University dry slope championship held in Edinburgh

The Midlothian Ski Centre Hillend Ski played host to the annual British Universities Dry slope Championships (BUDS) on 9 and 10 November.

Skiers from a number of British universities competed in the racing and freestyle events at Midlothian Ski Centre, Europe’s longest and steepest dry ski slope.

Despite the racing events being the focal point of the competition in terms of points and prizes, the attention of the crowd was very much elsewhere. The sounds of heavy netal and drum'n’bass enveloped the bitterly cold night air as the competition heated up at Hillend’s freestyle slope, where skiers and snowboarders flaunted their trademark moves, displaying a vast range of jumps, flips, grabs and spins.

After the finals, in which the very best competitors delivered a spectacular show of various jumps, came the pro-am, with a select few of Edinburgh’s elite skiers and snowboarders performing breath-taking stunts alongside the crème de la crème of university talent.

Edinburgh University’s Adam McLean, who finished runner-up in the previous week's Scottish University’s Dry slope (SUDS) skiing competition, told The Journal: “This is the best day of the year at Hillend. The students take over and everyone loves taking part in the competition.”

Another competitor, Bex Eccles, of Robert Gordon University, who made the women’s finals, commented: “The quality of skiing and boarding here is as high as it gets in any university competition.”