Mondial du Ski and Snowboard - Les Deux Alpes

The traditional French season opener, the Mondial du Ski and Snowboard will take place over the autumn half term week at Les Deux Alpes. The 15th Mondial du snowboard will be held between the 23rd and 25th of October and the 7th edition of the Mondial du ski between the 30th October and 1st of November.

Although things didn’t look promising mid-week with high winds and rain the 2003 Mondial du Ski turned out to be awesome. Over a meter of snow fell overnight allowing riders to descend all the way to the village at 1600 meters. It also gave us a chance to check out what is new in the ski world and test the products of some small ski manufacturers.

This year’s program continues the traditions. Boarders and skiers can test for free the latest gear from 85 manufacturers. Experts will be on hand to give advice and information. The latest in ski and board wear will also be on test. Last year there was plenty of kit to go round, it was just the lift queue around the test area that was a bit long. Down in the village the Marquee will house a giant projection screen for the latest ski and board movies. Ideal if the weather is bad. A novelty this year is a snow riding zone in the village reserved for pros. The skate ramp is also being updated - 12 meters wide by 3.5 meters high. The snowpark on the glacier can be found on the Soreiller piste and is open to all comers except during events.

There are a number of competitions. A 50 meter rail will be a feature on the glacier with prize money for the rider that can do the longest distance. The star competition of the Mondial du Ski is the Saab Salomon Crossmax tournament which once again will see the creme de la creme of international freestylers. The 26th and 29th of October are reserved for professionals. Although the week is split into two parts, snowboard and ski, all wintersports enthusiasts are welcome for the entire week.

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