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| Andrew Clarke |
On 12 September, at the Milton Keynes SNO!zone, the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) are laying on the UK’s first ski-a-thon on real snow, and is the first time that so many GB skiers, with world status have had the opportunity to ski together. Also, it is the first time that Joe Public has had the opportunity to ski alongside eleven of the nation’s best.
This week, Major Andrew Clarke, British Telemark Champion and captain of the GB Telemark ski team announced that seven members of his team will take part in the ski-a-thon. Bringing the participating skiing hero count up to eleven, means that this whole event has turned into an unexpected treble whammy. “The outside world might think that Britain’s top skiers ski together all the time. This is simply not the case. We see each other at competitions, but rarely get to take off down a slope together. I am also keen to see the up-and-coming talent from the paralympic development squad, who are also taking part. It is a privilege to be part of such a historic event, in aid of a charity that has helped so many skiers,” explained Andrew.
Paul Smith, Executive Director of SIA added: “We knew that this kind of event had not been run in the UK before, so we knew it was a first. However, to have so many world-class skiers volunteering to take part in the ski-a-thon has moved everybody within SIA. We can say to anybody who can snowboard or ski, ‘Come and join in. Oh and by the way, you will be on the slope alongside: Graham Bell (eight times British Ski Champion and Ski Sunday presenter), Ed Drake (British Alpine Champion), Talan Skeels-Piggins (fifth in the world for downhill sit-skiing and GB Paralympian), James Webb (GB freestyler) and now the national Telemark team.’ Wow!”
The GB Telemark team is sending Andrew himself, Richard Parrott, Rachel Morgan, Sarah Hannibal, Matt Turner, Huan Davies and David Cardwell to the 12-hour ski-a-thon. They have been hard at it, training for the World Cup which takks place in January 2010. Telemark combines and tests skiing disciplines including downhill, jumping, cross-country, freestyle and skating. It’s incredibly skilled, and, just as in triathlons, it requires a smooth transition from one challenge to another. “This year we have been able to use the SNO!zone for training, which is the first time we have had the facilities for out-of-season training. Going to the gym is no substitute for real snow. This gives us a stronger base for pre-competition training in the winter,” explained Andrew.
If you would like to take part in this historic ski-a-thon and ski or snowboard with true sporting heroes, please contact Sarah on s.tennent@spinal.co.uk or call 0845 6786633 ext. 217 for more information.
