Features

When it begins to snow heavily and the wind picks up most skiers head inside. Other people training for races do too, but not slalom racers. We can’t wimp out at the café.

Ben - Trainee racer and journalist

The FIS race rules state that ‘a race will continue to run until the first 2 gates are out of sight (due to fog, or cloud), or when the TD (Technical Delegate) deems the conditions to be unsafe.’ Which means that we often end up racing in, what would best described as, ‘dismal’ conditions.

Many of you will know that the mountains are the home of horrible weather. Even in October the conditions can change quickly.

The sun is shining, just a few clouds in the sky; a super G course to our left and a GS to our right; everything is running as slickly as normal.

Better in the sun

Within minutes the sky turned a dark, muggy grey colour, just moments later the visibility fell from 500 meters plus to, just two. The mountain was shrouded in cloud, left right and centre people stopped; the super G racers took a break from racing; and the mountain fell quiet; all that could be heard is the satisfying clacks as the slalom poles smacked to the ground.

Slalom is really the only race discipline that can be trained in all weather conditions. This is because each turn is so close together that it really is quite hard to ‘get lost’.

As ever, we go on, a cover of cloud isn’t going to stop us.

Lunch is allowed though!

 We continued doing exercises, but were unable to video; the camera became too cold and froze; anyway, we wouldn’t be able to see much on the screen anyway. I begin to get seriously cold and it’s quite dispiriting in the complete white out. Is this really the glamorous life of a ski racer?!

Some time later the cloud cleared and the hive of activity that had stopped soon resumed. The downhill and GS racers are back out again, warm and refreshed.  Me? I’m a bit cold, but hey at least I can see again and I feel a sense that the mountain belongs more to me than them as I braved the elements.

My next run is going to be a good one.  Actually it’s going to be a great one, a little bit of cloud and snow isn’t going to stop me!

 

Ben is keen to be a journalist later in life and this is one of his first published articles.  Here at the Ski Club we wish him well! On the strength of this article it looks like he has what it takes.