Ski mountaineering | Extreme Mountaineers | The Press

Climbing mountains on foot, even without running, already requires some effort. Enough for the vast majority of people. But not all. Not for the Corbeil family, for example.

Posted at 7:00 a.m.

Frederick Duchesneau

Frederick Duchesneau
The Press

The Corbeils practice ski mountaineering, which combines the two sports you guess, as unlikely as it may seem.

Father Jocelyn, sons Antoine and Maxime (19 and 16), accompanied by their mother and trainer Anne-Marie Deshaies, returned a few weeks ago from Western Canada, where they made a strong impression. The youngest of the family, in particular.

“They said to him, ‘Where are you from? !” They were surprised. But they were also proud to see a Canadian performance coming from the East, out of nowhere, performing on their mountain,” says Ms.me Deshaies.


PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNE-MARIE DESHAIES

Maxime Corbeil at the individual ski mountaineering event in Kicking Horse, British Columbia, on March 26

Interlude. Before going any further, a quick definition of this sport – which will also make its debut at the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy – is essential, although its name immediately puts you on the right track.

In ski mountaineering, there is the so-called vertical event, which simply consists of reaching the top of a mountain on skis as quickly as possible. With special skis, wider than cross-country skis, narrower than alpine skis, under which is what followers have dubbed “sealskin”, which is actually synthetic or wool-based, for the adhesion.

And then there are the so-called individual events, of varying distances, during which, once at the top, you have to descend the mountain. On skis, of course. And this, after a transition where the athletes remove the skins as quickly as possible.

During the ascent, some segments that are too steep require removing the skis and attaching them to the backpack. So-called “bootpacks”.

And, during the descent, certain passages require perilous manoeuvres, which may ultimately require the use of mountaineering equipment.

In the bag, you drag crampons, a harness, with everything you need to abseil or to secure yourself on ridges.

Jocelyn Corbeil

And we then move as we do in via ferrata, adds Mr. Corbeil.

In this bag are also various survival items, mandatory and verified.

Finally, there are the team events.

So much for the main lines.

The Mount Gleason Extraterrestrial

Jocelyn Corbeil, dentist by profession and long-time alpine skier, first heard about ski mountaineering from a friend about ten years ago.

A resident of Victoriaville, Mr. Corbeil was a regular at Mount Gleason, far from competing in altitude with the highest skiable mountains in the province.

Shortly after, to spice up the experience, he therefore appropriately equipped himself – lightly – to try ski mountaineering, called “skimo” in the industry.

“There, I realized that the small mountain we have here became a lot bigger with these skis, because you have to climb it on foot…, he drops. And I fell in love with it. »


PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNE-MARIE DESHAIES

Jocelyn and Antoine Corbeil, father and son ski mountaineering athletes

A passion that will take him twice to the Pierra Menta, in France, where a renowned competition takes place, and to the Patrouille des Glaciers, in Switzerland.

“In Gleason, when I started doing this, people looked at me like I was an alien. I had patients who climbed into the chairs and when I arrived at the top at the same time as them, several times, some said to me: ‘Okay, we’ve clubbed together, Jocelyn, we’ll buy you a ticket. to get into a chair!” »

But, like his sons, Mr. Corbeil wants nothing to do with chairs. If not those of his dental clinic.

Last year, to keep in shape despite the constraints imposed by the pandemic, he set out to accumulate as much elevation gain as possible at Gleason. He made it to 200,000m or some 1000 ascents of Mt.

Leave your mark

Antoine and Maxime therefore fell into the pot at a young age, following the father in his adventures as spectators, relates their mother, who learned to ski at the same time as her eldest.

Then, the sons took the same wake.

At the end of March, the foursome headed to Kicking Horse Resort, British Columbia, to compete in the Steep Dreams, North American World Ranking Championships.

“A dream,” says Anne-Marie Deshaies, manager of a private health clinic. “For guys training at Mount Gleason, Kicking Horse is like freeriding for skiers. At times, there is a small access, you have to launch yourself five or six feet lower, between two cliffs, and hope to be able to slow down because it is a free descent. »

Maxime, who was in his first championship, had the best of his two competitors in U18, both vertically and individually. In vertical, he ranked 21and out of 46 men of all ages. Impossible to establish this comparison individually, the distance for the juniors – 875 m of elevation gain for 8.2 km – being about half that of the older competitors.

“Federation guys [internationale] were a bit shocked! “says M.me Deshaies, about Maxime’s performances, who then sent in a request to join the Canadian team.

Antoine, who also did very well in the U20 game, also praises his younger brother.

“Max has the potential to go far,” he says voluntarily during the videoconference interview with his mother and brother, while they were taking part in a cycling camp in Virginia. Because the two youngsters are also road bike, mountain bike and triathlon athletes… “He is very good. »


PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNE-MARIE DESHAIES

Antoine Corbeil at the individual ski mountaineering event in Kicking Horse, British Columbia, on March 26

As for their father, he took first place in both events in the 45 and over category, despite a strained left calf shortly before the event. Individually, he reached the finish in 2 h 42 min, far ahead of the second of the four senior competitors.

Finally, on the last of the three days of the championship, during the team event, all ages combined, Maxime Corbeil and Olivier Gagnon took 12and rung out of 23 male duos, Jocelyn and Antoine Corbeil, on the 18thand. Competitors had to climb 2325 m and cover 20.6 km.

Antoine, who did the Abitibi Cycling Tour in 2019, would not be surprised to see his brother at the Olympic Games in ski mountaineering. In this regard, a better structure in the east of the country would greatly help, however, adds his mother.

Be that as it may, Jocelyn Corbeil is enthusiastic about the idea of ​​admitting the discipline to the 2026 Games.

“It’s going to be spectacular. »

Sublime Pierra Menta

The Pierra Menta is both an unmissable event for the ski mountaineering elite and one of the six stages of the Grande Course, which brings together the most important competitions of the season. A look at some (magnificent) shots of this renowned event.

  • Ascent in

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    Ascent in a “bootpack” (skis attached to the backpack) during the fourth and last stage of the 36and Pierra Menta, in Arêches-Beaufort, in central France, on March 12. Ski mountaineering, which is on the rise, is available in various events, including the sprint, a very spectacular race which should be the culmination of the discipline for its first Olympic Games in 2026, in Milan and Cortina d ‘Ampezzo, Italy.

  • On the left, Axelle Mollaret, the previous day, during the third stage.  The Frenchwoman and her partner dominated the competition, completing the four stages in 11 h 46 min 1 s, nearly 1 h 15 min less than the closest rival duo.

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    On the left, Axelle Mollaret, the previous day, during the third stage. The Frenchwoman and her partner dominated the competition, completing the four stages in 11 h 46 min 1 s, nearly 1 h 15 min less than the closest rival duo.

  • La Pierre Menta is always contested in March.  In four days, its participants are confronted with some 10,000 m of elevation gain.

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    La Pierre Menta is always contested in March. In four days, its participants are confronted with some 10,000 m of elevation gain.

  • French winemaker François D'Haene (our photo) and his compatriot Yoann Sert took 6th place among the 156 pairs for men.  D'Haene is renowned for his performance in trail running.  He notably won the legendary Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) four times, including last year.

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    French winemaker François D’Haene (our photo) and his compatriot Yoann Sert took the 6and rank among the 156 pairs for men. D’Haene is renowned for his performance in trail running. He notably won the legendary Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) four times, including last year.

  • Jonas Buchot and his teammate David Perez surrounded by supporters on the Forclaz trail, during the last stage.  Thousands of spectators support the athletes with their encouragement, accordions, trumpets and bells along the course.  The Tour de France which invites itself to skiing, what!

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    Jonas Buchot and his teammate David Perez surrounded by supporters on the Forclaz trail, during the last stage. Thousands of spectators support the athletes with their encouragement, accordions, trumpets and bells along the course. The Tour de France which invites itself to skiing, what!

  • Peloton of athletes at the start of the third stage, the day before

    PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    Peloton of athletes at the start of the third stage, the day before

  • Frenchwoman Margot Ravinel during the women's individual race at the Lausanne Youth Olympic Games in January 2020. The ski mountaineering events were held in Villars-sur-Ollon.

    PHOTO BEN QUEENBOROUGH, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    Frenchwoman Margot Ravinel during the women’s individual race at the Lausanne Youth Olympic Games in January 2020. The ski mountaineering events were held in Villars-sur-Ollon.

  • Bazil Ducouret, also from France, participating in the mixed relay event of these same Youth Olympic Games, which served as a laboratory before the acceptance of ski mountaineering in the 2026 Olympic Games. The discipline will be presented there as

    PHOTO JED LEICESTER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES

    Bazil Ducouret, also from France, participating in the mixed relay event of these same Youth Olympic Games, which served as a laboratory before the acceptance of ski mountaineering in the 2026 Olympic Games. The discipline will be presented there as “additional sport”, tested without guarantee of being renewed.

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With the collaboration of Jean-Sébastien Mercier, The Press

Learn more

  • 1897
    The German Wilhelm Paulcke succeeded in the first crossing of the Alps, the starting point of modern ski mountaineering.

    SOURCE: OLYMPIC GAMES WEBSITE

    2002
    Year in which the first ski mountaineering world championships took place in France.

    SOURCE: OLYMPIC GAMES WEBSITE


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