The Kings 24/25 season reached its thrilling conclusion at Silksworth Ski Slope with the annual inter-region Finals event. Hosted in the North for the first time ever, this competition brought the best of the best of university snowsports to heel. If you didn't come home with fake champagne, bruised thumbs, or a story to slightly embellish at the pub, were you even there?
With the sun blazing and temperatures more suited to sunburns than slalom, competitors arrived bright and early for the 8am kickoff. Waiting for them was a bleary-eyed but well-caffeinated crew of officials - bib packs in hand, race advice at the ready, and flags wielded with surgical precision. But Finals isn’t just about racing; it’s a full-blown celebration of club culture. Gazebos sprung up along the slope, buzzing with everyone from wide-eyed freshers to seasoned final-years, all soaking up the atmosphere. Keeping the vibes high was Rootz, a Newcastle-based DJ collective spinning hip-shaking beats from the unofficial sunrise (around 11am) through to a very lively sundown (call it 8pm).
With the slope split between duals and individual runs, there was barely a moment when gates weren’t getting bashed. Thanks to a bumper turnout, only clubs who had earned top spots in their regional leagues (or crafted a particularly persuasive wildcard application) made the cut for Finals. The day pushed off with group stages across the mixed, ladies, and board team categories, while solo racers clocked their times on the individual course, racers were ranked by the combined time of 2 runs. This non-stop action rolled through until 5 pm, when the slope briefly shut down to prep for the elimination knockout rounds.
Among the individuals, the female boarders podium saw a North-South blend, with Scarlette Appleby (Newcastle) sliding into 3rd with a time of 54.62 seconds, just behind Catrin Manning (Portsmouth) in 2nd at 48.17, and Nairne Clark (Sheffield) topping the table at 44.23. Over on the men’s side, Tim Romanchuk (Queen Mary) secured 3rd with 46.61, edged out by Will Bainbridge (Sheffield) in 2nd at 42.67, with Eddy Livesey (Kent) leading the charge in 1st with a sharp 41.15.
Midland skiers reigned supreme in the female ski category—Lauren Aley (Loughborough) clocked in 3rd at 27.82, narrowly behind Lauren Bloom (Keele) at 27.35, with Els Eaves (Nottingham) skiing into 1st at 26.58. The male ski category rounded things off with tight margins: Benjamin Scott (Newcastle) took 3rd at 26.18, Geno Hounsham (Portsmouth) claimed 2nd at 25.6, and Ryan Bloom (Keele) just clinched 1st place with a winning time of 25.26 seconds.
In the team duals, Durham claimed victory in the Mixed category after a day of tight racing, with Loughborough hot on their tails in 2nd, and Portsmouth rounding out the podium in 3rd. Over in the Ladies bracket, Nottingham secured a well-earned 1st place finish, holding off a strong challenge from Durham in 2nd, with Exeter taking 3rd after a hard-fought battle through the knockouts. The Board category saw Portsmouth ride their way to the top, Sheffield claiming 2nd, and Newcastle grabbing 3rd to cap off a strong showing from the northern squad.
The day was rounded out with plenty of hydraulic sandwiches for dynamic lubrication, and there was even enough time at the end for some boogying before prizegiving. Kings’ biggest sponsor, NUCO, came prepared with prizes for all of our medal placers, unfortunately presented by the coarse voice of the Kings race director. After the slope was tidied up and emptied, the afterparty headed into Newcastle city centre where there may or may not be some sore heads still.
A huge thank you to Silksworth Ski Slope for hosting us and keeping the slope in excellent condition all day. Massive appreciation to RT Ski Club for lending us not only their equipment but also their expertise - your support made a significant difference. Thanks to Dynastar for setting up the polished servicing skills and equipment tent. Shoutout to Red Bull for keeping competitors (and officials) going with liquid energy. And of course, an enormous thank you to our headline sponsor NUCO Travel for providing prizes and their continued support all season long. As a volunteer operated organisation, we greatly appreciate all the assistance.
Thank you very much for a lovely season of Kings.
-Jamie McGregor