Enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders raised more than £50,000 for national youth charity Snow-Camp to help change the lives of inner-city young people, in this year’s The AJ Bell Alpine Challenge.
The ninth staging of this huge snowsports charity endurance event was once again held at the end of January in the vast Portes du Soleil ski area that straddles the French/Swiss border, with 22 teams going flat out to ski as many kilometres as possible over two days, while visiting 47 checkpoints.
Arriving at the event base in Morzine, the teams received their list of checkpoints, and many spent the night before the challenge poring over piste maps to try to work out the best way to reach as many checkpoints as their legs would allow. Getting to resorts as far-flung across the Portes du Soleil as Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz, Chatel, Les Crosets, Morgins and Chappelle d’Abondance called for an incredible feat of fast skiing.
The teams enjoyed plenty of snow and a mix of conditions ranging from fog to brilliant sunshine. Andy Bell, CEO of AJ Bell and title sponsor of this year’s event said: ‘It was fantastic seeing even more teams joining the event for two challenging but fun days in the mountains. Even though we knew what we had signed up for it wasn’t any easier this year but it is so rewarding to combine skiing with supporting a worthwhile cause.’
The money raised will support Snow-Camp’s bid to become a national charity enabling the organisation to work with more inner-city young people across the UK. Snow-Camp Events Manager Julia Feess said: ‘We are so excited that teams have managed to raise over £50,000 collectively, which will enable us to support even more young people as we are expanding our programmes nationally. We’re so grateful to everyone who took part and to our amazing sponsors.’
The Kummel Killers claimed the gold medal and title of the AJ Bell Alpine Challenge Top Fundraisers 2018 by raising an epic £7,000+, followed by The Stanleys and the Mountain Marauders in second and third place.
Many other teams smashed their targets with fantastic fundraising efforts. Only two teams managed to reach all 47 checkpoints this year, with the National Guernsey Ski Team claiming the trophy after skiing a massive 258.4km over the two days!
Dan Charlish, Snow-Camp’s Founder said: ‘The AJ Bell Alpine Challenge is a great opportunity for teams to strategise, test their skiing stamina and above all have a lot of fun. I’m incredibly grateful to all the teams for their fundraising efforts, their help enables us to reach thousands more young people across the country. Get in touch if you want to be involved next year.’
Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the Alpine Challenge! The event will take place from 24-27 January 2019 and aims to be even bigger, with many of this year’s teams determined to return and bring friends – so if you are interested in getting involved please email:
