Patrouille des Glaciers - IMPORTANT INFORMATION: RACE Z2 IS CANCELLED, RACE A2 MAINTAINED.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: RACE Z2 IS CANCELLED, RACE A2 MAINTAINED.

The decision to postpone the Z2 and A2 races was taken on Thursday evening in the hope that conditions would improve, particularly in terms of visibility, so that the races could be run normally on Saturday night.

The hoped-for improvement in the weather conditions will not materialise. The temperature felt by military and civilian personnel stationed on the summits fell to -35°C. With the persistent cloud cover, visibility conditions between Zermatt and Arolla during the night will not allow evacuations, either by air or by land.

The Patrouille des Glaciers commander has therefore decided to cancel the departures from Zermatt for the Z2 race.

However, the weather forecast for the second half of Saturday night means that the A2 race can be maintained at the scheduled start times.

The commander of the PdG shares the frustration of the Z2 patrols, the troops involved, the public, the partners and the media, in view of the enormous and excellent preparatory work carried out right up to the last minute, in the spirit of “l’esprit de cordée” that is so dear to the PdG.

As a result:

For the races:

Race Z2 is cancelled. Race A2 is maintained.

Due to the extremely low temperatures expected along the course, it is imperative to comply with point 11 of appendix 5 of the regulations concerning regulatory clothing. Ski goggles are also compulsory for participants in the A2 race. Checks will be carried out before the start. Without fully adhering to the regulatory equipment, the patrol will not be authorised to start.

For the official parties:

The 15h00 press conference at Hotel Pollux, Zermatt is maintained.

The 16h30 opening ceremony in Zermatt is maintained.

The 18h00 opening ceremony in Zermatt is cancelled.

The 14h30 prize giving ceremony is maintained.

Practical aspects:

The registration fee is non-refundable (Article 21 of the regulations).

The PdG Village in Verbier will be open on Sunday 21th of April.

Medals and souvenir prizes will be available for collection and the patroller’s dish will be served in the big tent.

SECURITY RESTRICTIONS

The PdG command is solely responsible for the safety of the patrols, as well as the military personnel and contractors working on the course. It is strongly advised against for anyone else to be on the course between AROLLA and VERBIER due to the aforementioned risks. The army declines any responsibility in this regard.