Photo: Adam in action during the slalom competition

Fifth Year pupil Adam Swaine won two silver medals at the British Independent Schools Ski Championships held in Les Deux Alpes over the holidays.

He was among more than 350 talented young skiers who travelled to the French resort for the annual competition, held in challenging weather conditions after an unusually heavy snowfall.

Adam braved strong winds and poor visibility to win silver medals in both the U16 Slalom and U16 Giant Slalom competitions – a particularly remarkable achievement given that he has limited opportunity to ski.

He said: “This year the competition had to be moved down the mountain due to the massive amounts of snowfall and the harsh weather. The snow was not the best for racing but benefitted me well. I’m really pleased.”

Adam improved his ski-ready fitness through Pocklington School’s Strength and Conditioning Programme in the build up to the competition, using new specialist equipment and technology introduced to help students sharpen their skills and improve performance in their chosen sports.

He said: “I have been training through the Strength and Conditioning Programme for three weeks over the summer and in the run-up to the ski season, with help from Mr Wheeler and Mr Lambert. I’ve increased my fitness so I can perform my best.”

Adam was particularly determined to succeed because last year he was leading the grand slalom event until a fall ended his run. He vowed then that he would learn from his mistake – and came back stronger this year as a result.

He intends to carry on entering competitions, and also plans to sit his first BASI ski instructor’s exam as part of his summer glacier training, with the aim of teaching others in the future.