The musher (sled-driver), who wins the Arctic Alps Cup, will be the one who would have received most points in La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc and Finnmarksløpet 1000 km. Each race will give points to the mushers according to their placement compare to the other mushers competing in the Arctic Alps Cup. In order to achieve a ranking in the Cup, a musher have to finish both races in the same year. The one who becomes the winner will have to show his or her skills as a musher in relation to the dogs and their athletic ability to face the steep mountains of the Alps and the frigid cold and loneliness of the Arctic.

The three best mushers in the cup will share a purse of 10 000 Euros in its first edition. The organizers of the two races have made a commitment to run the Arctic Alps Cup for a minimum of 3 years.

Two teams in front of the Mont Blanc range during LGO (photo Johan Dussert)

- The creation of the Arctic Alps Cup is a great step forward for the professionalization of sleddog sport, says Henry Kam, CEO of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc. To take part in the development of this extraordinary activity has always been major for La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc, by joining with the Finnmarksløpet, we are making a new great leap forward, says Henry Kam.

-The Arctic Alps Cup will put extra focus on sled-dog racing, says Per Aronsen, director of board in Finnmarksløpet - This will make new possibilities for the mushers, more interesting for media and will give new opportunities for sponsors and other partners.

A team on the river between Karasjok and Jotka during the Finnmarkslopet (photo Thibaut Branquart)

La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc is run every year in January over 900 kilometers through the French and Swiss Alps. The race is known as the toughest long distance stage race in the world. In 2011, the mushers and the dogs will take part in the 7th edition.

Finnmarksløpet runs through the extreme north of Norway, in the county called Finnmark. In the beginning of March the dogteams cover a 1000 kilometers of tundra in the longest and northernmost European sleddograce in the world. In 2011, Finnmarksløpet will run for the 31th time.

The entries for the Artic Alps Cup will be received by La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc.

    Contact:

    La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc
    Jeanne Buisson
    Communication & Partnership
    La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc
    28 Avenue Marie Louise - 94210 La Varenne Saint Hilaire - France
    www.grandeodyssee.com
    tel :+33 (0)1 48 83 69 50
    mob :+33 (0)6 25 91 04 27
    e-mail : jeanne@grandeodyssee.com

    Finnmarksløpet AS
    Gro Anette Olaussen
    Postboks 1248
    9504 Alta, Norway
    Tel: +47 78 44 54 50
    Mob: +47 900 34 663
    e-mail: mail@finnmarkslopet.no