ROUND 4 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 16 January 2019

4th round of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel: new record for Corinne Favre and win for Arthur Blanc.

Already 464 starts given and 316 ski mountaineers ranked at the end of this 4th round of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel: the beginnings of an exceptional season. 112 participants crowded the start line this Wednesday 16 January, ready to battle it out on this 3.2 km course with 500 m of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850 in ideal snow and weather conditions. The original concept of this ski mountaineering race, devised and registered by the Courchevel Sports Outdoor club, which is run on an identical route in 13 rounds during the winter season with standings that evolve over the Wednesdays up to the final, has met with general approval. A great success that is confirmed every year. This formula allows competitors to manage their schedule, their form and the weather to choose the right moment to take part.

With the national elite in preparation for the ski mountaineering World Cup season, which begins this weekend in Bischofshofen, Austria, they had skipped it. A great opportunity to keep the suspense at the top of the standings but above all for challengers, who had the chance to stand out to get closer to the provisional records or to move them. As proof, Corinne Favre improved Lorna Bonnel's performance by 7 seconds and thus took back the lead of the women’s standings with a time of 28min16s. Catherine Juillaguet came in second position in 31min22s ahead of Stéphanie Pommat, a faithful of the MSTC, third in 32min23s.

Among the men, Arthur Blanc of the ESF in Arêches is the second competitor this season to break the 24-minute barrier. He won in 23min50s and is in second place in the provisional overall standings behind Yoann Sert (23min26s). In tune with their mother among the women, the Juillaguet brothers of the Courchevel Sports Outdoor club completed the podium with Will, second in 24min51s, and Swann third in 25min44s.

Next week, the Ecoles du Ski Français will be in the spotlight…

A partner of the MSTC since the beginning and thanks to the help of the resort’s 4 schools, the ESF have enjoyed for 5 years now a specific challenge dedicated to all instructors across the country. A special ranking lets them position themselves to name the best performers among them at the end of the season. For this 4th round, the ESF of Courchevel Village and Arêches stood out with wins by Pauline Le Roux (37min11s) and Arthur Blanc respectively. In the provisional overall standings, the latter does the double among the men, with Lorna Bonnel keeping the lead with a time of 28min24s among the women.

To celebrate this 5th anniversary in style and before the rush of February holidaymakers, the ESF will be in the spotlight next week with free registration for all ESF instructors.