World Radio Switzerland

The Glacier Patrol (“Patrouille des Glaciers”) organized by the Swiss Army sees highly-experienced hiker-skiers trek across the Haute Route along the Swiss-Italian border from Zermatt to Verbier. In this 2006 file photo, competitors climb on their way to Rosablanche pass near Verbier (VS). (KEYSTONE/Olivier Maire)

Brigadier Marius Robyr, commander of the patrol, gives participants their final briefing. The competition, which began as a training programme for Swiss mountain troops, is still under the control of the Swiss military. But, now it is open to Swiss and foreign, military or civilian teams.

ROBYR: “It is the longest and most difficult course in the world. Secondly, it’s at night and thirdly you’re roped up. Take those three together – roped up, at night, in extreme conditions – that’s very, very difficult.”

There may be brass bands in the village, but it’s brass-monkey weather in the mountains. With the wind chill factor, temperatures of minus 30 degrees are expected and that’s preying on the mind of a few competitors, like first-timer Martin Luggen who lives in Basel.

LUGGEN: “The wind and the cold today. You have good weather, so the temperature will be quite low and we expect some wind, so this will be tough. And then it’s long. It will last forever.”

The first race took place in 1943. It was halted in 1949 after three deaths and revived in 1984.   It’s been described as the Iron Man of the Alps or Paris-Dakar on skis. And safety is always high on the minds of the organisers.

ROBYR: “There is always an element of danger in the mountains. There are crevasses, snow bridges can collapse. Of course, you do everything in your power to make it safe but there’s no such thing as zero risk in the mountains.”

But the dangers do not deter participants. On the contrary, the event is so popular that the organisers have to turn teams away. François Bochud is a professor of physics at Lausanne University. He has already taken part on six previous occasions.

BOCHUD: “It’s the fun. Not to have to think about the danger and the security and just do whatever you can. We don’t have much pretensions. We hope to do not more than twice the time of the best so maybe 12 hours.”

The Glacier Patrol takes place every two years. Most teams are from Switzerland, but about 15 per cent of competitors are from abroad. This year 22 countries are represented, including, for the first time, contingents from India, Lebanon and Poland. The record for the course is just under six hours and 19 minutes.