The commander of the Patrouille des Glaciers prioritizes the safety of patrollers as well as that of the military personnel and civilians working along the route. The weather conditions and the latest forecasts for Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Thursday, along with the opinions of specialists stationed along the route, lead to a cancellation of races Z1 and A1.
A deterioration coming from the northwest is causing temperatures to drop, with up to -25°C felt above 3000m, and strong wind gusts up to 50 km/h on ridges and summits. In contrast, at lower altitudes, wet snow will not consolidate enough for patrol passage. Another crucial point, the cloud and fog accumulation expected along the route from Tuesday up to Thursday could prevent any medical evacuation by air during the race.
The PdG commander and the entire organization share the disappointment of the patrols that have prepared extensively for this long awaited event. He relies on the understanding of everyone regarding the decision that had to be made.
As a consequence:
For the races:
- Races Z1 and A1 are cancelled
- The dates of races Z2 and A2 are maintained
For the official events:
- The press conference (15:00), the opening ceremonies (16:30 and 18:00) and award ceremonies (14:30) are cancelled.
For practical aspects:
- Requests to transfer from race Z1 to Z2 or from A1 to A2 are not accepted. The Z2 and A2 departure windows are full.
- The registration fee is non-refundable. (Article 21 of the regulations)
- Medals and souvenir prizes can be collected at the Sion barracks on Tuesday, April 16, from 13:30 to 17:00, Wednesday, April 17, from 09:00 to 17:00, and Thursday, April 18, from 09:00 to 17:00. One of the three members of a registered patrol for the start can collect the medals and souvenir prizes for the entire patrol upon presentation of an identification. There will be no postal delivery.
- On Tuesday, April 16, an additional advanced equipment check for races Z2 and A2 is set up in Sion from 15:00 to 20:00
