Ice Ice Baby
World's first Suburban Skiing event hailed a success for Shooting Star.

With giant blocks of ice strapped to competitors’ feet and broom handles doubling up for ski poles, the world’s first Suburban Skiing event has taken place in Surbiton and raised £5,000 for Shooting Star.

More than 400 people watched the bizarre event unfold, cheering on each of the 40 brave souls who took to the 21-metre slope, which had been specially decked with linoleum for the occasion.

Among the competitors were BBC Sportsround presenter Ore Oduba, and MP for Kingston and Surbiton Ed Davey. ‘My main aim was to stand up right and I’m pleased to say I achieved that,’ said Davey. ‘Now I’ve seen the scoreboard, however, it’s clear my tactic came at the cost of a little velocity! Today’s event has been important for the community and important for the charity. Shooting Star already has a high name recognition and I hope today will further raise awareness of the vital work they do.’ 

As world records (and many of the competitors) tumbled, it was left to Surbiton resident Rob Smith to stand tall, clocking up an impressive 12.53 seconds winning time to become Suburban Skiing’s first World Champion. ‘For such a prestigious event, I knew it was important to study the different techniques,’ said Rob. ‘Having observed those who went before me, I decided to adopt a Nordic style. It paid off and I’m proud to be a World Champion. It’s a special moment and I know it will be very hard to live up to the responsibility an achievement like this brings.’

The event was the brainchild of Robin Hutchinson and regulars at The Lamb pub in Surbiton and Robin was delighted with how the event went. ‘We have reversed the science of skiing, which is a great achievement in itself, said Robin. ‘We’ve set the benchmark and are now sending out a challenge to the world. I imagine Rob’s record will be very difficult to beat, I can see it standing at least until somebody else gives it a go.’

When the euphoria of the absurdity had died down, Robin said how genuinely pleased he was that the event raised so much money for Shooting Star. ‘When we were looking to choose a charity to support, Shooting Star was easily top of our list. They deal with the unimaginable but they do it superbly. They create good memories at painful times.’