Finally, after an arduous journey across the continent, which contained a few hairy moments navigating through the helicopter flight paths and cable spans of alpine cable cars, the Airship is at last tethered to her moorings, and HQ is now established at Chamonix base. We’re also please to announce that Motorola have come aboard to sponsor us in our endeavours by way of their Talkabout walkie-tallkies. On hill communications will be greatly aided by these fine wireless inventions as they will replace the usual random, arm-waving semaphore that can appear to say anything from “there’s an avalanche behind you” to “I’m off to the restaurant for a hot chocolate”.

The mood which greeted us from fellow seasoners on our arrival in Chamonix was initially gloomy, due to the diabolical lack of snow in the French mountains. So the moorings were released and course was set for Seegrube, a mountain side overlooking Innsbruck in Austria, to attend an event named simply “The Jam”. The brain child of Matius Hoffman from Team 72, and Tommy Marsh of Mellow Constructions; “The Jam” consisted of 3 days of snowboarder, camera and media friendly riding that was without format, without judges, and therefore, without hassle. The atmosphere on the hill was beyond chilled. If one hand was holding a glass of Moet and the other a menthol cigarette in a cigarette holder, this would probably accurately describe just how chilled the atmosphere was. Not that the action was slack. Young rookie pilots such as Friedl Kolar, Marc Andre-Tarte, Sani Alibabic, David Benedek and Joel Strecker wowed the crowds and lensmen with fine aerobatical displays against the backdrop of the city of Innsbruck. Later that evening dignitaries of that self same city honoured us with strange and traditional food and dancing.
The snow-less Alps have become national news on the French televisual wireless, and the Gaullic shrug has been an all too familiar sight as the mountains have resembled green goat herding pastures rather than the white powder fields we all anticipated. The local snowboard stores have enjoyed a roaring trade in base repairs as the protruding rocks test the technological wonder of Ptex to it’s limit.

Help was at hand though. Urgent telegraphs were transmitted to old comrades in the crumbling, but still honourable, Airforce of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. General Mikiel Wingski, former commander of the “Battle Bag” squadron, after receiving his usual briefcase of used, mixed 100 dollar bills, scrambled his old squadron to seed the limp, lifeless clouds above the Haute-Savoie region. Snow at last! Snow at last! Thank God almighty! Snow at last!.

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