ROUND 3 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 10 January 2018

Xavier Gachet and Axelle Mollaret take control of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel.

Round 3 of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel (MSTC) saw the arrival of the cream of ski mountaineering. Indeed, among the 109 competitors on the start line this Wednesday 10 January, a fine field crowded under the arch, with 3 members of the French ski mountaineering team: Axelle Mollaret, Xavier Gachet and William Bon Mardion.

Just crowned French ski mountaineering champions in the Vertical Race event last weekend, Axelle Mollaret and Xavier Gachet took advantage of their peak form to come and set a time this Wednesday 10 January in Courchevel on the “Millet” course. This straight climb of 3.2 km with 500 m of elevation gain between Le Praz and Courchevel 1850 keeps attracting more and more competitors of all levels, with amateurs rubbing shoulders with specialists in a very friendly atmosphere. Everyone finds something in it and sets very varied goals in this competition that runs throughout the season, every Wednesday until the great fancy-dress final on 21 March: trying to do better than the previous weeks or than last year, beating their friends, trying to get into the top 50, breaking a time barrier, taking part in as many rounds as possible. These challenges are the preserve of most participants, but for the top guns, the goal remains the season record, in order to engrave their names alongside the prestigious winners of previous editions: Kilian Jornet, Mireia Miro Varela, Mathéo Jacquemoud, Yannick Buffet, Emelie Forsberg, Marti Werner and Laetitia Roux.

After a win in the 1st round of the Ski Mountaineering World Cup in China in December 2017, Axelle Mollaret , 2017 MSTC winner in 27min23s, smashed her record with a time of 25min51s. It was impossible for the other women to rival this athlete, who has won almost every race organised in the resort in 2017: 1st in the team category of the extraordinary triathlon combining cycling, trail running and ski mountaineering “Dynastar X3”, 1st in the Red Bull 400 and 1st in the Plum KV in Trail and Ski Mountaineering. The runner-up, Emily Harrop of ESF Aime 2000, clocked 31min47s. Lula Martinez Perez of CAF Albertville completed the podium in 32min18s.

On the men’s side, they had to fight right to the end because, in this time trial, it is impossible to relax or pace your effort. With his mouth wide open, eyes fixed and a fiery mind, Arêches' Xavier Gachet, winner of the 2017 Plum KV in trail running and ski mountaineering, set the bar high in 22min30s. William Bon Mardion, multiple ski mountaineering world champion and 2017 Dynastar X3 winner, came second in 23min10s ahead of Arnaud Mazet credited with a time of 25min25s.

The groundwork is now laid and the fight promises to be formidable in this competition whose success shows no sign of fading: 362 starts for 285 competitors ranked after 3 rounds.

Next week: 1st Grand Slam of the season.

The first ski mountaineering round of the Vertical Kilometre (KV) of the Plum KV Courchevel (PKVC) will be held on Friday 19 January. At the end of the 3 rounds offered this season (19 January, 16 February, 9 March) on this 5 km course with 1,000 m of elevation gain, approved by the French Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FFME), the 2018 French KV records will be awarded.

In the weeks when the MSTC and the PKVC are organised, a specific ranking is drawn up for those who complete the “Grand Slam” (taking part in the 2 events in the same week).

Next week, the season’s "1st Grand Slam" will take into account the combined times of the MSTC on Wednesday 17 January and those of the PKVC on Friday 19 January. The holders of the 2017 "Grand Slam" records are Arnaud Mazet (1h09min24s) and Corinne Favre (1h20min47s).