Blue Vixen 2008
By mid November the snow had already arrived with the daytime temperatures remaining in single figures and overnight temperatures dipping below zero. The Arber and Bretterschachten Ski Centre seemed to have kept most of their snow but as of mid December the Zwiesel training area had little more than a frosty dusting. When the teams arrived in mid January little had changed and it looked like the Bretterschachten Skizentrum would be our home for the next week. The weather on Sunday and Monday was a mixture of rain, sleet and mist but the hardy participants were keen to get on with the job and by Tuesday they were rewarded with an inch or so of fresh snow followed by glorious blue skies and a refreshing crisp nip to the air for the remainder of the week.
It was a kind reward for those repeat novices who had braved the snow-less mountain the previous year and amazingly had not been discouraged by the poor conditions and lack of skiing that 2007 had to offer. Maybe there's more to Blue Vixen than just the skiing? After all, it has been said on several occasions that the exped was one of the best kept secrets in RAF AT. Who would have thought that skiing uphill could be so much fun.
Here's a report from the Official RAF News Website featuring testimonies from two Blue Vixen novices:
Take a look at the Exercise Blue Vixen 2008 article written for the RAF Brize Norton Gateway Magazine by FS Mick Hurst.
Just click the thumbnails to enlarge.
