Les Deux Alpes Night Snowtrail review

The race is a little different from most trail events, being run on snow, in the dark. The other unique aspect is taking a ski lift to the start, meaning that there is around 500 metres more descent than ascent.

I really like the unusual format, and this year I took part in my third Deux Alpes Snowtrail. Having previously completed the 10km and 15km courses, I decided to go for the big one and enter the 20km this year. As I picked up my number in the Palais du Sports, I did wonder if I had made a mistake. As always, I hadn’t managed quite as much training as I would have liked to have done, and the extra 5km includes an extra 250 metres of ascent – 700 metres in total. Finding out that I would be racing against a former world champion did little to reassure me.

After the briefing in the square, and catching up with a few other runners who work in the resort, I joined the crowd queuing for the White Eggs. With over four hundred people racing it took a while to get everybody up to Les Crêtes. The pistes were full of runners milling around, warming up and organising their gear before the 17:30 start. How much to wear was the pressing question at this point. The organisers had sent out a last-minute email warning about extreme temperatures, recommending we wore extra layers. Not wanting to be cold I had opted for an extra fleece and thicker gloves.

The race started exactly on the half-hour, and all four hundred and nine runners surged up the Petites Crêtes green run. A few front runners kept running, but the majority of us were soon walking as the piste steepened. We followed the zig-zags towards the Diable restaurant, and I was happy to feel stronger than last year as I reached the top of the first climb. From here it was a long steady descent down the Bellecombes 1, Jandri 2 and Demoiselles green runs as the night fell.

By the time we were approaching the town it was dark and the stars were out. Here the 10km runners across the beginner slopes to finish in the main square, while the rest of us turned right for the harder part of our run. A few more minutes of descent brought us to the bridge at the entrance to the resort, where the 15km and 20km courses split. This was the end of the pistes, and the beginning of snow covered forest tracks. By now I was far too hot, and cursing the advice to wear extra clothing.

A flat section led to the food and drink station at La Moliere farm where a cold coke was well appreciated. A twisty technical descent followed, which is my kind of running, but every metre drop had to be painfully regained over the long climb back up. This climb took us on a beautiful route through starlit woodland to meet the 15km course just before La Kanata mountain restaurant, and the two routes climbed above the top of the Côte chairlift before following the balcon path to the Venosc end of the resort. A quick tour of the resort and snowfront brought us to the finish in the main square. I was quite happy with my time of 2 hours 20 minutes – a mere forty minutes behind Sylvain Court in first place.

One thing I love about French trail races is the post-race refreshment. At the finish, Coke, juice and sweet tea were supplemented with Haribo, dried fruit and cake to top up depleted sugar levels. Back at the Palais du Sports, more sustenance was waiting. Tartiflette, beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee and deserts were all on offer for competitors. The entry fee also included use of showers and a free neck warmer to commemorate the event.

After the race, I caught up with British runner Lauren Woodwiss, who had just won the 15km women’s race. For her the evening had been a family event, with brother Ash running the same course and father Carl Woodwiss winning the Veteran 3 category in the 10km race. “Thank God I beat my brother,” was Lauren’s answer when asked if she had anything to say about her win.

Sunday saw the very first Mad Snow Race in Les Deux Alpes, turning the annual Night Snow Trail into a snow trail weekend. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I wasn’t able to enter the Mad race. I don’t think my legs would have survived another run even if I had been able to compete.

The race looked a lot of fun with the 5km course heading along the snowfront, down to Lac de la Buissoniére and up to Village 1800. There were plenty of obstacles to contend with along the way, including a biathlon style shooting range and an airbag jump, as well as the more usual scrambling nets, slides, crawls, tyres etc. The event was open to both teams and individuals, with 117 runners entering and seven teams taking up the challenge.

Take a look at the results for both events.

Read more from Ian on his website.