Hey all.
I just wanted to write a few words about the DSUK (Disability Snowsport UK) Skiathon challenges which took place at 5 of the UK Snowdomes last week! I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer and help out at two of them, Milton Keynes (11th June) and Hemel Hempstead (12th June).
Myself and David helping out at the Milton Keynes Skiathon
Firstly, let me explain what the skiathon is all about… It involves teams of up to 6 people to ski as many runs as they can in 6 hours! Each team had to raise a minimum sponsorship of £666 and with it being the London Olympics this year, depending upon how much they raised determined the number of runs their team had to do and hence their goal for the day i.e. 312, 612, 1012, 2012.
Both Hemel and MK Skiathons ran extremely smoothly and were SUPER fun! The days consisted of a morning of skiing from 10.00 – 1.00pm with a much needed break for lunch before the final push and afternoon skiing from 2.00 – 5.00pm. Apart from standing in the cold, There was plenty to do as a helper; including counting run, motivational music selection, equipment set up, competitions & skiing games to earn extra points and of course encouraging the upbeat teams who were skiing their boots off! (and l also managing to fit in a few runs myself tethering a few sit skis or having Sno!zone snowballs thrown towards a bucket l was conveniently holding!!) As well as all this, we had some Paralympic GB skier turn up for a blast… Sean Rose (www.seanrose.co.uk) and Tim Farr (www.timfarr.co.uk). Two amazing, entertaining and very competitive athletes! So for instance when they decided to ski down the slope on their Monoskis with no skis on, it was quite amusing and took a little while for us to clock on!! – Take a look at some of the videos below!!
It was great to also catch up with some of the Niederau 2012 gang who were competing in the event and everyone had some amazing costumes… I saw some epic mexicans, colourful Hawainan’s, extravagant French and traditional Englishmen on the slopes which made for some great entertainment for all!
These were the first Skiathon’s that l have been able to attend as in previous years other commitments prevented me from attending.However l have to say that they were both extraordinary, every team kept skiing right until the end with l am sure sure burning legs on what became a choppy slope!
All in all it was an all round success with most teams smashing their goals and some skiing over 700 runs!!!
So a HUGE Well Done to all Teams, Organisers and Helpers!!
Thank you all!
Click here for more information about DSUK or ES Adaptive…
DSUK Skiathon
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