First Patrouille des Glaciers races cancelled due to dangerous weather
The first races of the ‘Patrouille des Glaciers’ in Valais have been cancelled due to weather conditions which organisers said would endanger the safety of runners and staff.
The first races were planned for Tuesday and Wednesday from Zermatt and Arolla to Verbier. Conditions and the latest forecasts for Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the opinions of experts, led to the cancellation of races Z1 and A1, event organisers announced in a press release on Monday evening.
A worsening in the weather coming from the north-west is causing temperatures to drop as low as -25°C above 3,000m. Despite this, wet snow at lower altitudes may not solidify enough to allow the patrols to pass, and gusts of wind of up to 50km per hour are expected on the ridges and summits, the press release said.
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The races planned for Friday and Saturday (Z2 and A2) remain unchanged, however patrollers whose races have been cancelled will not be able to take part in the races this weekend instead as the start windows are full.
Almost 4,900 runners had registered for the legendary race across Valais’ snow-covered peaks. With more than 1,600 soldiers mobilised, the army oversees the organisation of the race, in particular the safety of the route and the runners.
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The Patrouille des Glaciers or ‘glacier patrol race’ is an historic international military ski mountaineering race also open to civilian elite and amateur competitors.
Translated from German by DeepL/kp
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