Ten members of the Eltham College Ski Racing Team took to Switzerland for the annual DHO British Schoolboy Ski Racing Event in Wengen. The team was made up of a combination of senior students that had competed in previous years, whereas other younger students were experiencing their first competition on snow.
The first two days comprised of slalom and grand slalom training, with coach Emily Evans putting the boys through their paces. Day two finished with the Inter-School Parallel Slalom event; both A and B teams won their first round but were knocked out by strong opponents in the quarter finals.
Day three saw the first main competition, with the Grand Slalom taking place on the famous World Cup course, The Lauberhorn. The weather was excellent, but the snow conditions were tough, with patches of ice showing through. There were good runs by all students, especially considering it was a first Grand Slalom competition for most. Highlights included Boden finishing 2nd place in the U16 competition while Oscar placed 4th in the U14, a year younger than the majority of the other competitors.
The final day saw a return to Slalom, the event that our students are most experienced with. Gustave and Santiago placed 4th and 5th respectively in the U12 competition. Oscar once again finished 4th in the U14, while Zach had consistently good runs across the two days.
The biggest achievement goes to Boden, who finished 1st in the U16 Slalom competition and won the Hewitt Challenge Cup. This trophy is fully deserved due to the tireless work and practice Boden has put into his skiing over the years. He has been an excellent role model for the younger students in the team, helping them learn the ski racing trade.
Huge congratulations to the team on a successful trip, with plenty of experience gained and lessons learnt. The students made fantastic improvements in their skiing across both disciplines, and with such a young team we are hopeful they will all be back to compete next year.
