Cols et Cimes Hauts is a ski alpinisme mountaineering competition that takes place in Chamonix, in the Aiguilles Rouges area (Brevent & Flegere). Organised by the Chamonix association Versant Sud, this competition last one single day and it's a individual competition. 1300m up & 1700m ski down.
The objectives of the Versant Sud Association are:
- Educate participants and youths of the risks of mountain sports as well as security measures involved in making sports safer
- Educate youth on the roles involved in a career as a pisteur and rescue worker as well as the tools involved
- Avalanche transceiver workshops
- Courses on reading snow and its different layers; probing to further understand each layer and how it has evolved
- Informative outings to better understand the mountains and risks involved in off-piste
There are several other competitions in the Alps, such as, the Pierra Menta considered by many, as the toughest race in the world, which takes place in the small village of Areches Beaufort in Savoie. Another well known race is the Patrouille des Glaciers in the neighbouring Swiss region of the Valais, just a few kilometres from Chamonix.
