ROUND 8 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 14 February 2018

Millet Ski Touring Courchevel 2018: already more than 500 participants ranked!

New faces were on the start line of round 8 of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel this Wednesday 14 February. With the February holidays, many tourists took up the challenge of this night-time ski mountaineering race of 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850. "You hear so much about this race that it’s impossible to come to Courchevel without trying the experience. In the end, we’re happy to have reached the top. This climb is magical by headlamp, the atmosphere is really very friendly. It’s great to be able to get a bit of a head start by starting in the first positions and to be caught up by the top guns who, for the most part, leave us a little word of encouragement as they pass. Definitely to be done again on our next holiday,” said a group of Belgian holidaymakers in essence once they had crossed the finish line.

Since 2011, this discipline has become an institution in the Courchevel resort, with its champions, its regulars and its ever more numerous novices. It must be said that with the creation of this permanent ski mountaineering course, the “Millet” and the “Plum” have greatly contributed to this spectacular development. Hundreds of ski tourers walk this secured, marked and maintained route every day. Ever more efficient equipment has also become an essential factor in the development of this sport accessible to all. Investing in quality equipment allows you to enjoy yourself both uphill and downhill, with the satisfaction of practising a sport that is healthy and good for you. Today, ski mountaineering has become a major vector for the Courchevel resort in its range of diversified activities. As proof, for 8 years, the number of participants in the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel has kept growing. This 8th round recorded 125 competitors on the start line with a “youth” asset: 20 were under 18. Since the start of the season (8 rounds validated), 895 starts have been validated for 524 different people currently ranked.

This Wednesday, as befits Valentine’s Day, registration was free for all couples. For the men, the fight was tough, with the first 4 within 30 seconds. William Perrier, a member of the organising club Courchevel Sports Outdoor, climbed onto the highest step of the podium for the 2nd time with a time of 24min56s. He finished ahead of Sébastien Fayolle in 25min03s and Alexandre Pellicier in 25min20s. Florent Besses missed the podium in 25min23s. Among the women, a double for Lorna Bonnel of ESF La Toussuire: she won in 28min46s, setting the best provisional time in the overall standings of the 2018 ESF challenge. She finished ahead of Jessica Pardin, second in 29min07s, and Clémence David in 32min04s.

In the provisional overall standings, Lorna Bonnel takes 3rd place in the women’s scratch. At the top of this ranking sits Axelle Mollaret in 25min51s followed by Russia’s Ekaterina Osichkina (27min48s).

This week: 2nd instalment of the Plum KV Courchevel and the Grand Slam, 2018 season

The 2nd ski mountaineering round of the Vertical Kilometre (KV) of the Plum KV Courchevel (PKVC) will be held this Friday 16 February. At the end of the 3 climbs offered this season (19 January, 16 February, 9 March) on this 5 km course with 1,000 m of elevation gain, approved by the French Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FFME), the 2018 French KV records will be awarded.

In the weeks when the MSTC and the PKVC are held, a specific ranking is drawn up for those who complete the "Grand Slam" (taking part in both events in the same week).

The season’s "2nd Grand Slam" will take into account the combined times of the MSTC on Wednesday 14 February and the PKVC on Friday 16 February. Competitors who do both events back to back will be entitled to a 50% discount for round 2 of the Plum KV Courchevel this Friday 16 February. A good way to come and discover this race open to all. As a reminder, the best provisional times for 2018 are as follows:

- for the “PLUM”: Yoann Sert (43min19s) and Elisa Gayet (54min52s)

- for the “Grand Slam”: Yoann Sert (1h07min05s) and Géraldine Bau (1h30min08s)