A distance of 6.5 kilometers and 700 meters of altitude awaited the participants at the Army Ski Mountaineering Championships. Army champion titles went to Constable Uwe H. from the military police in Carinthia, Deputy Officer Eveline E. from airspace surveillance in Salzburg, Deputy Officer Josef G. from Command Support Battalion 2 in Salzburg and Lieutenant Petra B. from the Saalfelden Mountain Combat Center.
Little snow and high temperatures
The army ski mountaineering championships took place in the Fieberbrunn/Wildseeloder area in summery temperatures. 33 participants started together at the Grießenbodenalm at around 1,400 meters above sea level. The route led steeply uphill to the Wildseeloder-Haus, past the Wildsee lake and to the highest point, the Seenieder at 1,933 meters. The route back was via Reckmoos to the finish at the start area. The unusually high temperatures for the time of year and difficult snow conditions demanded everything from the competitors.
Close decision
Oberstabswachtmeister Matthäus F. (45:38 minutes) and Oberstabswachtmeister Daniel S. (48:02 minutes), both from the Saalfelden Mountain Combat Center, fought their way to second and third place in the general class. The victory went to constable Uwe H. with 42:38 minutes. In the women’s general class, Lieutenant Petra B. was unbeatable: with a time of 1:00:21 hours, she clearly left the runner-up, Staff Sergeant Sarah K. from the military police in Carinthia (1:17:58 hours) behind.
Senior class
In the senior class for over 40-year-olds, the army champion title went to Deputy Officer Josef G. after 43:14 minutes. He relegated Vice-Lieutenant Markus G. (Jägerbataillon 26, Carinthia) and Vice-Lieutenant Norbert D. (Army Sports Center) to second place. Deputy Officer Eveline E. was in a class of her own in the women’s category: with a time of 50:51 minutes, she not only took the title in her class, but also placed seventh overall (men and women) and was the fastest woman of the day.
Brigadier Peter Schinnerl, Military Commander of Salzburg, congratulated all those who took up the challenge and emphasized: “Sport and physical fitness are basic requirements for modern armed forces. The performances shown today justify the good reputation that the Austrian Armed Forces enjoys internationally in terms of endurance and technical alpine skills.”
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