Round 13 - DYNAFIT SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - 26 February 2014

Yoann Sert and Elisa Gayet take the 13th stage of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel.

For this 13th stage of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel (DSTC), the 68 ski mountaineers present had to cover the 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850 under falling snow. The snow began to fall on the resort early in the afternoon. To allow all competitors to perform in the best possible conditions and to avoid having to break trail in ten centimetres of fresh snow, the organisers from the association “Courchevel Sports Alpinisme” had asked for a snowcat to go over the whole course just before the start of the race.

Thanks to this grooming, the participants were able to enjoy very good gliding conditions in a landscape embellished by sparkling snowflakes and the beams of headlamps. It was in this fairytale atmosphere that Yoann Sert won in 23min39s ahead of Julien Poquet (25min55s) and Jean-François Page (27min17s). Nicolas Gaydet, director of "Scarpa France", took 5th place in 27min47s, declaring at the finish: “It’s a great race, the atmosphere is fantastic! I was surprised to see the finish so quickly; I had held something back, thinking I still had distance to cover. Now that I know the course, I need to come back and do a better time.”
The performance of the evening goes to Robert Petitjean, a National Forests Office ranger in Courchevel, who smashed his record of 38min13s by finishing this time in 32min56s. To achieve this lightning ascent, Robert did not fall into the cauldron full of magic potion but simply opted for much lighter equipment. A gram saved on the feet (boots, skis, bindings) is equivalent to 7 grams saved on the back. Take note, enthusiasts!

Among the women, victory went to Elisa Gayet in 32min04s. The podium was completed by Pauline Caillet in 35min10s and Sylvie Murat in 35min54s.

In the ESF standings, ESF Belle Plagne stood out with Dimitri Lobadowsky, who set the best time in 28min43s, as did ESF Courchevel 1850 with Pauline Caillet, who set the best time among the women instructors in 35min10s.

The countdown has now begun for this 4th season of the DSTC. Only 4 meetings remain to try for the record, improve your times, come and put your name in the overall standings, which include the world’s best athletes, or simply come and have a good time and taste the joys of ski touring. Not forgetting the final climb on Wednesday 26 March, which has been a huge success for three years, with registration free for everyone who comes in fancy dress and the closing meal, prepared by the Michelin-starred Hôtel Le Chabichou, offered to all participants.