March 29: Banzag

The Banzag aims to bring together all skiers, snowboarders or telemarkers who put on skins from time to time, or even all the time for some!

The venue for this gathering has been the Grands Montets ski area in Chamonix since 2013 and after a brief escapade to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in 2020, then to the Ossau Valley, and this year, it is in Luz Ardiden that the play will be performed.

The principle is relatively simple; a DVA search which precedes a timed ascent in a hike in waves of 5. Then follows a descent in a secure setting with the only constraint being a starting point and an arrival point.

A few renowned freeriders are then on hand to observe the style, mastery and commitment of each.

Finally, there is an overall score and a ranking, but above all a good meal and the unforgettable memory of a day spent in the mountains with enthusiasts of all kinds and all levels.

All this with one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Pyrenees as a backdrop!!

So see you all on March 29!

To find out more and to register, click here:

It's the early 2010s, and we're starting to hear about a new way of practicing off-piste skiing that would have the virtue of bringing together all those who explore the mountains off the beaten track.

Until then, we had on one side the freeriders with their big fat boots on their feet, their airbags and their helmets who were tearing up the faces with big curves and on the other the hikers with their matches, their bananas and their little glasses who were trying to fit in as many turns as possible in a descent.

However, if they do not have the same aspirations, they are driven by the same passion: the mountains.

This is when manufacturers start to imagine wide and light skis so that marathoners of the peaks can finally have a little fun on the descent and so that big skiers can exceed 200m of vertical drop per hour when they want to go and find new slopes to ride.

It is indeed the advent of freerando that we are witnessing and it is not just a marketing concept that aims to dust off ski touring that has become so outdated, but a real major trend that will lead all experienced skiers further and further away from marked ski areas.

The race for weight reduction is in the specifications of all brands of skis, boots, bindings and accessories, but divisions still exist between those who prioritize effort on the way up and those who focus on pleasure on the way down.

This is when ZAG decided to break down these barriers and bring all these wonderful people together for an event called the Banzag, the first edition of which will take place in Chamonix in 2013. The concept is simple: a timed DVA search to find out if your friend can count on you in case of a problem, a hike uphill with a mandatory passage of carrying the skis on the bag, also timed, and finally a descent to be tackled by each person at their own level during which the chosen line, style and mastery will be assessed.

Success was immediate and there were ski mountaineers, seasoned free riders and even simple Sunday hikers who wanted to share a good time in the mountains.

The editions have followed one another in Chamonix for six years then in the Pyrenees since 2020 and it is indeed in Luz Ardiden that the event will take place this year on March 29!!

All information on www.banzag.com