ROUND 1 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 25 December 2019

10th anniversary of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel!

10 years already! Who would have believed it? It began in 2010 as a slightly crazy bet by Courchevel Sports Outdoor Montagne et Escalade, with its president Guillaume Prin and his team of volunteers motivated by one goal: to bring together international athletes, local amateurs and holidaymakers around a weekly ski mountaineering competition on a Vertical Race course of 3.2 km and 500 m. A success that has grown over the years and has always been enriched with novelties, with the creation of a specific, secure course dedicated to the practice of this activity, which propelled Courchevel to having the first ski mountaineering track in France. This innovative spirit led to the organisation of 2 French Championships in 2012 and 2013 and a World Cup in 2014, not forgetting the creation of the 1st ski mountaineering medal, “La Trace”, produced by the ESFs of Courchevel.

The discipline’s elite is drawn to competing outside the international competition season, but conviviality remains the order of the day with, for the past 4 years, fancy-dress finals enlivened by concerts that have seen La Compagnie Créole, Patrick Sébastien, Emile et Images and Magic System follow one another.

To sum up this epic in a few figures, the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel has totalled 140 rounds held, 15,224 starts, €8,000 in prize money and €4,800 in vouchers to be won, more than 2,000 ski tourers every season and records held by world champions Kilian Jornet (22min01s) and Laetitia Roux (25min31s).

This genuine institution will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year with 14 events scheduled every Wednesday from 25 December to 18 March, not forgetting the chrono des champions on Friday 17 January on the same course, which will serve as a “selection” event for the next World Cups. The highlight of the season will of course be Wednesday 18 March, the day of the grand fancy-dress final with an exceptional concert by Shy’m.

Under 23 minutes for Gédéon Pochat!

A perfect start for this “Décima”: more functional new premises in the Alpinium close to the renewed start, excellent racing conditions with a well-prepared track, a starry sky with no moon (but rest assured, it will be there for the Plum MOONtain Races on 6 January 2020), in short, enough to satisfy the 97 participants at the start. In these favourable conditions, Gédéon Pochat posted a time of 22min51s, a top-level performance that sets the bar very high since, to date, only 16 competitors have managed to break the 23-minute mark. “I’m very happy with the result because I’m actively preparing for the selection event on Friday 17 January at the chrono des champions, which will allow me to take part in the next ski mountaineering World Cups in Vertical Race,” he said at the finish. Florian Sautel of ESF Valmorel took second place in 24min08s, which is the reference time for the ESF challenge standings. Steven Blanc completed the podium in 26min16s.

Among the women, Candice Bonnel of ESF Valmorel, team winner of the extraordinary Dynastar X3 triathlon in 2019, took this 1st round in 30 min ahead of Alice Niemaz of Courchevel Sport Outdoor (33min47s) and Sophie Grillet (38min32s).

A fine first, held in the Christmas spirit with many participants dressed as Father Christmas, such as Olivier Cellier (55min24s) or Mireille Franchino (56min31s), who both finished with the bronze Trace. Many other competitors wore the Father Christmas hat given out by the organisers, such as Pascal De Thiersant, chairman of the S3V management board, who won the Vermeil in 38min04s.

This 2020 season will be enhanced on Saturday 18 January by the French Ski Mountaineering Championship individual event, a competition that will be held on the Saulire massif, but also by the arrival of the “Plum MOONtain Races”, scheduled on full-moon Mondays (6 January, 10 February and 9 March) starting from Courchevel Village with a finish at the col de la Loze, where a good meal will await the competitors at the high-altitude restaurant “1928”, followed by the great torchlit descent supervised by the ESF instructors, not forgetting the extraordinary triathlon combining cycling, trail running and ski mountaineering: the “Dynastar X3” on Sunday 19 April. In the meantime, see you on 1 January for the first race of 2020, the chance to start with good resolutions.