Plan Ahead—Three Classic European Ski Mountaineering Races

Here ye Here ye!

Perhaps at the peak of a sweltering summer or a drizzly October, one might imagine the town crier in an Alpen village bellowing crucial details for the upcoming ski mountaineering race (ski-mo). The race deets grabbing your attention are not necessarily the type of “mo” we typically associate with ski-mo, say, here in the States or Canada. The “mo,” here in the States, often means uphilling at a ski area or participating in a ski-mo race within the area’s on-piste confines. The races we’ll grab your attention with here are of the big vert in glaciated terrain variety—taking place in the Alps and, despite some markings delineating the course and safety infrastructure (these are organized races, after all), move through some big-time terrain.

In the spare moments you have between work, mountain adventures, eating, and other life obligations, it might be worth considering how a ski mountaineering race in Europe could fit your 2024-2025 ski plans. We’ll run through the basics of some classic races, provide links, and perhaps inspire you, dear THR readers, to sport some Lycra and skinny skis.

PDG—Patrouille Des Glaciers (Switzerland)

If you choose to take the PDG challenge, you have until September 2026 to commit. The Swiss race runs every other year, with the most recent race a weather-mired affair this past April. The PDG is a single day event where racers participate in teams of three, 

The PDG has two versions. There’s a full length race/tour from Zermatt to Verbier running ~56km with ~4386m of vert. No need to Google-convert, we’ll do the lifting: that’s 34.7mi and 14,390ft., respectively. Stopwatch watchers, according to the PDG site, the fatests time runs 5h35’27”. 

For those slightly less ambitious, the PDG offers a ½ course option running from Arolla (the long course mid-point) to Verbier. This course extends 29.6km (18.4mi) with 2,200m (7,218ft.) of vert.