CATHERINE MURPHY
FOR almost 20 years, the Enduro — a fun race event open to pros, amateurs and families on skis, snowboards and telemark skis — has showcased late season snow in France’s Three Valleys area.
This year, it takes place on March 31 and is sure to liven up Easter Sunday for the 1,000 or so participants who’ll spend the day discovering how easily accessible this massive ski area is.
Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s a race, with a prizegiving ceremony at the end. While it’s open to professional skiers, the Enduro is also very much aimed at keen skiers and families who are up for unique fun on the slopes.
From Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires, Val Thorens or Orelle, teams of three embark on a multi-stage race that’s brimming with original mountain challenges, not to mention a massive buffet lunch in Meribel-Mottaret and BBQ in Val Thorens.
The Enduro stages include an XL giant slalom course with a whopping 50 gates on the slopes of Courchevel — sporty skiers will love participating in this, their own version of a World Cup downhill race, while daredevils will enjoy a speed race, also on the slopes of Courchevel.
Col de la Loze above Meribel (2,300m) is well known as a Tour de France mountain pass but as part of the Enduro, biathlon fans get to sprint and shoot there. For anyone who’s watched the vigorous sport of biathlon on TV — in which competitors race on cross country skis, hit the shooting range then race off again — here’s a chance to try a mini version of it.
Also in Meribel, there’ll be a pumped slalom, a crazy slalom event in which participants start en-masse, while in Meribel-Mottaret, teenage competitors will love the Big Air Bag stage for freestyle jumps. There’ll be even more speed and thrills — and possibly spills — in the boardercross open park, also in Meribel-Mottaret.
At La Masse in Les Menuires, where a new lift takes skiers up to a gorgeous viewing platform, Enduro racers might find their palms sweating at the thought of a bumps (moguls) derby but the beauty of the event is that teams can take part in as many or as few stages as they like, depending on their level of fitness and ski technique. The emphasis is on sporty fun.
In St Martin de Belleville, the best photocall smile wins a stage and in Val Thorens, a family schuss on the Genepi slope involves a timed race on a gentle decline.
There are lots of options within the three categories — for example, a family team can consist of one parent and two children, two parents and one child or even three children under the age of 16, once they are tailed by an adult throughout the day.
All Enduro stages take part on safe, secured slopes and the event is weather-dependent — the area’s security chief and slope director decide whether it goes ahead.
Last winter the event was hampered by heavy snowfall but there was a major plus