The Hall School enjoy success at ski races in Hemel snow dome

The Hall School in Belsize Park took 24 boys to the Independent Schools Association ski races at the Hemel snow dome and returned laden with medals.

The competitors, aged between seven and 13, were racing through stubby and full slalom gates in six teams of four – with the best three times counting.

The Hall not only won the whole preparatory school section – they recorded the best time of the morning with 13.80 seconds – but their teams also took the second, fourth, sixth and eighth spots in the boys’ school team category.

There were four individual medals in the Under-14 section – Max Fairfull came first ahead of third-placed Fred Potter, fourth-placed Aurelain Josserand and fifth-placed Andrew Smith.

Meanwhile, Xander Szerkowski was third in the Under-10s’ category, and Zach Tydeman finished fourth with Michael Smith close behind in fifth.

It is a far cry from when the skiing team started out three years ago, when The Hall boys were real novices and a long way off the podium.

But, with the support of headmaster Chris Godwin, they have been training regularly at the Hemel snow dome, while racing abroad at the Interschool Challenge in Les Houches in France and in the UK to become a force to be reckoned with.