Chamonix Activity Report: 29th August 2006
Wow did any of you get to see any of the North Face Ultra Trail at the weekend? What an incredible event. I unfortunately missed the start of the race as I had to go over to Zermatt to work on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning but I made it back in time in the afternoon to catch the end of the race. I bought a French newspaper in Zermatt in the morning and read about the start of the race and all its build up. It takes me a while to read the newspaper in French but is really good practice, anyone looking to improve their comprehension I would suggest reading Aujourd'hui or Le Dauphine as they aren't as complicated as some of the broadsheets and events like the Ultra Trail are covered well in these as the tenses used are normally less complex. So the start in Chamonix at 7pm on Friday evening drew an estimated crowd of 10000 people. These included 2500 competitors, their entourage, local supporters and tourists. The competitors were kitted out in lightweight all weather gear, small back pack and walking poles, whilst the supporters were wearing considerably warmer gear. The temperature at the start was around 12 degrees but with the evening closing in and 7 peaks above 2000 metres on Le Tour du Mont Blanc to climb it certainly wasn't going to be a balmy summer evening (the Col de Grand Ferret at the bottom of the Aosta valley at 2537 metres was to be the highest point of the tour and at 7pm was allegedly only 2 degrees!).
The build up to the event was very good fun with entertainment and music to relax the competitors and warm-up the crowd, there was smiles all round. But once the mayor of Chamonix signalled the start of the event from Le Place de L'Eglise the atmosphere changed. As the 2500 runners/joggers/walkers from 48 different countries got serious their faces changed to a look of focus and intensity as they prepared for the mammoth task ahead of them.
Le Tour du Mont Blanc is a famous alpine route which traditionally starts and finishes in Chamonix. The Tour is a 158 kilometre circuit around Mont Blanc and its accompanying mountains. The circuit crosses through 3 countries (France, Italy and Switzerland) and summits many high mountain Cols ascending a total of 8500 metres. The Tour when done with a guide is ordinarily completed in 4-7 days depending on fitness levels, but for the Ultra Trail the competitors have a 45 hour cut off time to finish before. The route is dotted with refuges some of which are manned by 800+ volunteers (stewards, food and drink servers, medical personnel and masseurs) to ensure the health and safety of each of the competitors. This year also saw the introduction of a “smaller race” from Courmayeur to Chamonix the “Petit Ultra” at 86 kilometres is not to be underestimated but gave a further 1000 competitors the taste of the atmosphere and challenge involved.
Those are the facts here's the brutal reality – 45 hours to complete just under 4 marathons, climbing up the equivalent of 2 Mont Blancs (from sea level!) or an Everest and then descending it and those that do much hiking will appreciate that with tired legs coming down a rocky track can be just as hard as going up it!
Although there is little coverage of the event during the race, most people who walk in the mountains will understand the terrain, weather and altitude that the ultra trailers would be contending with. So miraculously with the bulk of the competitors still only half way round the course in Courmayeur the leader of the race was striding into the streets of Chamonix. Marco Olmo an extreme marathon runner who has had success in various desert and multi-day endurance events proved his stamina and versatility by crossing the line first in a time of 21 hours and 6 minutes. An incredible feat you would imagine but at 58 years of age it takes your breath away. Seeing him striding effortlessly over the last few hundred metres of the course beaming from ear to ear was quite amazing the crowd were cheering so loud and you genuinely felt emotional for his achievement. Later there were some competitors who were clearly overcome by the emotion of their achievement at completing such a task. And although it is virtually impossible to comprehend the physical and mental demands required to achieve something like this, everyone could only watch in amazement as they finished. Throughout the evening, night and following day the competitors arrived back into Chamonix some were fresh faced and bounding others hobbling and grimacing with pain. Though whether they came first or last their achievement is immense and will only ever be experienced by an elite few. And don't forget if Marco Olmo can be in his prime at 58 years old none of us have any excuses.
It puts me to shame to have my usual rant about the rain and bad weather when these people have shown such commitment so I'll keep quiet today. I'm going out on my bike right now to get soaking wet because if I sit here any longer and drink more cups of tea and eat more biscuits I'll never be half as fit as Marco Olmo even at half his age.
See you out there?
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index
Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
