Zermatt, Switzerland – The Ski Club of Great Britain’s longest-running mountain event, the Luttman-Johnson Challenge, returns next month and is as popular as ever. Now in its 38th year, the unique mountain restaurant race continues to attract over 40 teams of skiers and snowboarders, some new to the race experience and other cult followers who have been perfecting their championship formula since Luttman first launched the event in 1974.
The aim of the Luttman-Johnson Challenge is to race around a number of pre-determined restaurants within Zermatt’s vast mountain terrain, spending the maximum amount of time in each one. Race times are calculated using a special formula, with the most points achieved by those who calculate the optimum route. Tricks of the Luttman-Johnson trade include skiing or snowboarding as fast as you can between restaurants and lingering as long as possible in each station. Additional prizes are awarded for the best costume and general merriment is heartily encouraged throughout. The winning combination of skiing and restaurant-hopping adds a fun day to any holiday.
Competitors can enter the Trail (for those who prefer a more relaxed pace) or the Race (for the more serious contenders). The number of restaurants to visit varies depending on whether you enter the Race or the Trail.
The Luttman-Johnson Challenge will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Race entries are taken the week of the event by Ski Club Leaders during their social hour at the Hotel Pollux in Zermatt, but you can also enter on the day of the event. Entry costs CHF 30 for teams of two Ski Club members and seasonnaires or CHF 35 for teams of two non-Ski Club members.
Ski Club of Great Britain runs two events each season in European ski resorts – the Luttman-Johnson Challenge in Zermatt and the Ski Club Dual Slalom in Tignes, France.