Racing never really stops. Whether you are honing technique in the indoor halls or trying to beat the weather by training at a European glacier, this year more British athletes have headed to the Southern Hemisphere. For some it has been to New Zealand. Ambition make it a regular part of their yearly programme, this year Team Carrick-Smith has also headed that way. Others head west and go to South America. Team Evolution, Excel and Precise Racing have all packed the kit up and headed east and the heavy snow fall at the beginning of the 'winter' has meant trying conditions when trying the fine tune the racing technique.
Team Evolution's small FIS team of Olivia Howeson, Allegra Turton, Harrison Adkins and Lewis Parton have been tackling the strong South American Cup races with success.
Paul Telling explains: "We had two weeks in Chile which were great fun but limited gate training because it snowed every day for a week straight. So plenty of powder, free skiing, variables and learning backflips."
Telling continued "the Continental Cup group (Harrison, Olivia, Lewis, Allegra) have gone down to Ushuaia. Really good training down there, they have spent time training with American women, Germans, Argentinians, Spanish, Kronplatz etc.
"Training went well, SAC races were really hard. Far more stacked than usual and seems like a lot of big guys down there (Salarich, Gratz, Grammel, Shiro, Aicher etc) Lewis and Harrison made top 30 after 1st run a couple of times but couldn’t consolidate it into big results (mistakes on second run, DNFs etc)
"Harrison had a few U18 podiums, Allegra won U18 GS in the one SAC race she finished, and Liv had some great runs in SL."
Howeson took two 8th places in the SAC Slalom races in Cerro Castor while Adkins scored his first SAC series points with 25th in the Slalom at Cerro Castor.
"Harrison and Liv scored SAC points, which was part of the longer term thinking, so can now start with decent bib back in Chile next week, which makes a big difference," concluded Telling.
They group also took part in some warm up races in El Colorado, where they got "a few decent results. Lewis Parton had a 3rd Overall, Harrison and Allegra 1st U18. Everyone a bit rusty but good to just race again!"
Also in the FIS races at El Colorado and La Parva were Emily Turner, who took two wins and two runners up spots and Freya Tresidder who finished with four top ten results.
For the Precise Racing group that made it to El Colorado as well, this was more of a training camp, Emily Evans from Precise explained:
"When we first arrived in Chile, we were greeted by heavy snow. giving us a rare chance at some incredible powder skiing we haven't seen in Austria for years.
"Once conditions cleared, we spent a productive three weeks focusing on Speed and GS, capitalising on great weather windows. Working out at altitude alongside regular fitness, games, and activities gave the squad a real physical boost. Toward the end of the camp, we entered a few FIS races, a fantastic opportunity for our first-year athletes to gain experience and secure early-season points in a smaller field.
"Beyond the slope, exploring Santiago added a great cultural touch to the trip.
"With European glaciers increasingly unpredictable and indoor facilities limited to Slalom, traveling to the Southern Hemisphere during the school holidays is entirely worth the distance. It was a massive success for our athletes, and a trip we'll definitely continue making each year."
Race results
Cerro Castor South American Cup race series race results