This 2016 Welsh Alpine Ski Championships, organised by Snowsport Wales, took place last month in Champery, Switzerland, where it has been held annually for the past 10 years.
This meant that alongside the races were 10 year anniversary celebrations including a live outdoor concert, a huge Welsh flag cake and a good old Welsh sing-a-long with locals, racers and organisers.
The four days of competition included two days of international FIS races followed by two days of British competitions. The international competitions included twenty nations represented from as far afield as USA and India. he British races were also attended by a regional team of under 16 year old competitors from USA, seeking to gain some additional training and early exposure to international competition.
Top British female in both the GS and Slalom FIS races was Welsh Team member 21 year old Nia Jenkins followed closely by promising 17 year-old British racer Katya Bingle-Williams. Best of the British males was 21 year old Paul Henderson who not only came top out of the British in the slalom but third overall, beating some incredibly stiff international competition. In the international GS it was 19 year old Robert Poth who was not only the best Brit of the race but 2nd overall, sandwiched between two Swiss racers who have the advantage of training on the real thing far more than our British competitors.
Once the FIS races were over, the older racers gave way to the younger competitors. In the minis category (under 10/12 years) Welsh racers who came out on top in both the GS and Slalom were Leane Francis and Marnie Probert in the girls, and Edward Evans and Steffan Hodson in the boys. In the U14s the Welsh female racer that came out on top of both the international and Welsh competitors was Giselle Gorringe, in the boys race Thomas Butterworth came out as the top Welsh racer in both disciplines.
For many young competitors, the Champs is an opportunity to gain important experience and check out their current and future competition, especially as these races were also attended by a regional squad of U16 skiers from Western USA. Welsh racers took many of the winning spots with Olivia Ward coming 1st overall, Giselle’s talented older sister Cerys Gorringe coming second overall. In the U16 boys William Munday was the Welsh winner in the Slalom and Osamu Okuma was the U16s mens GS Welsh winner as well as the 2nd fastest racer overall.
