ROUND 10 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 28 February 2018

10th Millet Ski Touring Courchevel 2018: a great performance by Léo Viret.

For several days now, a Siberian cold has settled over our mountains, with sub-zero temperatures unusual for late February. Making a physical effort in such conditions becomes painful and calls for certain precautions, which greatly handicaps an athlete in a speed event. Fortunately, by the start the temperature had risen a few degrees, ideal conditions in the end, but too late to motivate the troops. Only 85 ski mountaineers were on the start line. For this 10th round on Wednesday 28 February, Léo Viret, a member of the French team and 2nd in the team event at the Transcavallo in Italy 10 days earlier, was right to brave the cold and make the trip from Névache, where he lives. He set the best time of the evening in 23min01s but above all shook up the provisional overall podium by taking second place behind Xavier Gachet, the solid leader in 22min30s. William Bon Mardion drops one place to 3rd and the American John Gaston drops out of the top three. Jean-Baptiste Curtet (Courchevel Sports Outdoor), sharpening up for the Pierra Menta, took the 2nd step of the evening’s podium in 25min39s and finished ahead of Sébastien Bedu of the Club de Sports de Tignes, once again 3rd in 25min52s.

Among the women, the local athletes laid down the law. By a mere 8 seconds, Véronique Lathuraz won in 33min08s ahead of Stéphanie Pommat (33min16s). Armelle Favre of the ESF Pralognan la Vanoise, a regular at the “Millet”, climbed onto the podium in 35min11s, her best time of the season.

This 8th edition of the “Millet Ski Touring Courchevel” continues to enjoy great success, both in the number and the quality of its participants. This ski touring competition, held on a Vertical Race course every Wednesday evening since 27 December, comprises a total of 13 rounds this season. For the final ranking, only each participant’s best time will count. On Wednesday 21 March, the verdict will come at the end of the 2018 grand final, a fancy-dress apotheosis with more than 500 amateur and professional participants on the start line. For this great ski mountaineering celebration, the famous sports journalist Nelson Monfort will come to host the prize-giving ceremony in friendly fashion alongside Ludovic Collet. The band Emile et Images will then set the rest of the evening on fire with their greatest hits from the 1980s: Les Démons de minuit, Capitaine abandonné, Maîtresse, not forgetting Ville de lumière and others. Many surprises to discover will also enliven the event. In short, whether you are a participant or a spectator, an evening not to be missed under any circumstances.

Next week: 3rd Grand Slam of the 2018 season.

The 3rd and final ski mountaineering round of the Vertical Kilometre (KV) of the Plum KV Courchevel (PKVC) will take place on Friday 9 March. At the end of the 3 climbs offered this season (19 January, 16 February and 9 March) on the 5 km course with 1,000 m of elevation gain approved by the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME), the 2018 French KV records will be awarded. Reminder of the provisional leaders: Axelle Mollaret (46min36s) and Xavier Gachet (40min32s).

In the weeks when the MSTC and the PKVC are organised, a specific ranking is drawn up for those who complete the “Grand Slam” (taking part in the 2 events in the same week).

The 3rd Grand Slam of the season will take into account the cumulative times of the MSTC on Wednesday 7 March and those of the PKVC on Friday 9 March. Competitors who link these 2 races will be entitled to a 50% reduction for the 3rd round of the Plum KV Courchevel on Friday 9 March. A great way to come and discover this race, which is open to all. The best provisional times of the 2018 Grand Slam are held by Yoann Sert in 1h07min05s and Géraldine Bau in 1h30min08s.