prices. We are incredibly grateful for their hospitality.

We would also like to give a special mention to our athletes, who were simply incredible. Each of them embraced the spirit of competition and showcased what can be achieved with determination and perseverance. They were a true inspiration to us all.

UK ARMED FORCES INTER SERVICE SNOW SPORTS RESULTS 2023 Discipline

Designation

Winners

Alpine

Inter Service Male Team Champions

Army

Inter Service Female Team Champions

Royal Navy

Inter Service Male Champion

Lt Serdet Army

Inter Service Male Runner Up

Cpl Barney Rudge RAF

Inter Service Female Champion

Fg Officer Guest RAF

Inter Service Female Runner Up

Maj Pirie Army

Inter Service Best Newcomer Male

Fg Officer Barton RAF

Inter Service Best Newcomer Female

Fg Officer Guest RAF

Inter Service Best Disabled Skier

Not contested

Inter Service Male Team Champions

RAF

Inter Service Female Team Champions

Army

Inter Service Male Champion

AB Andrews RN

Inter Service Male Runner Up

SSgt Marshall Army

Inter Service Female Champion

POSET Aldridge RN

Inter Service Female Runner Up

SSgt Quinn Army

Inter Service Best Newcomer

AB Maunder RN

Inter Service Team Champions

Army

Inter Service Male Champion

Capt Hurst Army

Inter Service Male Runner Up

Capt Atkinson Army

Inter Service Best Newcomer

Capt Minshall RM

Contribution to the ISSSC

WO2 John McClelland Army

Snowboard

Telemark

Delany Trophy

Airbus Spirit of Meribel Trophy

Sgt Gary Smith RAF

UK ARMED FORCES INTER SERVICE ICE RESULTS 2023

Bobsleigh Inter Service Male Champions

ARMY

Bobsleigh Inter Service Female Champions

ARMY

Bobsleigh Inter Service Male Champion

LCpl Nick Gleeson & Rfn Tom Harris ARMY

Bobsleigh Inter Service Male Runner Up

Sgt Adam Baird & Mne Taylor Lawrence RN/RM

Bobsleigh Inter Service Female Champion

Flt Lt Rachel Herod & AS1 Emily Cantley RAF

Bobsleigh Inter Service Female Runner Up

Gnr Sienna Wilkinson & Sgt Sally Barratt ARMY

Luge

Inter Service Combined Team Champions

RAF

Luge

Inter Service Male Champion

Sgt John Paul KIBBLE RAF

Luge

Inter Service Male Runner Up

Cpl Steve Webb Army

Luge

Inter Service Female Champion

Sgt Danielle Scott Army

Luge

Inter Service Female Runner Up

AB2 Kaliska Clarke RN

Skeleton

Inter Service Male Team Champions

RAF* (17th consecutive year)

Skeleton

Inter Service Female Team Champions

RAF

Skeleton

Inter Service Male Champion

Flt Lt Rhys Thornbury RAF

Skeleton

Inter Service Male Runner Up

AS1(T) Toby Edghill RAF

Skeleton

Inter Service Female Champion

AS1 Chelsea Ainsley RAF

Skeleton

Inter Service Female Runner Up

Lt Sian Lewis RN

Scrum Inc. is proud to support the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Championships. We deeply believe in the power of teams to innovate, collaborate, and compete. I’m sure the camaraderie and intense drive for excellence at the UKFWSC will showcase the spirit and pride of the UK Armed Forces. The values of excellence, professionalism, and drive are something we witness across the Ministry of Defence, whether it be at the Royal Navy, Strategic Command, UKSF, or in the main building in Whitehall. That fighting spirit will, I am quite sure, be on display to great effect over the course of the championships. The ability of teams to deliver excellence in any context is at the core of the ethos of the UK Armed Forces. At Scrum Inc., we work tirelessly with groups across the Ministry of Defence to help unleash that potential in an environment that can often be bureaucratic, frustrating, and slow to change. The Agile transformations taking place across the Armed Forces to change that are truly inspiring. The belief that organizations, teams, and individuals can, must, and will continuously improve in order to deliver on your mission to protect the nation and ensure its prosperity is what we value more than anything in our partnership with UK Armed Forces. Scrum Inc. was founded by my father, a graduate of West Point and a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. Scrum itself derives from the lessons he learned in his years of service to his country. He was also on the West Point ski team, winter sports competition is close to his heart.

Our values and yours are in close alignment and at the core of who we are. Our commitment to the men and women of the armed forces goes beyond the UKFWSA. We are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant. We help service members acquire new skills as they transition into the civilian world. And many of our people are veterans, from both the US and the UK. All of us here at Scrum Inc. want to give hearty congratulations to the organizers of the UKFWSA, it’s a massive effort. And to the competitors, good luck, great snow, and fast skis!

JJ Sutherland CEO ScrumInc