Big Mountain Battle : Rode, Rocked and Raced!

Posted by JoClinch 2nd February 2012

So how did you spend your Saturday afternoon?  Mine was spent racing over 120km in search of checkpoints cunningly hidden behind trees, lakes and buildings!

Pre-race pictures, Les GetsYes, the Big Mountain Battle took place in Les Gets on Saturday amid much hype, complete with TV cameras for France’s TF1 capturing the races’ European debut. Thirty two teams gathered at midday outside the Tourist Office to be briefed, handed GPS trackers, and most importantly, given  a can of energy drink which we were told in no uncertain terms would be needed!!!

Race for the skis in the Big Mountain Race, Les GetsAfter placing our skis and boards neatly in the centre of the square, we were then moved 200m down the road (traffic was momentarily halted by a friendly policeman) for a Le Mans style start. As the clock struck 12:30 we had to run back up to the square to pick up equipment and leg it to whichever lift we decided we wanted to start from! Chaos ensued, and I quickly understood why helmets were compulsory, as skis and poles crashed on to heads in the rush to get an all important early lift.
The task was to locate 13 check points which were hidden over the 120km of Les Gets/Morzine ski area – to pass them with our partner (we were being tracked via our GPS armband on a TV screen back in the square to make sure we didn’t separate) and to be back in the centre of the village in under 3 hours.  One second late would mean automatic disqualification! This was serious stuff.

Found the checkpoint ! - Big Mountain Race, Les GetsUnfortunately the age-old proverb ‘more haste, less speed’ reared its ugly head, as in our hurry to overtake the other competitors we misread the map, and careered off down the wrong slope – completely missing the check point! The only silver lining being that plenty of other competitors followed us down, also missing the target! Heavily chastising ourselves for our school boy error, we knew that this had cost us valuable time. The enormity of the task in hand hit as we found ourselves crawling on hands and knees uphill through waist deep snow to get to our third check point. Gasping for breath, we finally made it. This was no easy ride.

Jo relaxing on the chairlift!The adrenaline was certainly pumping (as was the heart!) as we located all the checkpoints on Mont Chéry, and stormed over to the other mountain in search of the remaining gates.  Never have chairlifts seemed so slow as when you’re counting down the seconds on your watch, and our groans became increasingly audible as lifts were stopped to allow beginners time to pick themselves off the floor after varying degrees of ungainly exits. Back on the hunt, and after a particularly skilful piece of navigation, we found a check point hidden at the back of the fishing lake, nestled in a valley between two slopes. Our jubilation was somewhat short lived however when we realised part of the area around the lake was completely flat, and the other was uphill – boards off for another trek!

We had 10 minutes to get over the flat, up the hill, down the main slopes and back to the village – our backs were really against the wall. However as we started the all important race finish, determined to make it, disaster struck...my partners’ binding snapped right off his board! Now I know a poor workman blames his tools, but it is certainly difficult to get the same amount of speed if you only have one foot attached to your board! Without time to look at a watch, we raced through the village, back to the square, desperate to make it...only to be greeted with a cheerful “Unlucky guys, you’re 1 minute late”!!! Automatic disqualification; well they did warn us.

Jo on the podium, although not the winner!As prize giving commenced, it emerged that out of 32 teams, only 6 completed the course in the allotted time(all locals), and as the vin chaud started flowing we were reduced to hysterics hearing of different teams exploits, and reliving our own.
Without a doubt, the Big Mountain Battle didn’t disappoint. Adrenaline packed, fun filled and bloody difficult would be my description. Well done Les Gets for once again organising a great event!

 

About the author

Jo has been skiing and snowboarding since she was 10, and first visited Les Gets on a family ski holiday aged 15. Returning every winter since – either for a holiday or to work – Jo now works for an independent ski company. Despite having visited many other resorts in the French Alps, Les Gets is still top of her list - for the fresh powder you get on Mont Chéry, especially if you are lucky enough to have empty slopes and also for one of the nicest resort mountain restaurants – la Grande Ourse with stunning views over the Mont Blanc range!

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