A day that started cold, but quickly saw the thermometer rise to very high temperatures, the 136 participating teams enjoyed a great race. The couple formed by Nacho Cano and Tony Fernández, with a time of 2 hours and 56 minutes, were the winner of the 15th edition of the International Ski Mountaneering Open Vall Fosca race, which was organized on Saturday February 16 by La Pobla de Segur Ski Club and the Torre de Capdella municipality. In the women’s category, the winners were Julia Casanovas and Inka Bellés with a time of 3 hours and 55 minutes.
As for the mixed teams, the winners were the local runners Marta Riba and Gerard Garreta of La Pobla de Segur Ski Club, with a time of 3 hours 24 minutes.
| FEMALE SENIOR | ||
| Inka Bellés | Júlia Casanovas | 3 h 55 m |
| Clàudia Sabata | Fátima de Diego | 4 h 02 m |
| Uxue Fraile | Montse Bacardit | 4 h 11 m |
| MALE SENIOR | ||
| Nacho Cabal | Tony Fernández | 2 h 56 m |
| Manel Pelegrina | Martí Lázaro | 3 h 02 m |
| Jordi Palomares | Nacho Puig | 3 h 10 m |
| MIXED TEAMS | ||
| Marta Riba | Gerard Garreta | 3 h 24 m |
| Christophe Carrere | Chloé Fourmigué | 3 h 41 m |
| Igone Campos | Jon Ander Aranburu | 3 h 42 m |
You can see the official video of the race in our YouTube channel.
A race to enjoy
The organization could work the days before the race to design the safest route, taking into account that especially in the first hours, the snow was hard and a very good technique would be decisive this year for the participants. The itinerary also included ridges where you had to go stringing, and spectacular descents with alpine sections of great beauty. The route of 21 km and an accumulated difference of about 2,100 meters, was traced by a safe area around the area of Rus.
Thus the participants passed from the Fontsobirana mountain pass, towards the lakes of Morera, Salado, Travessan, Francí and up to the Rus Castle, and the return by the crest of Rus and looking for the GR11 track until the lake of Tapat, to finish making the last ascent to return to the Fontsobirana mountain pass to start the final descent to Sallente.
On Friday at eight o’clock in the evening the informative briefing for the runners was done, where the route was explained and the obligatory material that they had to carry and the different scenarios that would be found during the race were specified to go as prepared as possible.
On Saturday morning, the day began with the safety material control. The stable weather allowed the control of arva (search device avalanche victims) and around 9 o’clock in the morning the starting shot of the mountain skiing race. The participants enjoyed the sunny day and a clear sky that accompanied them until the end of the competition, and where they could enjoy the Vall Fosca breathtaking landscapes. Participants valued the organization, the layout and the spectacular nature of the route, which this year took place in a less known area of Vall Fosca valley.
Finally, the prizes were awarded to the winners, and around 500 people enjoyed a complete popular meal at the tent located on the Plana de Mont-ros.
Open Vall Fosca is one of the most multitudinous events that are held in Spain in this specialty. Proof of this is that it keeps the number of registrations, although it is not a race that scores for any official competition. More than 100 volunteers, and the support of sponsors and other local partners, make this possible.
It is held in the incomparable setting of the Vall Fosca valley and the National Park of Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici since 1995. This year, once again, it demonstrated its competitive spirit. But it is also a party within the world of ski-mountaineering for each of the runners and companions who have been present, and who repeat edition after edition