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La Pierra Menta: purely mesmerising Print E-mail
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Monday, 14 April 2008
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The Pierra Menta is an imposing molar rooted solidly amidst a line of incisor-like ridges and summits that make up the Mont Blanc range. Every March it presides over almost 400 competitors who launch themselves from le Planay, Beaufortain over passes and peaks in the hope of winning the legendary ski mountaineering race known by the same name. The Pierra Menta has a rock-solid reputation as the best ski mountaineering event in the world. “Everyone knows about the Pierra Menta in ski mountaineering. Nothing compares to this”, said New Zealander Grant Guise after the third leg, and fresh from the World Championships in Switzerland. Skiing skills and endurance levels are put to the test in a race that is highly technical and takes place over tough terrain comprising a total of 10,000m of uphill over four consecutive days. Women are taking to the race in increasing numbers, and although 21 female teams in a field of 185 may seem disproportionate their number has virtually doubled in the last few years. The French-Swiss combination Laetitia Roux and Nathalie Etzensperger cleaned up the women’s division this year.
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What further sets the Pierra Menta apart is its atmosphere. The mythical nature of the event comes to the fore on the third day when more than 3000 spectators make the pilgrimage to the summit of Le Grand Mont with chair lifts running from 5am. This year was no exception; by dawn a line of tiny figures could be seen winding up through the vast white landscape using snowshoes or skins fixed to their skis. Once on the top of this knob of mountain a strong sense of camaraderie prevailed, for we had just gained some insight into the Herculean efforts required to complete the course. A random cowbell jangled melodiously.
Spectators were armed with them dangling from their hands or belted around waists; some as large as footballs
and their weight didn’t bear thinking about. In this sea of mountain peaks dominated by Mont Blanc, Florent Troillet and Kilian Jornet Burgada suddenly came into view, flying down the Anticime corridor before beginning their ascent of the vertiginous ridge to the summit to a cacophony of bells and cheers in French, Catalan and Italian.
“The great thing about the Pierra Menta is that it’s a team sport. We have to compensate for each other’s weaknesses and you get yelled at by your partner,” joked British skier Carron Scrimgeour. He and fellow Brit Jon Bracey, both based in Chamonix, work as a paramedic doctor and high altitude mountain guide respectively. Ski mountaineering is what they do in their time off and there isn’t much of that; to train for the Pierra Menta Scrimgeour would shin up his local ski runs by night with a head lamp. Finishing 27th out of 164 they were all smiles. “It was amazing,” said Bracey. “Perfect weather, as usual it was perfectly organised, and the amount of spectators that create the atmosphere is magic.”
“And we did much better than we thought we would,”
added Scrimgeour with a broad grin. True, the event is hailed widely for its organisation. The fact the weather
had been far from perfect leading up to the event had sent explosives teams out to trigger avalanches only days before the start, and unfavourable conditions in the final night called for organisers to make last minute modifications and retrace the route at 4.30am.
Following their win of the men’s division, Swiss Troillet and first-timer Catalan Jornet Burgada were in a state of pure elation “La Pierra Menta is the equivalent of the “Tour de France for the Swiss; it’s the most difficult race to win.
When you win, it’s incredible!” “It’s huge! When you are a child you dream of the Pierra Menta,” added 20 year-old Jornet Burgada.
Others may well continue to dream. “We’ll definitely be back next year, stated Scrimgeour. “We’ve got a few people
to beat.”
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