Round 11 - DYNAFIT SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - 12 February 2014

11th stage of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel, Sébastien Figliolini on the top step of the podium.

91 competitors were once again at the start of the time trial of this 11th stage of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel (DSTC), held on Wednesday 12 February. All these ski mountaineering enthusiasts, more or less experienced, have had the chance since the start of the season to cover the 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain of this DSTC course, specially laid out for this discipline. Indeed, throughout the season, ski touring enthusiasts can take advantage of this track designed specially for ski touring. Maintained, marked, groomed and secured all winter, this course offers the chance to get started in this sport by making your way through the forest. The most motivated can fine-tune their training using as a reference the times of the best athletes in the world, who came to shine on this vertical race on 26 January during the World Cup.

With 6 stages to go before the final on 26 March, the best times of the season are for now held by Catalan Kilian Jornet in 22min16s and Frenchwoman Laetitia Roux in 25min31s. At this 11th stage of the DSTC, held under a magnificent moonlight, the season records were not threatened, but among those who were not coming for the first time, many managed to improve their time. If this success is explained for most competitors by consistent training, for others it is characterised by the use of much lighter equipment.

This Wednesday 12 February, the Pierra Menta winner (1998) and manager of the partner shop Le Camp de Base, Sébastien Figliolini combined these two components, “training and equipment”, to achieve his goal: getting under the 28-minute mark. Despite a fall 2 metres from the finish line, Sébastien posted the best time of the evening in 27min54s. “This morning I announced that if I didn’t manage to get under 28 minutes tonight… I would no longer be called Sébastien,” he told us, laughing, at the prize-giving. Hervé Soyard of the Club “Courchevel Sports Mountaineering” took second place in 39min10s and Jacques Lucas completed the podium in 29min34s.
5th overall, the director of the French Ski School (ESF) of Courchevel 1650, Paul Richoux won the ESF standings in 30mmin19s.

Among the women, Corine Chauchaix of ESF Arêches moved up one step on the podium compared with last week, finishing this Wednesday at the top of the podium in 33min36s and at the same time posting the best women’s time in the ESF standings. With a time of 35min54s, Pauline Caillet of ESF Courchevel 1850 took second position ahead of Géraldine Bau in 36min15s.

Next Wednesday, the start will be a mass start (all together) at 6 pm from Le Praz, as on 8 January for the Lionel Blanc special and on 26 January for the World Cup Vertical Race.