Central Fund supports 2025 Alpine Challenge

The RAF Winter Sports Alpine Association (RAFWSAA) have delivered yet another fantastic Alpine Challenge, with attendees taking to the slopes to ski, board or hike during two weeks in January. From complete beginners through to seasoned competitors, daily lessons were offered by expert instructors to ensure that everyone could benefit from the extra tips and tricks on offer to hone their skills on the snow. 

The Alpine Challenge continues to provide a fantastic opportunity for personnel to enhance their wellbeing by taking on physical challenges whilst developing mental resilience and building social connections. Charitable funding from RAF Central Fund grant programmes supported this year’s Alpine Challenge in several ways:

• Our funding of Sport Associations continues to enhance the delivery of RAF Sport, awarding £1 million annually to over 50 sports, including the RAFWSAA, as part of our mission to enable a diverse range of sport and physical activity for personnel to engage in.

• Eligible personnel applied for financial support through our Sport Grants programme, which financially empowered the attendance of over 250 personnel.

• Furthermore, we were able to subsidise a series of beginners lessons, enabling a supported introduction to the slopes for an array of personnel that were new to Winter Sports.

Our COO, Niki Graske, attended for the first time this year and commented on her experiences from the week: “What a wonderful opportunity to see our beneficiaries enjoying winter sports and taking part in challenges that take them out of their comfort zones. It was great to meet lots of people experiencing the Alpine Challenge for the first time. With many never having the means or opportunity to ski or snowboard before, the expert tuition was well received.”

It was clear how much the opportunity to learn and experience the challenge was valued by those in attendance.

In addition to financial support, 2025 also saw the RAF Central Fund host an inspirational evening, free for serving personnel to attend, with two brilliant speakers, Jo Chaffer and Billi Bierling. Sharing tales of adventure, near-misses and lessons learned from decades of exploration, their awe-inspiring stories included climbing Mount Everest and humanitarian work in East Africa, all with the overarching message of ‘say yes!’.

Whatever your level of experience, our congratulations go to all personnel that overcame the fear and trepidation of the slopes and ‘said yes!’ to the Alpine Challenge in 2025. If you’re interested in Winter Sports, get in touch here.