Exercise FROSTED KUKRI 2025 was an Alpine skiing exercise organised by the Brunei Garrison Support Troops. It took place in the Hakuba ski area in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Hakuba, renowned for its exceptional skiing facilities was the venue for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and features nine different resorts known for its reliable and abundant snowfall, offering a diverse range of terrain. A total of 21 participants, including three instructors from Brunei Garrison Support Troops and six personnel from Brunei Signal Troop, deployed on this exciting adventure.
On 12 February 2025, our flight departed from Bandar to Narita airport. After a five hours journey, we arrived at the Tabist-no More resort in Hakuba. In the evening, we received our ski kit and next morning we moved to Gondola Lodge where we were accommodated for five days while undertaking the ski training aimed at achieving Ski Foundation (SF) 1 and SF 2 qualifications.
Personnel were divided into three groups, one for SF2 and two for SF1. I was very excited as this was my first experience of skiing. On the first day, I faced challenges as I struggled with basic manoeuvres such as the plough and basic turns. With the guidance of our instructor, we grasped the fundamentals, and by the end of that first day we successfully navigated a green route, which significantly boosted our confidence on the slippery slopes. On the second day, our instructor introduced us to a slightly steeper terrain, where we continued to improve and began learning how to brake in a parallel ski position. By the third day, we had mastered parallel braking and turning. On the fourth day, our instructor guided us onto a red route, which presented a more challenging slope. Initially, skiing on the red slope was difficult due to its steepness, but by the fifth day we had gained the confidence to tackle it successfully. Before returning to Brunei we had a small window of opportunity to see the hustling streets of Tokyo.
