On Tuesday in Puy Saint Vincent, the ISMF and the event organisers presented the next edition of the Ski Mountaineering World Championships due to take place from 9 -15 February 2013 in Pelvoux, France.
Pierre Dupont, chief coordinator of Team Ecrins welcomed everyone to the presentation, he explained that work is progressing well and that the recent snowfall in the area already provides perfect conditions, with both Puy-Saint Vincent and Pelvoux, main event locations, already having over 150cm of snow. Puy-Saint Vincent is set to be the arena for the Team, Individual (Youth) and Relay races while Pelvoux will host the Senior Individual, Vertical and Sprint races.
Dupont went on to say, «Thanks to the good snow cover weâ?Tre already able to confirm on the ground the decisions we made during the planning stages. Even the full programme with many side-events is almost finalised, with only some finer details to be confirmed. During the week of the Ski Mountaineering World Championships thereâ?Tll be lots going on, not just competitions, but entertainment and fun for everyone».
A very important aspect of this event is the close relationship between the mountain environment and the competitions and the desire to bring the public close to the athletes. The organisers have reached an agreement with the Ecrins National Park to help safeguard the natural environment, whilst the race routes have maintained their high technical requirements with crests, parts on foot and descents off-piste, the areas are however, still easily accessible to the public via the ski lifts.
The World Championships kick-off with the Team Race on Sunday 10 February, starting and finishing in Vallouise the race passes Puy-Saint Vincent 1800. The action moves to Pelvoux on Monday morning with the Sprint. Tuesday sees the day dedicated to younger racers with the Individual Race youth event, Wednesday the Individual Senior Race and Thursday the Vertical. The last event takes place on Saturday in Puy-Saint Vincent 2000 with the Relay Race.
Armando Mariotta, President of the ISMF expressed his satisfaction: «as well as the press presentation this has been a good occasion to liaise with the organisers about diverse aspects, itâ?Ts important to keep communication open between organisers and athletes in order to consider the varying different needs. Iâ?Tm convinced that the coming season with the “new look” World Cup Circuit and the World Championships in Pelvoux, will be just what competitive ski mountaineering needs in order to continue our progress towards the goal of being recognised by the International Olympic Committee and ultimately to participate in the Olympic Games
