Goals are good—to paraphrase a somewhat unsavory film character’s speech about greed back in the late 80s. We set goals. Sometimes we meet them. At other times, well, they remain unmet. But if you find joy in the uphill effort, which, if you’re here, you probably do, goals can be motivating, life-affirming, and sometimes expensive. And sometimes all three at once.
Yesterday marked the opening of registration for the monument of single-day ski mountaineering races; the Patrouille Des Glaciers, or PdG for short. The race’s basic stats are both comprehensible to a well-trained and fit ski tourer (we don’t think there’s a split division, yet) and daunting, if you consider proper acclimatization, and the speed at which some teams flow through the arduous terrain.
Total distance from the Swiss locales of Zermatt to Verbier, the start and end points, is 55.5km (~34.5 miles). The total ascent is 4,094 meters, which is equivalent to approximately 13,400 feet of climbing. Yup, that seems like a bunch of vert. Will your Lycra speed suit and wafer-light skimo gear give you wings? They just might if you stay focused, keep the goal in sight, and enjoy the process.
Registration for the 2026 PDG opened yesterday.
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