ROUND 2 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 2 January 2019

Millet Ski Touring Courchevel: Yoann Sert and Lorna Bonnel set the bar high!

Among the 2019 New Year’s resolutions, 131 people had chosen to start the new year ski touring by taking part in the 2nd round of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel this Wednesday 2 January. A surprising turnout this early in the season (146 racers last week), which delights Guillaume Prin , president of Courchevel Sports Outdoor, and his whole team. It must be said that for 9 years everything has been done to make this adventure last and meet with such success. As proof, despite the lack of snow, the course was magnificently prepared with the help of the resort’s Technical Services and Sports Department. Work appreciated by all the competitors, as Laurence Chevallier , elected councillor of Courchevel, pointed out at the finish after completing the 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850 in 46min47s. She took the opportunity to wish everyone a happy new year on behalf of the Municipal Council and its mayor Philippe Mugnier , the latter improving on his time of last week along the way in 48min04s.

Major change this season: everyone gets a medal!

Like Alpine skiing, which awards the Chamois, Flèches and so on, and at the instigation of James Gachet , director of the ESF of Courchevel, ski mountaineering finally has its own badge, “La Trace”. An extra motivation and a new goal for the participants of the “Millet Ski Touring Courchevel”, who, over the Wednesdays, or over the years for holidaymakers, will try to win “La Trace” Finisher, Bronze, Silver, Vermeil or the Gold grail, depending on the times achieved.

In this second round, 37 ski mountaineers were awarded the Gold medal with a performance under 33min30s: a time largely smashed by the day’s winners Yoann Sert and Lorna Bonnel , a member of the French Women’s Ski Mountaineering team. With respective times of 23min26s and 28min23s, they set significant baseline records and took the lead in the overall standings.
Without disgrace, Yoann Caillot in 24min26s and Adèle Milloz in 29min55s took the 2nd step, followed by Bastien Flammier (25min35s) and Stéphanie Pommat (32min10s). Reading these first performances, the fight promises to be a royal one for this 9th edition of the “Millet Ski Touring Courchevel”.

In this week partly dedicated to Russia, holidaymakers from that country were there, like Ana Orlova who finished with the bronze medal in 58min13s, accompanied by her instructors Angèle Clavet and Henri Thurier. In the ESF challenge, Lorna Bonnel , instructor at the ESF of La Toussuire, naturally takes the lead of the scratch standings thanks to her win, as does Nicolas Mater of the ESF of Courchevel Village in 30min40s among the instructors.

Next week, participants in the 3rd round will enjoy the traditional galette des rois (Twelfth Night cake) and a gift will be offered to all those lucky enough to draw the bean.