DHOJournal•2011•37 On the Friday, the club room was tidied of unnecessary clutter and the old Eiger dining room next door was cleared and decorated by an indomitable force of mostly female DHO volunteers Amateur Inter Club Championship Races 2011 Mostly Liz Moore with by the “no-shows”. These included 5 Wengen with instructors from the Swiss members of the Mackintosh family who Ski School acting as guides and keeping contributions from were out in Wengen to celebrate the 80th everyone under control. Others decided that Ingie Christophersen, birthday of Douglas Mackintosh, eldest son the train offered a less energetic and warmer Lizzie Davies, Cleeves Palmer of our ex-President Chris Mackintosh and return to Wengen. himself an ex-Olympic skier in 1956. and Freddie Whitelaw Douglas participated and his Mac team The following day the magnifi cent weather progressed to the 2nd round, but no further. continued and a Super G was set to start at A buffet was organised in the dining room the Lauberhorn race start hut and continued and drinks prepared in the club room. That evening, everyone took the train up down to fi nish rather lower than the GS of In the evening the competitors, helpers to Kleine Scheidegg and the entire station the previous day, but still just above the and assistants gathered for “The buffet was fi lled to bursting. As dusk fell, the Hundschopf. Captain’s meeting”, and after a short view from the restaurant of the Eiger, Monch introduction from Liz Moore, once people and Jungfrau was quite magnifi cent. It was a Once the results were tabulated and protests knew where and when to congregate the truly magical occasion. heard, we all went down to the open air bar following day, the party began. outside the Brunner Hotel where the How the staff coped with everyone presentation of the prizes took place. After On the Saturday, everyone congregated at expecting their food at the same time we will all had been presented, the competitors rather the Lauberhorn race track start hut at about never know, but one extremely successful reluctantly started on their way home. 9.00 am. This was the GS and eventually weapon in their armoury was to keep the close to 130 skiers went down the drink fl owing continuously (which it did). It had been the most fantastic weekend. Lauberhorn course to the fi nish some way The team of volunteers led by Liz Moore had short of the Hundschopf. By 12 noon it was Various speeches were made, some a trifl e performed so well and delivered such a well over and most repaired to the restaurant at inaudible and the fi nal speech was made by oiled performance that we could not help but the top for food or a drink (or both) before Max D Amstutz, the author of the recently feel that it was close to perfection. It might then progressing to the race track side of the published book “The Golden Age of Alpine have been a little bit like a Swan, serene Bumps where a non-serious parallel slalom Skiing”. He drew particular attention to the on the surface but paddling like hell was organised. Some racers didn’t fact that Alpine skiing had started here and underneath, but if so, we could see no participate because no points were awarded special mention was made of that greatest of evidence of frantic paddling. What her team in the championship for this competition, but early British racers, Chris Mackintosh. did was an enormous credit to the DHO, and it was enormous fun and various volunteers Eventually the party came to an end and refl ected well not only on our club, but the came from the DHO to fi ll the gaps created about 30% of the participants skied down to village of Wengen as well. JournalText.indd 37 6/10/11 11:08:19 DHOJournal•2011•39 Cleeves Palmer, Chairman of Kandahar Ski Club (Cleeves is the inventor and “father” of the AICC races, we were delighted to have him as both a guest and a competitor) individual histories and traditions, will allow AICC Races us not only to strengthen the bonds that exist, Ingie, but also we can learn from each other with Introduction by the gaining of new ideas that will enrich Chief of Race amateur ski racing in the years ahead. Following the successful races in Mürren Cleeves Palmer and Cortina over the last three years, it was 4th Amateur Inter-Club Championship I look forward to our journey to Gstaad in the turn of the DHO to host the AICC races. The DHO and their Wengen friends ensured 2012 and I very much hope that they pass on a happy 4th edition of this championship, the baton to SAS (Schweizerischer A mixture of racing, socialising and blessed by new snow and beautiful sunshine, Akademischer Skiclub) for the 2013 reminiscing, young racers hot off the FIS the organisers, helpers and of course the championship. circuit, middle aged house-wives who racers could not have been luckier. Racing always hankered after a bib on their bosom, on the Lauberhorn piste was a tremendous and old fogies who were still itching to feel, privilege and I know that it was much and look, like Bode Miller or Herman enjoyed by the racers that I spoke to, even Maier. This must be the happiest and most though the fi nish gate of the GS was rather exhilarating way to fulfi l all those dreams, interesting… amongst like-minded wanna-be racers, in the perfect setting which is the Lauberhorn piste, As Beat Hodler said at the 2nd against the backdrop of the Eiger, the Mönch Championship “What we have in common and the Jungfrau. is a love for skiing and the mountains and an inextinguishable passion for ski-racing. The week-end kicked off with the Team But in the coming together for a team Captains Meeting in the DHO Club room, championship there is something additional. accompanied by generous amounts of It is the sharing of such an adventure, the Prosecco followed by a buffet supper in sharing of our passion with old and new the old Eiger dining room. The Ladies who friends – one says in German ‘shared sorrow lunch (and ski) did us proud –they might is a half sorrow and shared fun is double not have made the food but they certainly fun’…” wonderful words that epitomise our bought it and displayed it with their own coming together every year. hands, DHO hospitality at its best and most generous. There is no doubt that the annual coming together of our clubs, all of whom have very Ingie Christophersen JournalText.indd 39 6/10/11 11:08:45 40•DHOJournal•2011 At the Lauberhorn start hut, Sarah Hoyle, Maureen Fanshawe and Ingie Christophersen The Giant Slalom. The crowd gathered at the Käseschnitte mit Ei und Rösti did us proud bottom of the start hut ramp and the clicking – posh food, beautifully served. We had Lizzie Davis of cameras was audible – you would have speeches and hurrahs and the young skied thought that Bode Miller and Herman Maier down with torches accompanied by Wengen was one of the really were there. ski teachers and the oldies went back down on the train. backroom girls When you’re ready darling, was the order to start. Not quite World Cup procedure but Super-g. The word instils fear and butterfly who made it all then nor were the shapes of the competitors tummies. The atmosphere was depressed World Cup shapes. Bibs rode up over shiny and quiet – no posing, no bravado, just happen cat-suited convex tummies and must have nervous twitches and heavy breathing. Last year in Cortina SC 18 Club treated us been difficult for the gate-keepers to see. The photo crowd was absent, nursing its to a superb Gala Dinner in their magnificent There was a lot of huffing and puffing and own nerves. Club House. This year we wanted to do rubbing of thighs and posing and posturing something different but equally impressive, and in general behaving as if one had done But oh what fun once they were down and warm and convivial. this before and was only resuming where one drowning a glass of Prosecco and telling had left off 40 years earlier. every one how they had exceeded the We showed off our lovely new DHO Club- sound barrier. room on the Friday night but we eventually The giant slalom was followed by the had bookings for 180 people at the Gala parallel slalom – and team spirit and Prize-giving, more hurrahs and the DHO Dinner so a larger venue was required. Liz competitiveness was rife. Holding racers is the best and our local Wengeners the most Moore came up with the idea of the event to back before the start signal was abandoned wonderful and how could anything be held at Kleine Scheidegg in the Station – most of them were half way to the first gate be improved upon even one nano-iota. Buffet Restaurant, with the option of skiing even before the starter had reached 2. down after dinner by moonlight. Roll on Gstaad We caught the last train up to Scheidegg and On the night, we all made it to the last the Alpen glühnen was just magnificent and scheduled train up to Kleine Scheidegg for magical. Scheidegg buffet, whose culinary the start of the dinner at about 7.00pm. prowess I thought reached no further than JournalText.indd 40 6/10/11 11:09:03 DHOJournal•2011•41 The restaurant looked lovely in the early was held on the Bumps piste in the after- evening light.