Salomon's Team Trail France shares its best moments 2017

To close this year in style and before savouring the festive season and looking forwardto their next season,the French Salomon trails teams are looking back on their best moment of 2017 on the trails.

CAROLINE CHAVEROT - Alone in the middle of wild mountains

Even if this year was often difficult, it allowed me once again to experience many small and big joys like the one in July during a reconnaissance of Hardrock, Colorado. I was alone in the middle of wild mountains stretching as far as the eye could see, the weather was beautiful and I felt really fit, light and enthusiastic, with an extraordinary feeling of freedom. This outing sums up everything that makes me passionate about the trail : discovery and contemplation, but also simplicity and freedom of movement.

THIBAUT BARONIAN - Sharing, evening overtaking, emotions in the Basque Country

Located a few weeks after some days at the end of August in Chamonix, all positively charged with energy, I keep a special memory of my trip to the Basque Country, on the occasion of the Skyrhune. Moments with family, friends, sunbathing and ocean bathing, followed by a nice slice of sport, in an atmosphere that we love, with a big fight, against the weather elements and the day's opponents. In short, sharing, overcoming the evening, emotions with the people we love. Looking forward to 2018, the pleasure of rediscovering this type of sensation !

FRANCOIS D'HAENE - An unforgettable crossing of the John Muir Trail

2017 gave me different but equally intense experiences and I was fortunate to be able to crown them with success. If I have to select one, I'll remember my crossing to the United States on the John Muir Trail. This trail of over 350 km is incredibly beautiful. To have the opportunity to travel through all these national parks and mountains, without ever crossing a road or a refuge is simply something unforgettable. It is also an opportunity to discover an effort of more than two and a half days in the mountains and share it with my friends. We helped each other to finalize this adventure that we had been preparing together for almost a year. The totality of this experience is important for me because it mixes many beautiful things from different horizons and allows me to envisage others in the future.

SACHA DEVILLAZ - The support of my whole family on the X-Alpine Verbier St-Bernard

Beyond the birth of my second child Nuria, I have excellent memories of my weekend from 7 to 9 July on the X-Alpine Verbier St-Bernard. All the ingredients were there to keep it anchored in me with a place that I love very much where I spend a lot of time to train, a more than warm welcome and the presence of my whole family to encourage me. I have two images in my head: one of my son encouraging me at every feed, with a little bell and his embroidered Chamonix cap, the other of my partner Cindy managing my feeds like a Formula 1 team. How also not to forget my victory which gives me the satisfaction of not having to run like crazy in the evening after having carried packs of boards on the roofs all day long!

NATHAN JOVET - Shared victory on the snow at Font-Romeu

Among my many memories emerges the white trail of Font-Romeu on January 22nd. On the starting line, the temperature is around minus ten degrees. The wind is icy. The two previous days, it snowed continuously. The course of the Romeufontaine is reduced to 32 km. We take turns in the lead with Jordi Gamito to make the first trace. The difficult weather conditions don't affect our good mood. We chat all along the route before deciding to share the victory. Luckily Jordi was there. Without him the race would have seemed much longer and less jovial.

ROBIN JULY - Discovery of the Dolomites on the occasion of the Dolomites Skyrace

In a rather difficult choice to make, so much the trail allows to live incredible moments, I keep the discovery of the Dolomites during the Dolomites Skyrace. A really magical place and a race that made me dream for a long time. I was not disappointed. The atmosphere at the summit was just incredible and the level was impressive. It's a race that I advise to do at least once. As for the result, I didn't put in a great performance. All the more reason to go back!

MICHEL LANNE - Magic moment on the TDS

This 2017 season has been very rich in emotions, the most intense of which are condensed on this incredible UTMB week. I always thought that my victory on the CCC a year ago was a bit due to luck and a series of factors in my favour. I logically wanted to try the TDS to prove to myself that I could repeat the experience of ultra distance. I certainly did not expect to experience such a beautiful day of trail shared with an incredibly large audience, to enjoy every moment, to feel so much pleasure and succeed once again to be the first in Chamonix. As in 2016, my biggest source of motivation was to find my little Giulia waiting for me at the finish line. Nothing could stop me from living this magical moment, not even the pain and difficulty of the 120 km. Two days later, it was the turn of good old François to offer us a day that was just phenomenal emotionally by winning what is for me the most beautiful, intense, captivating and combative race I have ever seen in this sport. A truly unforgettable week.

GEDEON POCHAT - Explosive emotion on the UTMB

My best moment 2017 trail remains theUTMB weekend. With Thibaut Baronian, I gave a hand to Jean-Michel Faure-Vincent, for the assistance of François D'Haene. After the overexcitement of the beginning caused by being able to follow the race, I got caught up in the game and I felt the emotion rising when I saw François alone at the front. It became explosive from Vallorcine adding the fatigue of an all-nighter and the world on the edge of the course. A first experience on theUTMB which will surely not be the last one as a feeder and why not one day as a runner !

JEAN-MICHEL FAURE-VINCENT Team Manager Salomon France - Victory for a team

More than a moment, it's the positive energy around theUTMB races that spontaneously comes back to my mind. On the first day of the race, Michel wins the TDS as a real boss, he shows all his teammates the way to victory. The next day, Thibaut, plays, tries his luck and takes the second place in theOCC with panache. On the last day, all the riders of the team are present on the side of the road, despite their aches and lack of sleep, to support, encourage and push François during his journey. They will all take turns to set times, encourage him at the top of the passes, support him with their eyes, their voices, or their presence. At the end, François will come out alone, the great winner of this UTMB, but it is this collective emotion that will remain engraved in my memories for a long time, because that day, everyone exchanged, shared and were for each other.

Photo credits: Cyrille Quintard, Philipp Reiter and Damien Rosso www.droz-photo.com