Sparkling Meribel opening ceremony heralds 75th Inter Services snow sports

Fanfare and fireworks warmed a frigid alpine night as the UK Armed Forces' snow sports stars, special dignitaries and sponsors huddled under numerous layers to watch the opening ceremony of the Inter Service Snow Sports Championships (ISSSC).

The world-famous Les 3 Vallées region regularly shows off its striking landscapes as the backdrop to winter sports competitions, but this year's championship is of particular significance.

Not only is it the ISSSC's 75th anniversary, but also the 20th time Meribel has hosted the prestigious event.

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An event, surely, worthy of a special ceremony. All competitors from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and Armed Forces Para Snow Sport Team walked on with their respective teams to vibrant entrance music under the floodlights.

The Chief of the Defence Staff, and President of the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton then made a speech to get the games underway, before athletes and officials from the École Ski Francais (who oversee the running of the resort) descended the mountain in zig-zag formation, illuminated by LED lights on their clothing and holding aloft bright lanterns reminiscent of the Olympic torch.

Royal Navy snowboarder Petty Officer Stacey Cameron spoke of her emotion after the evening's celebrations: "This is the first time I've represented the Navy in this sport, it's been absolutely amazing, it's so much more than snowboarding for me. 

"It's kind of an emotional happiness, because 26 years of my career, and now I'm here enjoying this, representing the Navy, and then it just makes you feel young again, it makes you feel you're part of the team again. You're not done, you're not over."

When asked about her experience of parading onto the Stade with her team, she told BFBS: "Oh you can't ask me that, I'm a nightmare because I love marching and drills, so I get emotional because I just get really proud. You never can beat fireworks, can you?"

You can watch plenty of live action from the championships, as BFBS Forces News YouTube will host livestreams of the following events:

Monday

Snowboard Cross – 12:00 GMT

Tuesday

Parallel Giant Slalom (Snowboard) – 16:00 GMT

Thursday

Telemark Parallel Sprint 08:00 GMT

Alpine Parallel Giant Slalom (NEW FOR 2026) 16:00 GMT

You can also find more behind-the-scenes content on the BFBS Forces News social media channels.

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