A FORDINGBRIDGE student has squared up for the daunting downhill ski races at the British Army Alpine Skiing Championships.

Officer Cadet James Mullens, 21, joined colleagues from the Oxford University officer training corps as they battled it out in a series of races at Exercise Spartan Hike, The British Army Divisional Skiing Championships held in the French resort of Serre Chevalier.

Officer Cadet Mullens was just one of 128 competitors who went head-to-head in the two week-long Alpine Championships, comprising a series of formidable downhill courses on some of the fastest, most unforgiving slopes in the French Alps.

Competitors displayed their technical skills and poise under pressure as they negotiated a tricky course around 52 gates on the speedy slalom course, before gearing up for the 2,140-metre down-hill race course, which had a 480-metre vertical drop and a 30-metre jump.

Officer Cadet Mullens, who is currently in his second year of a degree in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes University, said: “Although I’ve done a reasonable amount of skiing before, this is the first time I have ever raced so it’s a very different experience.

“I really enjoyed it. It can be frustrating at times, but I think I’ll be back again next year. I’m completely hooked.

“We spent ten days training in Val d’Isere before the competition and it’s paid off. This whole competition is all about testing bravery, courage and reactions. I can see why it’s so relevant to the military. As a team made up completely of students, our aim is simply to win as many medals as possible.”