Round 11 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Tuesday 7 March 2023

The American Jim Walmsley takes the reins of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel 2023

Since the start of season 13 of the “Millet Ski Touring Courchevel”, the volunteers of the Courchevel Sport Outdoor club, with the help of the sports department, have had to roll up their sleeves to keep the official course of 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain between Courchevel Le Praz and Courchevel in condition because of low snowfall. Faced with the whims of the weather, the organisers have had to adapt and make the right decisions so that participants could perform in the best possible conditions. This 11th round of the MSTC was no exception. Initially scheduled for Wednesday 8 March, it had to be brought forward to Tuesday 7 March because of a forecast rainy spell. Last-minute date changes inevitably create constraints for the volunteers and a drop in the number of runners, such as the Japanese biathlete Yurie Tanaka, selected for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, who could not be present, but in the end the quality of the event was not affected.

On this full-moon day, unfortunately well hidden, 55 ski mountaineers set off to tackle the course. This 3rd and last Full Moon special of the season rewarded Lætitia Renard, the lucky winner of a pair of Plum bindings by prize draw, thanks to our partner of the same name.

Jim Walmsley, superstar

A big name in ultra trail running is livening up the 2023 season and impressing on each of his outings. 25min08s on 11 January, 22min52s on 25 January and 22min05s on 22 February: the steady progress of the American Jim Walmsley is phenomenal, but to go and dethrone the bronze medallist of the Vertical Race at the 2023 World Championships is remarkable. On this Tuesday 7 March, Jim crossed the finish line with his hand raised to the sky and the new provisional record in his pocket, 21min51s, dethroning Gédéon Pochat by 5 seconds. He became the 7th ski mountaineer to break the 22-minute barrier, with the 6th best performance in MSTC history.

A genuine feat, rightly hailed by Yoann Sert (3rd best performer in 21min41s): “What Jim has just done is exceptional. He even managed to do better than Kilian Jornet (21min53s). I’m sure he can do even better and go under 21 minutes.” Winner of the Vertical Race of the Trace des Grands in Chamonix last weekend, Yoann, who is returning to competition after a difficult month fighting a bad flu, took second place of the evening in 22min58s. The podium of this 11th stage was completed by Simon Gosselin of the Chamonix sports club in 23min59s. Florian Sautel, 5th in the sprint event at the 2023 Ski Mountaineering World Championships, missed the podium by a whisker in 24min15s.

Worth noting is the fine performance of Jonathan Lamy of the Courchevel Sports Outdoor club, 6th in 28min41s. Having conquered Everest twice, Lhotse, Manaslu and Makalu, he will leave after the MSTC 2023 final for Nepal to take on the French people’s mountain, Annapurna, in the footsteps of Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal.

Laura Fornay, Clémence David, Claude Chevassu: “Tryo” winners

In a time of 32min05s, Laura Fornay, a member of the Arêches Beaufort multi-sport club, won the round in 32min05s, narrowly ahead of Clémence David, second in 33min24s. In a battle with Marie-Astrid Barthet, 4th in 39min07s, Claude Chevassu completed the podium in 38min28s.

Times that do not disturb the top 5 of the provisional overall standings, still led by the 2023 Vertical Race world champion, Axelle Gachet Mollaret, in 24min12s. On her way to a 7th consecutive MSTC victory, Axelle won last week in Spain the world title in the Individual and the Team events, in a duo with Emily Harrop (Courchevel Sports Outdoor). They will team up again at the start of the 37th edition of the Pierra Menta and will be back in Courchevel on Tuesday 21 March for the grand fancy-dress final of the MSTC 2023.

A final promising to be explosive

As of today, nothing is settled. There is still one round before the great ski mountaineering party, where more than 600 participants in costume are expected. The 12th round on Wednesday 15 March may be decisive, but the suspense will remain complete until the final deadline, with the announced presence of a large number of members of the French ski mountaineering team, multiple medallists at the latest World Championship, as well as the Swiss Rémi Bonnet, holder of the event record in 20min34s. A thrilling end to the season is in prospect, which will finish in style on Tuesday 21 March with the traditional prize-giving hosted by the event’s patron Nelson Monfort followed by the exceptional concert by the band Tryo, which will close this 13th edition.

Next date: 11th round of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel on Wednesday 15 March 2023