Patrouille des Glaciers


The Patrouille des Glaciers is a ski mountaineering race organised every two years by the Swiss Armed Forces, in which military and civilian teams compete. It takes place once every two years at the end of April, in the south part of the canton of Valais below the summits of the Pennine Alps.
The Patrouille des Glaciers is a stage of La Grande Course that includes the most important ski mountaineering competitions of the season.
There are two different races, a normal and a short one:
Each patrol consists of 3 members who, in order to compete, must
The Patrouille des Glaciers has military origins. During the Second World War, the Swiss army organised a race to test the abilities of its soldiers. The first military patrol edition was held in April 1943 thanks to the work of two captains of Mountain Brigade 10. That year, 18 patrols, each consisting of three members, travelled 63 kilometres to reach Verbier. In 1944, 44 teams participated, but for a few years, no races were organized because of World War II. On April 10, 1949, the race was organised once again, but the deaths of three participants from Orsières who died in a crevasse caused a controversy. As a result of that accident the organisation of the race was prohibited by the Federal Military Department until 1984.
The competition was revived by Rene Martin and Camille Bournissen. It remains under the control of the army which ensures its smooth running. The race is now held every two years and is also open to civilians. In 1986, bad weather forced organizers to interrupt the race. In 2002, the same mishap occurred.
In 2004, a foreign team won the race for the first time. The same year, the race was competed by 2934 participants, with 984 for the normal race, and 636 and 1314 for the short races.
In 2006, organisers were forced to refuse a thousand entries. That year a second race was organized from Zermatt for the first time. The media have recently raised the problem of doping: patrols are not subject to any controls which causes rumours about the performance of the participants. The commander of the race, Brigadier Marius Robyr, refused to impose controls and instead called for participants to act honestly, and in the spirit of the race in which there is no financial gain for the winners.
On April 18, 2007, memorials donated by the Swiss army were unveiled in Zermatt, Arolla and in Verbier in honour of the communities connected with, benefactors of, and friends of, the PDG. A doping case came to light at the end of the 2008 edition in which ten competitors were checked.

Records

Record times are measured on the longer course only

Men

The record time is 5 h 35'27 and is held by an Italian team winning the 2018 race. Team members are:
The record time is 7 h 15'35 and is held by a French/Swiss team from the 2018 race. Team members are:
Several supply and control stations are located between Zermatt and Verbier:
NameDistance from ZermattAltitude
Zermatt0 km1616 m
South of Schönbiel Hut8 km2600 m
North of Tête Blanche16 km3650 m
Bertol Pass20 km3279 m
Plans de Bertol23 km2664 m
Arolla28 km1980 m
Col de Riedmatten33 km2919 m
Pas du Chat35 km2581 m
La Barma38 km2581 m
Rosablanche43 km3160 m
Col de la Chaux47 km2940 m
Les Ruinettes49 km2195 m
Verbier53 km1520 m




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The total drop is 3994 meters and 4090 meters.

Rules

Participants are divided into two groups: civilians and military. The categories are :
Each patrol must be equipped with the following equipment :