Staff sergeant Roger Stakemire from Shefford was one of 132 soldiers in this year s Army Snowboarding Championships on the Stubai Glacier in the Austrian Alps. The 34-year-old is in the intelligence corps stationed at Aldershot. Already an advanced skier,
Staff sergeant Roger Stakemire from Shefford was one of 132 soldiers in this year's Army Snowboarding Championships on the Stubai Glacier in the Austrian Alps.
The 34-year-old is in the intelligence corps stationed at Aldershot. Already an advanced skier, Roger decided to give snowboarding a go.
He said: "I took up snowboarding 10 days ago!
"A love of skiing and winter sports got me started on this.
"It made me want to try boarding and I saw the exercise as an opportunity to learn boarding in work. As always, being on the slopes is the highlight of my year."
The championships last nearly three weeks and involve five disciplines, including giant slalom racing and the challenging boarder cross, featuring jumps and stunts. This year, the army is celebrating its 25th anniversary of winter sports in the Stubai Valley.
A former pupil of St Thomas More School in Bedford, Roger worked as a chef at Flitwick Manor before joining the army in 1992.
He finished in 35th position in his first novice giant slalom race.
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