Ski racers embrace high-level competition in Flaine

Published by St Mary's Calne on Thursday 5th of February 2026

The group of six ski racers set off from school on the exeat Friday (23/1) to compete in the British Schoolgirls’ Races in Flaine. St Marys Calne have a long tradition of entering the competition in the mountain resort and this year we took four students from UIV and two from LV.

The journey went smoothly and, after landing in Geneva, we made it through the rush hour traffic before heading up into the mountains, with every turn the scenery became even more snowy till we arrived at our hotel. After a checking in and settling into the very nice accommodation, we headed to the first of many amazing suppers before bedtime.

Saturday was an early start and, after breakfast, we soon headed to the ski shop to get our equipment before meeting our instructors. Although we had our own instructor, the first morning saw us link up with Sherborne and St Marys Ascot for ski race training. It was great having a mix of participants and meeting new people. A full day of training gave us the opportunity to build on the skills needed for the upcoming races as well as getting a good feel for the slopes, which were very different from the dry slope training we had done in the build up to the races.

Sunday morning gave us another opportunity to get some more training before the first races in the afternoon. The A Team Parallel saw a head-to-head competition and St Mary’s Calne (SMC) faced a very fast Surbiton High team. The team worked well and all racers completed the course in good timings but Surbiton’s experienced racers had the speed in the competition as they went on to win the overall A Team event.

A full day of racing in the Grand Slalom on Monday meant the racers had a busy day. The A and B Teams performed with quick turns, precision and strong technical skills to record good times with Sophia leading the way for the SMC teams. With the challenging course, some racers did not finish, so it was great to see all the SMC racers complete the race and record good timings.

Monday afternoon saw a thrilling B Team Parallel competition, with the SMC team taking on North London Collegiate School (NLCS) in the first round. A controlled race with the team making sure they went through all the correct gates meant they were able to progress into the next round to face another NLCS team. In a tight contest, the opposition snuck into the lead to win the knockout.

The final day of competition was a demanding slalom event, and the SMC racers rose to the event, completing the course in good times.

The different disciplines challenged the racers, and they were able to step up and show how much they had developed from the training they had. The spirit, determination and teamwork on show between the SMC students was fantastic to see. The support and encouragement each SMC racer showed to each other played a key role in the racers have a great experience and I have no doubt that the team will be able to build on this for future events.

Overall, the Schoolgirls’ Ski Races trip to Flaine was a great success with high-quality racing and individual development. It was an inspiring experience for all involved.

Thank you to all the parents who supported the racers with training and a big thank you to Mrs Toland for assisting with the trip.

Mr David Abini, Head of Lacrosse