Patrouille des Glaciers
The Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) is a ski mountaineering race organised every two years by the Swiss Armed Forces, in which military and civilian teams compete. It takes place once every two years at the end of April, in the south part of the canton of Valais below the summits of the Pennine Alps. The Patrouille des Glaciers is a stage of La Grande Course that includes the most important ski mountaineering competitions of the season. There are two different races, a normal and a short one: Each patrol consists of 3 members who, in order to  compete, must History. The Patrouille des Glaciers has military origins. During the Second World War, the Swiss army organised a race to test the abilities of its soldiers. The first military patrol edition was held in April 1943 thanks to the work of two captains of Mountain Brigade 10 (Rodolphe Tissières and Roger Bonvin). That year, 18 patrols, each consisting of three members, travelled 63 kilometres to reach Verbier. In 1944, 44 teams participated, but for a few years, no races were organized because of World War II. On April 10, 1949, the race was organised once again, but the  deaths of three participants from Orsières (Mauritius Crettex, Robert Droz and Louis Thétaz) who died in a crevasse caused a controversy. As a result of that accident the organisation of the race was prohibited by the Federal Military Department until 1984. The competition was revived by Rene Martin and Camille Bournissen. It remains under the control of the army which ensures its smooth running. The race is now held every two years and is also open to civilians. In 1986, bad weather forced organizers to interrupt the race. In 2002, the same mishap occurred. In 2004, a foreign team won  the race for the first time. The same year, the race was competed by 2934 participants (approximately 60% of civil patrols and 40% military), with 984 for the normal race, and 636 and 1314 for the short races. In 2006, organisers were forced to refuse a thousand entries. That year a second race was organized from Zermatt for the first time. The media have recently raised the problem of doping: patrols are not subject to any controls which causes rumours about the performance of the participants. The commander of the race, Brigadier Marius Robyr (who retired in 2008), refused to  impose controls and instead called for participants to act honestly, and in the spirit of the race in which there is no financial gain for the winners. On April 18, 2007, memorials donated by the Swiss army were unveiled in Zermatt, Arolla and in Verbier in honour of the communities connected with, benefactors of, and friends of, the PDG. A doping case came to light at the end of the 2008 edition in which ten competitors were checked. Records. Record times are measured on the longer course only (i.e. from Zermatt to Verbier) Men. The record time is 5 h  35'27 and is held by an Italian team winning the 2018 race. Team members are: Women. The record time is 7 h 15'35 and is held by a French/Swiss team from the 2018 race. Team members are: Checkpoints. Several supply and control stations are located between Zermatt and Verbier: The total drop is 3994 meters (ascent) and 4090 meters (descent). Rules. Participants are divided into two groups: civilians and military. The categories are (Regulation 2006): Material. Each patrol must be equipped with the following equipment (Regulation 2006):