"Ski Mountaineering" Wins New Fans in France

It's a grueling mixture of rock-climbing, cross-country skiing, and endurance -- "ski mountaineering" has been gaining in popularity for years now, and after the recent world championships, supporters say it's now poised to enter the big time.

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3 months ago

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SCRIPT It's one of the less well-known winter sports -- but aficionados of ski mountaineering say its time may now have come. Here in France, which has just hosted the world championships, up to 100,000 people are now said to be involved. The principles of ski mountaineering are simple enough -- though putting them into practice can be a challenge. Competitors set off together on ultra-light skis over a course that involves some demanding climbs as well as downhill sections. Skis are strapped to the back during the tougher ascents, and some races take two hours to complete. SOUNDBITE 1, Laeticia Roux, Triple World Champion 2013 (French, 15 sec): "You need to be in very good physical condition, because it's mainly an endurance sport, and a challenging one. So you need to be in good physical condition, but you also need a very good technique both for climbing and for the descents." ["Ca demande d'avoir une très bonne condition physique parce que c'est avant tout un sport d'endurance qui est exigeant, donc il faut une bonne condition physique, mais il faut aussi une très bonne technique, que ce soit pour la montée mais aussi pour la descente"] Indeed ski mountaineering is almost all off-piste. And though it calls for a high level of skill, it's been growing steadily in popularity for some 10 years now -- with better materials and cheaper costs helping it become more accessible. SOUNDBITE 2, Pierre You, President, French Federation of Mountaineering and Rock-Climbing (French, 19 sec): "Once you get into competitions it's a whole other ballgame, where you need to be in incredible physical condition -- it's very demanding. But as a pastime, it's adaptable -- you can take less difficult courses, which go through some beautiful scenery, through forests…there's something for all ages. It's a very accesible sport and completely cross-generational." ["Dès que l'on touche à la compétition c'est un autre volet, c'est un volet où il faut une grosse condition physique c'est très exigeant. Mais par contre en loisirs on s'adapte, on prend des courses qui sont relativement faciles, qui montre de beaux paysages, qui traversent des forêts, il y en a pour tous les âges, c'est un sport qui est accessible, absolument multi-générationnel".] And with more and more countries taking part, adherents are hoping ski mountaineering is now poised to enter the big time. In fact the sport's governing body is about to submit a bid to the International Olympics Committee -- with the aim to make ski mountaineering an Olympic sport in time for the 2022 games.