NATIONAL SCHOOL SNOWSPORTS WEEK

NATIONAL SCHOOL SNOWSPORTS WEEK

Eddie ‘The Eagle’ out front in support of this excellent initiative in its second year

published on Maddogski website

National School Snowsports Week kicked off at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead today, Friday 21st April, with over 30 children from Yewtree Primary School having their first ever ski lesson.

national school snowsports week

After hearing inspiring Winter sports tales from ambassador Olympians Aimee Fuller, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and Ski Sunday’s very own Graham Bell, the kids hit the slopes to give it a go themselves. We’re sure a few of them have caught the snow bug already.

The National School Snowsports Week rolls out across a total of 25 slopes around the UK with taster ski and snowboard sessions for as little as £1. Running from Monday April 23 – 30, school-aged kids can have a go at all sorts of mountain sports. As well as skiing and snowboarding there’s roller-skiing, luging and snow-tubing on offer.

Eddie the Eagle says, “I started skiing when I was 13 and have lived and breathed it for my whole life. I am proof that anyone – no matter what their age or background is – can get into snowsports. I am proud to support National Schools Snowsport Week and hope it brings lots of young people into our brilliant sport.”

To get involved and to find your nearest participating slopes, visit www.nssw.co.uk

So You Want To Be A Ski Racer?

So You Want To Be A Ski Racer?

Inspired by The Jump? Here are nine amateur ski races you can enter this season or next.

Find the Article on Maddogski Site

THE INFERNO SKI RACE – MURREN

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2018, this ski race combines downhill racing with uphill climbs… on race skis! Competitors are capped at 1850 with over 2500 applying to race each year. The answer to securing your place is to become a member of a ski club (such as the Kandahar Ski Club who founded the event). You’ll also need to ensure your entry is in before the deadline of September 15, 2017 (entries can be submitted from May 2017).

The main downhill event is 14.9km long and competitors are set off at approximately 10-second intervals (sometimes the course is shorter, depending on snow conditions). As well as this there’s a cross-country ski race around the town of Mürren and a GS event – both taking place earlier in the week. For the 75th anniversary there are plans for a mass start team event – the ‘Sir Arnold Lunn Cup’, where all competitors will start at the same time. Entry cost is £55 for the downhill race. Find out more on the Inferno website.

Ranging through the Inferno. Image courtesy of Robert Webb

 

THE AMATEUR INTERCLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – ALPBACH

Founded in 2008, this year’s Amateur Inter-Club Championships will be held in Alpbach, Austria and hosted by the Alpbach Visitors Ski Club – March 9-12, 2017. The Championships are an annual team event, held in March every year, and taking place in the home of the host club.

Races can be Slalom, GS or Super-G, at the discretion of the club, with teams of four racing ladies or gents in each group. This fun team event offers the following age categories: Men and Women 60+, 45-59 and 18-45. The fastest time of three members of the team count towards the overall time clocked. Visit the Amateur Interclub Championships website to find out more.

 

CITY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS – VERBIER

Originally this weekend of racing was aimed at skiers working in the City of London and their organisations, but the invite now extends to many more businesses. The championships take place in Verbier in early February with teams of four taking part in a dual slalom on the Friday and a main GS race on the Saturday.

The weekend is as much about networking and having fun, with a full entertainment programme thrown in on the après front. Entries are open now for the 2018 weekend taking place from February 1-4, 2018 . Entry price is from £750pp. Find out more on the City Ski website.

amateur ski race

 

THE TWEED RUN – DAVOS

Dress up in old-fashioned tweed and take part in this fun one-day event in the Swiss resort of Davos. This year’s event takes place on February 25 if you happen to be in Davos, otherwise next season it will be held towards the end of February 2018. This event for locals and guests attracts young and old. Two runs take place from 12.30pm and an evening ceremony is held at 6pm at the Hotel Bellevue Wiesen. It costs 20 CHF to enter. Get your tweed on and find out more about the race.

 

IGO N60° – NORWAY

The IGO N60° is a cross-country, 4-stage event covering ski touring and cross-country skiing, alongside fat biking and running. The challenge is to cover one hundred miles between Hemsedal and Geilo in Norway. Home to the ‘Heroes of Telemark’ raid, the race takes place across a challenging snowy landscape that has earned the respect of countless polar explorers, as well as the British Special Forces.

 

Even so, IGO is not exclusively aimed at the super-fit (though it would certainly help) – instead it’s all about your attitude. Previous competitors include members of the Special Forces, but also businessmen in their 60s and many more up for the challenge.

The four stages:

Day 1: Touring and Downhill Ski | 15 miles | Race time 4-9 hours

Day 2: Fat Biking | 26.2 miles | Race time 3-8 hours (followed by husky dogsled)

Day 3: Cross Country Ski | 26.2 miles | Race time 4-9 hours

Day 4: Marathon Run | 26.2 miles | Race time 3-6 hours

Taking part in this Norwegian Challenge can be arranged through IGO Adventures and includes training, flights, food and all transport costing from £4,500 per person. The expedition will run from March 11-19, 2017 and deadline for entry this year is February 28, 2017. Find out more at IGO Adventures.

amateur ski races

 

DHO MCMILLAN CUP – WENGEN

This race, organised by the Downhill Only Club, takes place in the resort of Wengen in Switzerland on the first Thursday of February and is a massed start downhill race. The McMillan Cup is awarded to the fastest skier and was donated to the DHO by the family of Flying Officer Douglas McMillan. McMillan enjoyed skiing in Wengen in the 1920s and sadly died in a flying accident in 1928. The race was first held in 1929 in his memory.

 

THE SUPER 3 – MURREN, SAAS-FEE, BEL ALP

Many skiers have heard of the Inferno (see above). But only a very few have competed in the Super 3 – a series of three ski races across Switzerland (including the Inferno). All three are aimed at amateur skiers and take place in Bel Alp, Murren, and Saas-Fee.

The main Bel Alp Hexe race ‘Hexenabfahrt’ is a 12km course where most of the 1500 skiers dress up as witches! The spooky 1790-metre descent finishes in the little village of Batten beneath the Aletsch Glacier. Next year’s race takes place on January 13, 2018 with fun events throughout the week before the main race. Open for entries from 27 August – 12 January 2018 costing CHF 35.

The 9km Saas-Fee Allalin Race is one of the highest races in the Alps and takes place at the end of March to complete the Super 3 series. The race covers over 1800m of descent and is priced at CHF 50 per entry. Only three British people took part in the full Super 3 in 2017 – so who’s up for the challenge? Find out more on the official website.

 

amateur ski race

Something wicked this way comes… The Bel Alp Hexe race

THE PARSENN DERBY – DAVOS

First run in 1924, the Parsenn Derby is one of the oldest downhill races in the world and is open to experienced amateur skiers. The race was founded jointly by the Davos Ski Club and the Davos English Ski Club and was run from the Parsennfurka down to Kublis. In 1933 the start was moved to the Weissfluhjoch. With a length of 12.5km and a vertical descent of some 2000m it became one of the most important events in the international ski world before the founding of the Ski World Cup.

The race has been adapted to the modern day and no longer runs down to Kublis – modern equipment and safety requirements rendering this impractical. To take part in the race you should be a strong black run skier comfortable skiing at fast speeds. The team event takes place on the Saturday and the individual on the Sunday. Around 500 skiers take part each year. This year’s race is scheduled for March 24-26, 2017. Find out more on the Parsenn Derby website.

 

SKI 4 CANCER – SAALBACH

Become a World Record holder on Thursday 9 March 2017 by taking part in Ski 4 Cancer’s Everest Challenge. The Challenge will take place on the slopes of Saalbach. Skiers will descend the height of Mount Everest (29,029ft / 8,848m) as one large group and raise funds for Ski 4 Cancer at the same time.

Any competent skier can take part – most intermediate skiers should be able to complete the Everest Challenge in about 6 hours. Advanced skiers will need slightly less time.

Eddie the Eagle Edwards will be taking part, and this year also sees the launch of a special fund: The Wenche Hammond Fund. Wenche, a good friend to many in the ski world, died from cancer last year at the age of 42, leaving behind her husband and daughter. Find out how you can enter on the Ski 4 Cancer website.

Join Eddie on the Everest challenge

 

Skiplex

Skiplex Sochi

Press information: 23 September 2013

Chemmy Alcott and Graham Bell head up Olympic themed roadshow at Skiplex in Reading on Sunday 6th October

Skiplex in Reading is kick-starting the winter season with an Olympic themed roadshow featuring two of Great Britain’s most well-known skiers – three-time Olympian Chemmy Alcott and BBC Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell.

Slide2Sochi Sunday is being run in conjunction with governing body Snowsport England on Sunday 6th October and will give visitors the chance to get coaching tips from both Chemmy and Graham as well as ski or snowboard for free or for a hugely discounted price on the Skiplex endless slopes.

With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in February less than six months away the roadshow will be buzzing with Olympic fever with visitors able to sign a giant good luck snowball for the British wintersports athletes, have their face painted with their favourite country’s flag and find out how they can get involved in skiing and snowboarding and become the next wintersports hero as part of the GO SKI GO BOARD campaign*. There will also be a big barbeque on offer for all visitors, making it a great day out for all the family.

Chemmy Alcott said: “I am really excited for the Slide2Sochi event at Skiplex on the 6th October – its a great way for the public to get involved with us, the athletes, and experience the latest way to learn to ski at Skiplex. It should be a great day and I am looking forward to seeing everyone there!”

Graham Bell said: “The Slide2Sochi roadshow at SkiPlex will be a great way to raise awareness of the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics in Russia in 2014. I’m looking forward to meeting loads of budding skiers and snowboarders at the Skiplex Reading and hope they’ll all be looking forward to watching the Sochi 2014 Olympics in February & March 2014 where I’ll be presenting the television coverage from the mountains.”

Skiplex Marketing Manager Cordelia Kerr said: “We are hugely excited about our Slide2Sochi event with Chemmy and Graham. It will be a great opportunity to get people buzzing about the upcoming Winter Olympics and for people to come and see what Skiplex is all about. The nature of the revolving slopes means that everyone will be able to get involved with the skiers, whether on or off the slopes so the centre should be alive with Olympic fever! It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or advanced skier, Skiplex is the perfect place to come and enjoy your skiing and support our athletes.”

To book slope time for Slide2Sochi Sunday call 08456003599 or visit skiplex.co.uk and for more information about Slide2Sochi roadshows visit www.slide2sochi.org.uk

Ends

Please contact Betony Garner, Media Officer, GO SKI GO BOARD and Slide2Sochi Roadshows for more information betony@sigb.org.uk / 07779 801 691

For Skiplex press enquiries please contact Vanessa Fisher HERE /07957 618525

Media are invited to the event and both Chemmy and Graham will be available for interview. Please email or call Betony or Vanessa if you would like to attend.

Notes:

About Skiplex

Skiplex is a new way to learn how to ski or snowboard, get your ski legs back or fine tune technique. The revolving slopes are made of a forgiving carpet-like material which is much softer than the traditional dry slopes and the speed and gradient can be altered to suit all abilities.

Slide2Sochi Sunday and GO SKI GO BOARD

*The Slide2Sochi complements Snowsport England’s new national participation campaign GO SKI GO BOARD, www.goskigoboard.org.uk, which is aimed at getting more people into and back into snowsports.

Snowsport England is the national governing body for snowsport in England www.snowsportengland.co.uk or www.facebook.com/SnowsportEngland.