Minimum altitude: 1,369 meters
Distance: 14.5 km
Slope Aspect: North-West
Vertical Climbed: 1,858 meters (6,096 feet)
Vertical Descended: 1,860 meters
Time for the tots traditional fleche and chamois tests with the Barioz ski club in their micro ski area of the Grand Plan.
A fleche is a giant slalom lasting around 40 seconds with 25 to 35 gates and a vertical drop of 250 meters. A chamois is a slalom with around 40 posts. An ESF ski instructor opens and his time is then adjusted based on how he performs in competition, generally the Challenge de Moniteurs where the openers are at European Cup level. Competitors are then placed in bands depending on what time they do compared to the opening. The gold level is a time between 0 and 15% of the opener. If a skier skis quicker than the opener the test can be invalidated.
It was difficult conditions and most people went backwards this year. The tot improved his times without making the breakthrough to a higher level but good progress never the less considering he's not in the ski club.
Fresh snow, very heavy on piste except where it had been prepared for the competitions.