In Zermatt to Verbier, the cross-country ski team follows the route of Switzerland’s famous 1942 “Patrouille des Glaciers” race. Sam Anthamatten, Elisabeth Gerritzen, Yann Rausis, and Anna Smoothy race 57km through the Swiss Alps from Zermatt to Arolla to Verbier.
Skiing together. Photo: Screenshot
The Patrouille started with a Swiss military training exercise in 1942. A dozen men in groups of three competed, and the fastest finished in 12 hours. An interview with Colonel Daniel Jolliet of the Swiss military, commander of this Glacier Patrol, takes us through the history of the event while archival footage plays.
In 1943, for instance, the starting point was moved because Zermatt was under quarantine, as it was again (due to COVID) when Zermatt to Verbier was filmed. Only seven years after the first one, tragedy struck: Eight men fell into a crevasse during the race, and none survived. The military decided to end the event.
Archival footage of Swiss soldiers in 1943, during the Patrouille. Photo: Screenshot
The Patrouille in 2020
Local alpinists still remembered the event fondly, and in 1984, it was reinstated, this time open to public participation. After a few more years, they even allowed women. But during the height of the COVID pandemic, the event was called off. That’s when the protagonists of today’s film decided to do it anyway, on their own.
While competitors traditionally try to complete the course in as little time as possible (it being a race and all), their own private Patrol was more about the journey. Traditionally, the Patrol does not include feats like skiing the ridge line of Mont Blanc. The group stopped to ski promising lines they spotted from the trail, and piled into remote cabins at night.
The skiers at the nearly 3,000m ‘Col de la Chaux’. Photo: Screenshot
The slopes are practically deserted, and even these professional skiers and Swiss residents admit that they’re seeing sides of the mountains they’d never seen before. Following the route takes them far beyond the ski resorts and the most popular, easily accessible lines. Along the way, they complete the highest traverse in the Alps and tackle a challenging descent down the Dent d’Hérens.
“It made me think…I should get out of resorts way more and go explore the mountains,” says Anna.
The short film ends with their arrival in Verbier, having successfully avoided the crevasses en route.
