Ski mountaineering, the mother of all the alpine sports, is an activity representing the jewel in the crown of the Army Sports Centre. The athletes of the Perenni Barracks of Courmayeur are the big favourite ones in the competition, which will give the rainbow title during the First Winter Military World Games. Dennis Brunod, Manfred Reichegger, Denis Trento and Matteo Eydallin are members of the Italian Alpine troops, with a great number of victories during  World and European Championships, countless World Cups, both in individual and team competitions. The prevailing nations are France (Tony Sbalbi, Florent Perrier, Didier Blanc and Gregory Gachet) and Switzerland (Florent Troillet, Martin Anthamatten, Sebastien Epiney and Pierre Bruchez), and, in the last years, Spain with Kilian Jornet Burgada and Mireia Mirò Varela, two very young and real world-beaters. Among the emerging Nations there are certainly Germany, Slovenia and Norway. In the lady competition there will not be Gloriana Pellissier, the big favourite athlete of the Army Sports Centre: she has to stop this year because she’s expecting her second baby.

The competition of the Winter Military World Games will take place on Saturday 21st March on the steep slopes of  Flassin (municipality of Sant-Oyen), in the beautiful scenery of the Great Saint-Bernard Valley, not far from the Italian-Swiss border. Flassin is a tested course, where every year the athletes compete for the Fiou Trophy; there are 1775 metres of positive rise and the long breathtaking downhill slope – 922 metres of sudden change – from the highest point, 2772 metres of the Mont Flassin, to 1350 metres of the arrival area, in front of the Foyer de Fond of Flassin.
The start area will also be at the Foyer de Fond, at 09.00 a.m.; then the long climbing to the Valletta Pass (2701 m) passing through the middle Citrin (2005 m). Then the quick descent to upper Citrin (2348 m), and, from here, the last and difficult climbing to the Mont Flassin.