ROUND 12 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 17 and Sunday 21 March 2021

A top-flight finale to the 2021 Millet Ski Touring Courchevel!

The conclusion of this season 11 will remain etched in memories. Putting on a ski touring event by evoking Everest and Tahiti, you had to think of it. The bet paid off for the whole Courchevel Sports Outdoor club team at the end of this very special season. This slightly mad idea emerged in early February, when the decision not to impose another lockdown was taken by the authorities and the concert originally planned to conclude this winter with Keen’V could not be held normally. The original organisation of the race had to adapt to comply with the health protocol by changing the schedule of the traditional weekly Wednesday-evening meetings at 6 pm, rescheduling them over 2 days (Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm). During those 5 hours, an original idea of completing as many climbs as possible in that time was suggested to the organisers by Jonathan Lamy, an accomplished athlete and member of the organising club who will set off to climb Everest on 4 April. Enthusiasm was there from the launch of this new challenge. After this first experience, the staff quickly understood that it would be difficult to do more than 6 climbs in the time allowed on the 3.2 km vertical race course with 500 m of elevation gain, hence the idea of creating a new challenge: the Challenge Millet 3000. This race consists of completing 6 climbs in under 5 hours as quickly as possible (only the climbs are timed). It is also the qualifying basis for the Millet Everest challenge on 20 and 21 March.

The first ski mountaineering Ultra in Courchevel: the Millet Everest challenge

An innovator in ski touring for the past 11 years with the creation of the first permanent marked and secured course, and creator of original registered concepts, Courchevel becomes the first resort to organise a ski mountaineering Ultra: the Millet Everest challenge. A 9,000 m race of elevation gain was born, on touring skis (we talk more about elevation gain and less about kilometres covered). This event, mainly reserved for ultra-endurance experts, saw 39 selected entrants compete in this first edition with a high-calibre field. Among them were a host of national and international champions in ski mountaineering, trail running, triathlon, mountain biking and Xterra, such as Cédric Fleureton, David Poncet, Nicolas Lebrun, Corinne Favre, René Rovera, Maud Gobert, Alexandre Pellicier to name but a few. 2 days of competition to climb 9,000 m of elevation gain on the Millet Ski Touring course (3.2 km / 500 m elevation gain), i.e. 18 climbs (57.6 km / 9,000 m of elevation gain), to reach the altitude of the summit of Everest (8,849 m) starting from sea level, as quickly as possible (only the climbs are timed within the time allowed). 5,000 m of elevation gain had to be completed on Saturday 20 March between 7 am and 5 pm, before spending the night in tents (-10°) at the base camp (the Courchevel snow front, set up for the occasion), then setting off again the next day from 7.30 am to complete the last 4,000 m of elevation gain before 3.30 pm.

Everest for Corinne Favre and Alexandre Pellicier

At the end of this first ultra, where managing rest times and aid stations was essential to reach the goal as quickly as possible, Alexandre Pellicier, 2008 team ski mountaineering world champion, 2007 team European vice-champion and 3rd at the Pierra Menta in 2007, won in 8h43min44s, ahead of Jocelyn Verdenal, a road cycling specialist (2nd in the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2019) in 8h47min58s, and mountain biker Jonas Buchot (2019 winner of the Raid de la Meije and the Raid des Monts d’Ardèche, plus a fine 8th place in the marathon World Cup in Bouillon, Belgium), deservedly 3rd in 53min36s. The winner of the last Diagonale des Fous, Grégoire Curmer just missed the podium in 9h03min44s, ahead of master ski mountaineering world champion David Poncet 5th in 9h18min26s. The rest of the standings shows the intrinsic quality of the field: 6th in 9h21min04 Nicolas Lebrun (2005 XTerra world champion), 7th in 9h22min48s Dorian Colliard (10th at the French U23 Vertical Race ski mountaineering championships), 8th in 9h34min12s triathlete René Rovera (winner of the 2004 Ironman Lanzarote with around ten participations in the world finals in Hawaii between 1996 and 2007), 9th in 9h50min37s Jonathan Lamy in the thick of preparing for his ascent of the roof of the world, 10th in 9h56min05s, François Lesca, high mountain guide, cross-country ski and climbing instructor. The 11th and last to finish under the 10-hour mark (9h59min43s), Cédric Fleureton, 2005 and 2006 European triathlon vice-champion, three-time French trail running champion (2014, 2015 and 2016), 3rd at the 2017 Trail Running World Championships, 7th at the 2017 Swimrun World Championships, 5th at the Xterra World Championships in 2017 and 2019, completes this exceptional line-up.

Among the women, ski mountaineering world champion Corinne Favre won in 10h32min52s ahead of Millet Ski Touring Courchevel 2021 9th-placed Véronique Lathuraz in 11h10min25s. Back in competition, 2011 trail running world champion Maud Gobert took 3rd place in 12h11min04s. A special mention to Pascale Gachet-Mauroz of ESF Courchevel Village who, having taken part in all the MSTC rounds for several years, completed 9 climbs before being stopped by the time limits. Patron of this competition, Dawa Sherpa, the legend of Nepalese sport, did not fail to warmly congratulate the 34 competitors who reached the end of this crazy challenge.

Destination Tahiti for the crowning of Axelle Gachet-Mollaret and Thibault Anselmet at the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel 2021

Singer Keen’V, captain of this special flight to Papeete, Tahiti, for the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel finale, was at the controls of this event. 160 passengers boarded this ultra-festive flight, all adorned with a flower garland given at the start. Beginning on Wednesday 17 March, the first stopover of this final race saw the participation of 1998 Pierra Menta winner Sébastien Figliolini, manager of the partner shop “le Camp de Base” and 2003 Everest summiteer, accompanied by his son Gaspard (10 years old), who finished in 42min30s. A first day marked by the huge performance of Slovak Marianna Jagercikova, sprint vice-world champion and bronze medallist in the overall standings of the 2021 Ski Mountaineering World Championships, who had rocketed into second place overall in 27min05s. Unfortunately for her, Jessica Pardin, highly motivated, posted the performance of the weekend on Sunday in 26min53s, meaning victory in this round 12 and second place in the overall scratch standings. Three-time ski mountaineering world champion and two-time Pierra Menta winner, Valérie Ducognon took third place in this final round. In the final overall standings, although pushed to the very end, Axelle Gachet-Mollaret won for the 5th consecutive year in 25min58s

Among the men, big performances from the top 3, who thereby join the final Top 10. Samuel Equy, bronze medallist in the vertical race at the 2021 French Ski Mountaineering Championships, won in 22min34s. He finished ahead of Julien Bernaz credited with 23min25s, a time that gives him victory in the U23 category. On the 3rd step, master world champion Yoann Caillot consolidates his lead in O40 in 23min43.

In the final overall standings, all-categories French champion Thibault Amselmet succeeds Swiss runner Rémi Bonnet with an excellent time of 21min48s. He finished ahead of 2021 Vertical Race French vice-champion Gédéon Pochat in 21min50s and 2021 long-distance world champion, Italian Michele Boscacci (22min11s).

The grand finale with Keen’V….

For this last flight heading for paradise after Wednesday’s stopover, many travellers had dressed up to be as Tahitian as possible. Once again it was very difficult for the jury to pick the best costume from among all the selected participants. In the end, a prize draw for the best “Deguisetoi.fr” costume prize chose Joseph Samson, the reward being presented by Keen V.

The grand finale of this sunny weekend, marked by the arrival of spring and of this 11th edition of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel, took place behind closed doors in the Gilles de La Rocque concert hall. The ceremony ended in the presence of Jean-Yves Pachod, mayor of the resort, who came to present the 2021 “René et Raymond Millet” Crystal Trophies, named after the founders of partner brand Millet, to the great 2021 winners Axelle Gachet-Mollaret and Thibault Anselmet.

A fine show that brought together all the winners as well as the 4 competitors who ran all 12 rounds of the season: Mireille Franchino, Pascale Gachet-Mauroz, Jonathan Lamy and Philippe Mottier. An end to the day hosted by Ludovic Collet and Keen’V set to the beat of the summer 2020 hit, gold disc after just 9 months: TAHITI!

A superb ceremony broadcast on Facebook Live on the Courchevel Sports Outdoor page

See you in December 2021 for edition 12 of the Millet Ski Touring, with conditions, we hope, back to normal.

2021 winners by category:

U16: Amandine Perrier: 37min03s / Edgar Cognaud: 31min01s
U18: Louna Broche: 32min12s / Maxime David: 26min42s
U20: Grace Staberg: 27min59s / Anselme Damevin: 24min07s
U23: Clémence David: 32min25s / Julien Bernaz: 23min25s
O24: Axelle Gachet-Mollaret: 25min58s / Thibault Anselmet: 21min48s
O40: Corinne Favre: 29min28s / Yoann Caillot: 23min43s
O60: Pascale Gachet-Mauroz: 36min34s / Joseph Chedal: 29min37s

Next season: Every Wednesday from 22 December 2021 to 23 March 2022 with plenty of surprises until the grand costume finale and the closing concert with Louis Bertignac!