Round 12 - MILLET SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 28 February 2024

Mathéo Jacquemoud pulls off a masterstroke in the 12th Millet Ski Touring Courchevel

The Millet Ski Touring Courchevel are riding the wave. A record season is confirmed once again this Wednesday 28 February, with 178 ski mountaineers at the 12th round. It is a well-deserved success for the whole organising team of the Club Courchevel Sports Outdoor, who do remarkable work, well helped by the Société des 3 Vallées and the resort’s Sports and Technical departments, to keep the official course in excellent condition despite the vagaries of the weather. Since the start of this season 14, specialists of the discipline but also those from trail running and other sports have come to try to take the season record or simply to gauge their form. The range of performances set over 14 years allows everyone to calibrate themselves on this vertical race course, which has become the absolute benchmark. It is a boon for all the enthusiasts and amateur ski tourers, who can express themselves at their own level among the big names of the discipline. In this 12th round, the ultra trail runner Julien Chorier, twice winner of the Grand Raid de la Réunion in 2009 and 2011, honoured the event with his participation, finishing 21st in 27min29s.

Like a great vintage, Mathéo Jacquemoud improves with time.

After winning on 3 January in the 4th round of the MSTC, Mathéo Jacquemoud, winner of the Millet Ski Touring Courchevel in 2013 and 2016, improves his personal record of 22min28s set in 2014 and wins this 12th stage in 22min19s, a superb performance that propels him into 5th position in the provisional overall standings. Thibault Marquet, winner of the 10th round, finishes second in 24min04s. For 3rd place on the podium, about ten competitors were within one minute. In this little game, the Pole Sebastian Drusziewicz proved the fastest in 24min40s ahead of Julien Lodolo of the CMSAB Staubli Sport team, 2 seconds behind.

Among the women, the battle was also intense over the 3.2 km and 500 m of elevation gain between Courchevel Le Praz and Courchevel 1850. In the end, Anne Lise Desjacques won in 29min49s ahead of Marie-Charlotte Iratzoquy (30min01s) and the local of the round Véronique Lathuraz who, on her first climb of the season, produced a time of 30min59s, which puts her at the top of the provisional women’s S3V challenge. Behind this national trio, the fight for the minor places was fierce. The American Kaitlin Allen in 31min47s finally got the better of the Pole Margarita Lockiewicz by 2 seconds.

The last 3 rounds before the fancy-dress grand finale on Wednesday 20 March, which will close with a bang with the phenomenal concert by the band Deluxe, are going to be thrilling and, who knows, the final decision may be made on the last day.

The 13th round of the MSTC will take place on Saturday 2 March alongside the Millet Everest

From Vertical Race to Ultra Ski Touring… The weekend of 2 and 3 March will see the 3rd edition of the Millet Everest. This Ultra Ski Touring Courchevel consists of climbing 9,000 m of elevation gain on the Millet Ski Touring course (3.2 km / 500 m of 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 fast as possible (only the climbs will be timed within the allotted time).

The challenge will take place over 2 days. The 1st day will start at 9 am and end at 7 pm. In these first 10 hours of the race, 5,000 m of elevation gain must be completed in order to continue the ascent the next day. After completing the 5,000 m of elevation gain, participants will virtually arrive at the 1st Everest base camp. They will have to spend the night in their tents in the start area at Courchevel Le Praz before setting off again the next day for the final ascent, from 7.30 am until 3.30 pm, to complete the last 4,000 m in 8 hours at most. In the event of withdrawal, a diploma corresponding to the altitude actually reached, with the name of the corresponding summit, will be awarded. The first 3 finishers of the Everest challenge will receive prize money (1st: €500, 2nd: €300 and 3rd: €200).

Big names from the sporting world will be there, such as the Swiss Corina Sommer, 4th in the 2023 Marathon des Sables, and Jocelyn Verdenal, 2nd in the Millet Everest in 2021, the Himalayan climber Jonathan Lamy, Grégoire Curmer, 4th in the 2021 Millet Everest, Paul Jay, currently 8th in the MSTC overall standings, Jonas Buchot 3rd in the Millet Everest in 2021, Guillaume Gambon 4th in the Millet Everest in 2022, Olivier Pasteur, 2nd in the Millet Everest in 2022, or Fiona Porte, winner of the Dynastar X3 Courchevel in 2022 and 2023. Together with all the other competitors, they will try to fight for the podium, with the aim of beating the event records held by Alexandre Pellicier in 8h43min44s and Corinne Favre in 10h32min52s.

It is a fine adventure that will allow the less enduring to come and test themselves on the first day by trying to reach the altitude of Mont Blanc, 4,809 m.

Alongside the Millet Everest, the 13th round of the MSTC will take place on Saturday 2 March under the same conditions and timings as the Wednesdays. It is a boon for all those who cannot get away in the middle of the week, who can come and put their names on this legendary race. The round will count the best time of the 10 climbs completed by Millet Everest participants and the time of the participants in the 13th round of the MSTC.

Next dates:

- 13th Millet Ski Touring Courchevel on Saturday 2 March 2024
- Millet Everest – Ultra Ski Touring Courchevel, 2 and 3 March