Kings Round 2 – It’s All Downhill from Here!
The Kings Ski Club’s second round followed with all the hubbub and curvetastic movements expected from such ancestry! From the peak of Rossendale Ridge to the coastal breezes at Southampton Summit, amateur racers from across the UK’s finest academic institutions competed to be the best skiers on the mountain.
The Northern League brought grit and determination to Rossendale Ski Slope. Opening the day, the thrilling tiebreak of round one ladies saw Durham 1 beat Liverpool 1 to claim the glamourous prizes held in the league head’s vault for the past several weeks. Not to be outdone, Durham 1 Ladies then continued to clinch first place yet again against Liverpool 1 Ladies to take home a double victory for round 2. Meanwhile, due to delays caused by broken-down buses, the Sheffield-based snowboard teams were racing straight out of the gates at gusto speed! This accumulated with a 1st place final position for SHU Snow, raising admirably from their round 1 5th place finish. The lack of considerable wind and rain benefitted the northern teams the most; the Newcastle 1 Mixed team brought about their might in defeating the traditional rivalry of Durham 1 and Liverpool 1 to gain the golden medal (and 2 Magnums of the finest faux-champagne) of round 2!
Venturing into the land where the castles compete with the coffee shops for dominance, the Western League had their siege of Pembrey Ski Centre! With a full cohort of crack squad officials, the competition proved as fierce as a dragon! Channelling the Welsh ground, Cardiff 1 Ladies took the 1st Place prize, narrowly beating Bath 1 Ladies. Dropping down to a single plank, the Boarders of the Swansea 1 race team seized the advantage and pulled out their (hopefully) first place for the year, closely followed by their own second team! Attempting to match the glory of their stickless comrades, Swansea 2 Mixed fell slightly short of the Exeter 1 powerhouse, with the English team claiming first place in their discipline for the second round in a row.
Slightly Northeast, in the home of the largest club team of Kings, Ackers Adventure Ski Slope hosted the Midlands League this round. On a course filled with left and right turns, the Nottingham 1 ladies had a thrilling leap from their round 1 7th position to win the coveted t-shirts and the prestige of a 1st place finish! Sam from Nottingham Uni rose to the top of the pecking order among the snowboarders, edging out his Trent rivals to claim the crown as king of the boarder food chain (where meals consist of energy drinks and an eternal disdain for flats)! Not to allow for a complete wipe – the juggernaut of the Loughborough Mixed 1 team stopped Nottingham 1 in their tracks, claiming their second 1st place of the year and settling themselves comfortably in the current leader of the league,
Tasting the salty Channel breeze, Alpine Snowsports Southampton proudly hosted the Southern League’s weekend showdown. Amid a warm welcome of familiar faces—officials and competitors alike—the racing kicked off spectacularly as the sun dipped below the horizon. The Ladies especially showed ferocious challenges as UCL 1 got the carving on point to get above Surrey 1 for the 1st Place slot. Bouncing back from the previous round, the UCL Boarders collectively managed to top this round and win the golden slot for their club. Mixed saw a slight return to normality as the Surrey 1 squad retained their reigning 1st position – nearly allowing for UCL to gain a complete win across the board as they gained the second place.
As we have now had half of our races for the year, the clubs are getting more conscious of the qualifying spaces for the Kings Final event in April. On behalf of the officials and committee, Thank you very much for a lovely round of Kings!
-Jamie McGregor