ROUND 1 - DYNAFIT SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - 11 December 2013

4th season of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel: first reference times for Mathéo Jacquemoud and Marion Manéglia.

Season after season, the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel (DSTC) is growing and creating real enthusiasm. This 3.2 km ski mountaineering time-trial climb with 500 metres of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850, offered every Wednesday from 11 December to 26 March 2014, allows the best specialists of the discipline to come and fight for the season record or fine-tune their training. As for all ski mountaineering enthusiasts, they take the opportunity to ski in an exceptional setting, by the light of a headlamp.

The 2013/2014 season promises to be exceptional, judging by the figures. 26 participants were there for the first Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel when the race was launched in 2010. In 2011, 34 competitors were counted, then 42 last year, and this year participation is exploding with 82 ski mountaineers at the start of the first stage of the DSTC 2013/2014.

Among the participants was the ambassador of this 4th season of the DSTC, Mathéo Jacquemoud. Licensed with Courchevel Sports Mountaineering since the start of the season, Mathéo, four-time ski mountaineering world champion in 2013, 2013 Pierra Menta winner and DSTC 2012/2013 record holder, came to set the first reference time of the season in 24min01s. “I couldn’t go any faster because I currently have the flu, but next week I should be in better shape to improve my time,” he told us, coughing, after crossing the finish line.
Yoann Sert of the club Haute Tarentaise Montagne Sport took second place in 25min09s and Léo Viret of Team Isère Montagne completed the podium in 25min11s.
Other Pierra Menta winners were also there, with Francis Bibollet (winner in 1992) finishing in 26min35s and Sébastien Figliolini, manager of the partner shop “Le Camp de Base” (winner in 1998), posting a time of 29min46s.

Among the women, Marion Manéglia of the Chamonix Ski Club asserted herself in 32min12s ahead of Elisa Gayet  of team Pyrénées Catalanes in 34min47s and Christine Gachet of Team Isère Montagne in 35min42s.

With the support of the Courchevel Ski Schools since the creation of this event, the organisers of the association “Courchevel Sports Mountaineering” and the ESF directors have decided this year to set up a challenge for ESF instructors from all resorts and for ESF clients who come accompanied by their instructor. And for this first stage of the season, it was Nicolas Mater of ESF Courchevel 1550 who opened hostilities in 31min44s ahead of Philippe Mugnier (ESF Courchevel 1850) in 45min35s and Yves Blanc (ESF Courchevel 1650) in 49min10s. Christophe Normand, director of ESF Courchevel 1850, finished just off the podium in 49min53s behind his son Gaspard , the youngest participant of the evening, who at just 10 years old made the climb in 48min. Laurence Chevallier (ESF Courchevel 1850), the only female instructor present, finished the climb in 49min09s.

The DSTC ‘diehards’ would not have missed the opening for the world, such as Jean-Marc Sullice (45min48s), Michèle Mongellaz (48min36s), Grégory Isnardi (31min17s), Jean-Pierre Falcoz (35min40s) and many others who come regularly to try to improve their time.

Also worth noting, after 3 years of volunteering at the DSTC, is the presence of Patrice Rey , who put the bugle aside to come and put his name in the standings with a time of 57min32s.