The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Iconic Swiss Patrouille des Glaciers ski race secures future

Patrouille des Glaciers: a framework agreement will ensure its future
Patrouille des Glaciers: a framework agreement will ensure its future Keystone-SDA

The Swiss government and the canton of Valais have agreed on the future of the Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) ski race, from 2026 until 2034.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

This contract will remain in force until December 31, 2034, keeping the classic Swiss ski race running.

In order to ensure the event’s long-term future, the Valais Department of Security, Institutions and Sport (DSIS) and the Federal Department of Defense (DDPS) had agreed, in 2022, to plan the organisation of the race in batches of three editions.

The next plan, for editions after 2034, should be discussed by the end of 2031, said Valais in a press release issued on Wednesday.

This contract sets out the guidelines for relations between the PDG partners. Valais will be responsible for appointing the board and president of the Glacier Patrol Foundation, for running the foundation’s secretariat and controlling its finances, and for organising the Youth Patrol.

The DDPS will manage the organisation of the race, from start to finish, as well as ensuring the safety of the route.

Finally, the PDG Foundation will be responsible for managing relations with sponsors, host communities and subcontractors, as well as ensuring that the Patrouille is self-financing (institutional funds, entry fees, advertising revenue).

More

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR