#project360

Patrouille des Glaciers

Ski-touring: Zermatt to Verbier

Zermatt to Verbier is 53 kilometers as the crow flies. However, if you want to ski this route through the heart of the Alps rather than fly it, it is 110 km of challenging terrain. For many die-hard ski touring fans it is the season’s highlight as a multi-day tour. The valley town of the famous Matterhorn is the starting point for perhaps the most famous ski touring race in the world: the Patrouille des Glaciers. It was first introduced by the Mountain Brigade of the Swiss Armed Forces in 1943 as a way to test soldiers’ fitness. In the following years the competition was banned due to an accident, but started again in 1984. The PDG (as it is known in professional circles) is now open to both military and civilian participants. Thousands of athletes now start this race to complete the grueling distance as quickly as possible. Those who don’t regard ski-touring as a race, but who are still very ambitious skiers, are familiar with the section from Zermatt to Verbier as the first stages of the Haute Route, perhaps the most famous alpine crossing of them all.

Those wanting to start the toughest ski touring race in the Alps don't just need iron-man fitness and excellent skiing skills, they also need to be very familiar with the Alps and be able to negotiate high alpine terrain with ease. Now, with the multi-award-winning #project360 Mammut is bringing this legendary route to screens and mobile devices with breathtaking panoramic images.