Round 12 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 2 March 2016

Laetitia Roux takes the lead in the 12th Millet Ski Touring Courchevel.

The March showers spiced up this 12th round of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel (MSTC) on Wednesday 2 March. An hour before the start of this ski mountaineering time trial, set for 6 pm, about ten centimetres of snow covered the course. The 104 participants present had this snowy episode throughout the climb. While to spectators the conditions might have seemed Dantesque, for the runners the sight was magnificent, with snowflakes glittering in the beams of the head torches, all the more so as the temperature was pleasant.

Before each start, a synthetic strip with short hairs called a “seal skin” is attached under the skis so that the ski glides in the direction of travel and grips in the other direction so as not to slide back on the slopes. Depending on the quality of the snow and temperature changes as the climb goes on, the skins can “stick”, meaning the snow clings underneath and prevents the ski from gliding forward. A victim of the phenomenon, Caroline Freslon of CAF Chamonix narrowly missed the podium. “I had so much snow under my skins that I preferred to carry my skis in my hand and run the last 500 metres,” she told us at the finish.

Winner in 2012 in 28min12s, in 2014 in 25min31s and in 2015 in 26min04s, the ski mountaineering world champion Laetitia Roux took the lead by setting the season’s new provisional record in 26min48s. “The track was good but I lost time when overtaking because the snow was not groomed. I’m far from my personal best but with better conditions I think I can do much better.” Next came Véronique Lathuraz of the Courchevel Sports Alpinisme club in 34min05s and Anne-Lise Millischer of CAF Vanoise Tarentaise in 34min52s. Laetitia's performance shook up the provisional overall standings once again, relegating her team-mate Axelle Mollaret (27min29s) to second place, with whom she won the “Altitoy-Ternua” last weekend, one of the two French stages of the long-distance team World Cup. Corinne Favre moved into third place overall in 28min10s.

Among the men, Samuel Equy of Team Isère Montagne won in 24min22s and moved into third place in the provisional overall standings behind Mathéo Jacquemoud (22min55s) and Florent Perrier (23min40s). Joris Perillat-Pessey of ESF La Clusaz came second of the evening in 24min38s and took the lead in the provisional overall standings of the ESF challenge. Gédéon Pochat completed the podium of this 12th round in 24min46s.

Worth noting is the fine performance of the youngest of the evening, Elisa Blanc, born in 2004, of the cross-country skiing section of the Courchevel sports club, who took the lead in the overall Benjamines standings in 41min04s.

We also salute the loyalty of 4 valiant competitors who have done every round since the start of the season: Pascale Gachet-Mauroz of ESF Courchevel 1550, who this time won among the women instructors in 43min32s, Mireille Bartnicki of CAF Albertville (40min11s), Sulivan Cornu (31min39s) and Yann Popovitsch of the Courchevel Sports Alpinisme club (30min20s).

The current MSTC 2016 leader, Mathéo Jacquemoud of the Courchevel Sports Alpinisme club, winner last weekend of the Altitoy-Ternua with Kilian Jornet, will team up again for the second French stage of the long-distance World Cup: La Pierra Menta. Laetitia Roux and Axelle Mollaret will form a formidable women’s pair in this event.

Only two rounds now remain before the final apotheosis on Wednesday 23 March with the traditional fancy-dress climb. It will also be an opportunity to celebrate the 100th climb on this Vertical Race course, which has become the essential reference in the ski mountaineering world. The famous band “La Compagnie Créole” will prolong this carnival atmosphere to West Indian rhythms, and plenty of other surprises will be in store.