It was originally designed as an alpine exercise for Swiss soldiers but today it has become an international bi-annual event that brings together thousands of teams from armed forces around the world as well as experienced mountaineers. As a brand whose tag line #dontcrackunderpressure seems almost tailor-made for this kind of competition, Tag Heuer was on hand as the official timekeeper. While the Chinese team sponsored by TAG Heuer completed the shorter race earlier in the week, this year’s main event was unfortunately postponed and subsequently cancelled due to poor weather conditions.
For people like Séverine Pont Combe, who have participated in six editions of the Patrouille des Glaciers, the disappointment is immense when the race is postponed just over an hour before the start, and even worse when it is cancelled altogether like this year, meaning that around a year of training has come to nothing. But in the end, reason takes over for these alpine warriors, who often have a more down-to-earth side than the average human being. “We have to remember that this is mountainous terrain and the mountain is always stronger,” she says. “You have to respect it. If you don’t respect safety considerations, it can be dangerous.”
But what stuff does a successful “patroller” need to be made of and what skills are required to complete the 53km course from Zermatt to Verbier with its 4000 metres of ascent and descent (which the official website of the Patrouille des Glaciers helpfully converts to an equivalent effort of 110km) in the record time of 7 hours 27 minutes? “We need endurance, technique, technical knowledge for the ropes, conversion [a technique for crossing skis to zig-zag up a slope], portage [carrying your skis on your back], you have to be a good downhill skier and good at skating-style cross-country skiing and you have to be good mentally. Most importantly, the whole team has to be strong together.”
It is the perfect combination of these skills, but also the interaction within the team of three, who are roped together for safety on the glacier parts of the course, that makes the difference between winning and taking part. But, with respect to the mountains, winning is not the primary objective, even for four-time winner Séverine Pont Combe: “Crossing the finish line in Verbier as a team is more important.”
