Taking place from 12 to 23 January in the massifs of the French Alps, this sled dog race is synonymous with high adventure, promoting a certain vision of sport, nature and respect for the environment.
The world’s most challenging sled dog race
The origins of the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc: a dream imagined by Nicolas Vanier and Henry Kam that became a reality in January 2005. The dream of a great adventure that would cross the massifs of the French Alps, whereas the norm for this sport for decades had been to run across icy expanses with little topographical relief. The mountainous topography it runs through makes it the most challenging international sled dog race in the world. The 15th edition of this annual 12-day European event is expecting over 45 mushers with their 400 canine athletes from the United States, Russia and Europe (France, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Italy). With a course covering 400 kilometres in total, the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc is the only race of its kind in the world. It arouses tremendous popular enthusiasm, attested by the millions of television viewers and 80,000 spectators in attendance at each edition.
An extraordinary adventure
Equivalent to the Tour de France in the realm of sled dog racing, the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc brings together some of the world’s best mushers (dog team drivers). Once the finish line has been crossed, they will have covered nearly 400 kilometres with a change in positive altitude of more than 15,000 metres in stages of 27 to 48 kilometres. A complete sport, mushing calls for very precise knowledge and preparation: nutrition, strength training, endurance, speed, mental stamina, but also training under all kinds of different meteorological conditions.
Commitment, technical skills, perseverance, respect for nature are all words that resonate in the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc and that are echoed in the values of the Alpina watch brand. Originating in the Swiss Alps in 1883, Alpina will present the winner with a watch from its new collection AlpinerX.
The winner’s prize: a 100% outdoor smart watch
Equipped with five sensors, the AlpinerX measures the UV index, temperature, pressure, altitude and direction. An alliance between the sporty design of a classic Alpina watch and smart technologies, it offers a wide range of functions, visible in real time on the digital screen, divided into three categories: environment, body, time and notifications.
