 Poster: A snowHead
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I posted earlier this year about the Mont Lachaux open race – this gives skiers of any level, age, and state of mind a chance to spend a weekend wearing a race number and negotiating professionally-timed courses. The start lines sees young ones giggling and poking each other with their elbows; club racers vying for a personal best; and laid back amateurs just enjoying the company. There’s a big entry, carefully allocated to classes, and so the finish line and social events are always really lively.
Organised by Swiss Mountain Sports in Montana, it is an open race event with a great historical pedigree – and Yves Caillet, Director of SMS has carefully nurtured the event and developed it into one of the key dates on the Valais calendar. This year it’s on the weekend of the 8th and 9th of February – still plenty of cheap Easyjet flights left to Geneva.
The key course is a long one – over 6km from Bella Lui at 2600m down to the base station in Crans at 1500m. Carefully marshalled throughout the course, kids and adults have plenty of time to fluff things on a few turns and then make up time on the lower sections. There are loads of excellent viewing points to cheer on friends and sit having lunch while watching the different classes shoot through the GS gates. Last year, we watched as tiny kids battled their tiredness on the lower sections, and then adults shaving hundredths off on the turns at Chez Erwin. It’s a weekend of much socialising, personal successes and that special buzz which comes from skiing your heart out. Plenty of people simply arrive beaming at the finish line having skied the course, others arrive in a speed tuck, watching the clock.
Of course, when you drop into the finish area you join the mayhem of the social side of the event: live music, Swiss raclette, loads of local food and drinks, steaming Gluwein, and various prize events and ceremonies. The big tents are a great opportunity to hang out and rub shoulders with extremely interesting folk.
So…lighthearted or serious, young or old, if you feel like being part of a ‘proper job’ ski race weekend, on one of the sunniest valley walls in the Alps, get onto the SMS website, or PM me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Now THAT, I would like to do!!!, Are you just going out for the weekend?, we're driving out to Andorra the following weekend so it would be a bit tight if I have things to sort before leaving.
I have always jumped at the chance to "have a go" but whilst there are often gates set up in resorts for the local clubs, there is rarely a chance for joe public to compete against friends etc. I have done well in the past, based on an attitude of getting round the gates as fast as possible and worry about style and being in full control later 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Looks like a laugh, unfortunately won't be able to get there but I'd really like to do that sometime.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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valais2, that all looks rather fun.
For those that can't make that weekend, there are several "Volksabfahrt"s or "open downhills" in Switzerland, with varying degrees of seriousness. Belalp Hexe, Mürren Inferno, Hoch-Ybrig, Saas-Fee Allalin...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Now that looks fun!
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tangowaggon, we're going out on the Thursday and then coming back Monday - but perfectly possible to do sat and sun - Eurostar to Paris and Tgv to sierre also a good option - then funicular up to crans from sierre
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right....my travelling is all booked now and it's in the diary....
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FAQ
