World’s longest slalom race held in La Plagne
The first Super Slalom, the world’s longest ever slalom race, was held in La Plagne on Saturday attracting top skiers from across Europe.
The massive slalom featured a thigh-burning 4km course with 320 gates running from near the top of the Becoin chair above Aime 2000 to the foot of La Roche - a descent of around 500m. This was no ordinary slalom course.
Despite unbroken sunshine in the previous week, the day of the event brought a change in the weather with the start line frequently shrouded in cloud. Still, nothing would dampen the competitors’ spirits which remained high through the day.
The race kicked off at 9am on rock-hard pistes following the freeze-thaw cycle typical of this time of year. The top name skiers had the slickest conditions, completing the course in around 4 minutes. As the temperatures rose and course and snow conditions deteriorated, the times of the lower ranked skiers understandably increased – eventually topping out at almost 13 minutes.
Pro racers included skiers from all disciplines: Freestyle, Downhill, Slalom and even Biathlon. Notable invited guests included Martin Fourcade, Kevin Rolland, Ophélie David, Alexi Pinterault, Luc Alphand, Jean Fred Chapuis, Ben Valentin and Jean-Baptiste Grange.
As expected there was a convivial atmosphere among the 330 pro and amateur competitors. The Super Slalom was never aimed at being a particularly serious contest - rather an end of season celebration of skiing itself.
Given the success of this year’s inaugural event, there’s little doubt the Super Slalom will return again to La Plagne next year. Stay tuned for dates and details.
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Stuart Hamilton is the Creative Director of iRide Ski and Snowboard App - a new skiing and snowboarding app, available now on Apple iOS and Android.
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