The Kings Ski Club’s fourth and final round of the 24 / 25 season has been wrapped up this previous weekend, much to the chagrin of competitors, officials and slopes across the country. Visiting Scotland for our second inaugural round north of the wall in Bearsden, followed by our traditional leagues of Northern, Midlands, Western, Southern, returning to Rossendale, Ackers, Plymouth, and Southampton ski slopes respectively. All was to play for as the clubs are fighting to place themselves in the qualification brackets for the Kings Finals in April at the Silksworth Ski Slope.
Opening with the second iteration of a Scotland Round saw minimal numbers but maximum spirits. On the same day as the Calcutta cup, the racers were eager to finish the course with enough time to catch the final, unfortunate 10 minutes. Bearsden supplied good vibes and beautiful weather on either side of two stormy days. The Glasgow Ski Squad did a clear sweep of the competition, followed by the racers from Stirling University and the speedsters from the University of Glasgow. Not to be downtrodden from a lack of podium finish, Glasgow Caledonian skiers won the honorary award for positive energy and rapid redistribution of metallic furnishings on race gates. All competitors went home full-handed, stuffed to the brim of their ski bags with the most delightful not-champagne and glamorous king's shirts!
Next up: the Northern League, returning to the awe-inspiring, sun-kissed slopes of Rossendale. The day promised thrilling competition from the start—before the racing even began, one competitor required first aid after an ambitious ski sharpening mishap. With such an eventful beginning, it was shaping to be an unforgettable day on the slopes. With the backbeat of the MUSKI speaker playing questionable-at-times tunes, the racing flowed smoothly with the efficiency that Kings is definitely known for. Poorly printed race sheets and a questionable VAR attempt via mobile phone from a disgruntled racer were the crux of the issues as the twilight hour passed and the floodlights illuminated the dapper officials and their flagging expertise. In this round, Newcastle claimed gold in the Mixed category, with Liverpool securing silver and Sheffield taking bronze. In the Ladies' races, Durham extended their unbeaten streak for the 24/25 season with a fourth consecutive victory, followed closely by Liverpool Ladies in second and Northumbria Ladies in third. The Boarders event saw Sheffield take the top spot, narrowly edging out Sheffield Hallam in second, with MUSKI rounding out the podium in third.
The Western League had their annual pilgrimage to the southernly shores of the Plymouth Snowsports Centre. The salty sea air seemed to do nothing to rust the blades as racing went underway with significant gusto. The narrow turns of the slalom gates proved challenging to some with “The course is savage today” coming from none other than the course-setter himself. The University of Bath’s mixed teams showcased their fierce competitive spirit, with their first team disrupting Exeter’s bid for a clean sweep of victories. Meanwhile, Bath’s third team outperformed their second team in the day's results and the overall season rankings. In the mixed category, Swansea secured a strong third-place finish, edging out local rivals Plymouth, who settled for fourth. Over in the Ladies' races, the blue-bodied Bristolians made their presence felt, finishing ahead of Bath, with Exeter following close behind. The Boarders event saw an intense battle between Plymouth and Bath, but the home advantage played in Plymouth’s favour, as they clinched first place—and the all-important bragging rights.
The Midlands were returning to the Brummie piste of Ackers for their clashes. Everyone and their sled dogs seemed to be videographers today, with every straddle and hike becoming a point of contention. Snowboarders also found the course particularly challenging, with several expressing that they were “tired of falling over,” and an unidentified skier who seemed to think their gear looked better as slope decorations rather than equipment for bodily use. With the captaincy quaking in their boots, the Loughborough 1 Mixed team managed to secure the win, leaving them undefeated this year, followed closely by the home team Brumski 1 and the further afield Nottingham 1. Specific congratulations should go to the indomitable sporting spirit of the Nottingham 3’s team who, when jovially requested by their 2’s team, to throw the race ended up lapping their higher ranked peers instead. In the Ladies races, we saw a shakeup of the top 3 mixed clubs, with Nottingham coming out on top and narrowly beating the Brumski team, followed by Loughborough claiming third. Nottingham Trent, not to be easily forgotten, secured a win for their boarder Nathan, followed by Nottingham Sam and pursued in third place by Joe, also from Trent.
The Southern League descended upon the familiar dry slope of Southampton for another day of high-speed competition, with one particularly festive competitor refusing to lose their Christmas cheer and moonlighting on the sidelines in a full-body reindeer outfit. The racing was tight, but it was Surrey 1 who came out on top in the Mixed category, followed by Portsmouth 1 in second and the home team, Southampton 1, rounding out the podium. In the Ladies races, Southampton 1 claimed a commanding victory on their home turf, with UCL 1 hot on their heels in second and Surrey 1 securing third. Meanwhile, the Boarders event saw an all-Will affair at either end of the podium, as UCL’s Will seized the gold, his teammate Alice grabbed silver, and Portsmouth’s Will claimed bronze. With the racing wrapped up and Rudolph's cousin still standing, fake champagne in tow, it was another memorable day for the Southern League.
This has ended the rounds of the Kings' season 24/25 – with the top teams from each league qualifying for our Finals competition on the 26th of April in Silksworth, Sunderland. The anticipation for the finals is high as the clubs have a lot to prepare for. In addition to the top-ranked teams advancing, there are some wildcard spots that the expert eyes of the official admin squad will allocate to deserving clubs that may have narrowly missed the cut.
-Jamie McGregor