Learning the sport of Biathlon in Argentiere

Originating from as far back as the 1700s, biathlon first came into existence as a competition between Scandinavian border control companies. It then developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as a training exercise for soldiers with contests between regiments.

Aside from being fascinated by how this unique event came into existence, I’d also always been very intrigued about what it is like to combine two such completely different activities. So I was delighted to find that, as of this winter, it is possible to have a go at biathlon with ESF Argentiere.

This experience is not only for the pros either; their sessions are super accessible to all, with a qualified and experienced instructor on hand to explain everything you need to know and to get you skating and shooting for yourself in no time at all!

As complete novices, we started right from the beginning and firstly had to figure out which hand to shoot with. Not being hugely accustomed to holding a rifle, I couldn’t confidently answer this question, but quickly figured out my preference using instructor Emilie’s handy technique of looking through a fixed point through a round ‘viewfinder’ made with my hands, then closing each eye to see which was still focused on my target.

So, next to the guns! ESF Argentiere use laser guns rather than rifles with real bullets, which has a whole host of advantages. Firstly this makes the activity really safe, with no serious instruction required on how to handle the guns or strict rules in the shooting area, as there is no danger of accidently shooting anyone. Secondly, it means that the whole setup is completely portable, so that activity can take place absolutely anywhere.

Similarly to the ‘real deal’ of competitive biathlon, the targets used are a line of small circles, which you must shoot in order from left to right. We shot from both the lying down position and from standing, as the pros are also required to do. However, in our shooting range, we were 10m from our targets, whilst in competitions, competitors shoot from a 50m range – thinking about this after my own shooting efforts, I am truly in awe of the masters of this sport, as it must require incredible levels of control and accuracy achieve this.

In any case, after a couple of goes with the laser rifle from lying down, we were feeling pretty confident here and ready to get our skis on.

I had only ever put on a pair of cross country skis twice before, some time ago, so I can confirm that very little experience is required to have a go at this activity. In fact, I required Emilie’s advice for every step of the way, from putting on the wrist straps of my poles (and getting them on the correct hands…) to putting my skis on and taking them off. We also had to have a few practises at lying down on the ground in shooting position with the skis still on our feet, which gave our instructor great amusement, especially when we attempted to stand up again!

Then there was the matter of actually skiing… rather than ‘classic’ cross-country skiing, in which you push your skis along in pre prepared grooves, Biathlon traditionally involves the ‘skating’ version. The technique of this (according to my limited experience) is very much as you would expect from this name – a skating motion whilst pushing along with tall poles.

On the flat, we all managed to settle into a fairly smooth skating rhythm without too much difficulty. However, climbing uphill and descending were a very different matter and posed their own set of challenges! The small beginners run at the bottom of the Lognon (at Grands Montets) which formed our training ground, has a very mellow gradient even by green piste standards. However, strap a pair of very narrow skis to your feet and start to ‘skate’ up it and it quickly feels more like a huge, steep mountain.

With a mixture of skating, stepping and poling, we managed to reach the top though, where we crossed the hill in a short off-piste section and then turned to ski down again. Feeling much like I imagine Eddie the Eagle did before his very first ski jump, I stood at the summit looking down at the descent with great trepidation. However, Emilie instructed me to keep my weight forward, bend my knees and snow-plough to slow down, exactly as when alpine skiing. Indeed, this technique got me to finish line with both skis firmly on the ground, if a little shakily.

So, having tried every element separately, now it was time to stitch them all together for our first full biathlon exercise. This time, we were to complete the course, ski to the rifle area, lay down with our skis still on, shoot the 5 targets, then get up and ski to the finish line, via laps of ‘penalty loop’ for any missed shots.

Fearing that this could require several hours to master, it was great to find that after just a little instruction, we all completed the course well and even felt accomplished enough to attempt a relay race. The shooting was certainly very different with a raised heart rate and when breathing heavily after skiing though, so quite a few penalty laps were required during our race, which decided both teams’ fate (and our victory!!).

I’m not sure that I’ll be entering the world champs any time soon, but I’m really pleasantly surprised by how accessible the sport of biathlon actually is. With such a varied and beautiful network of ski-de-fond tracks in the Chamonix valley, practising the skiing part of the sport is also a fantastic way to keep fit during the winter.

So, if you fancy trying something completely different during your stay in Chamonix or have a similar curiosity to mine about this unique sport, why not book a session with ESF Argentiere? The ski school are offering group lessons starting at 39€ per person and many Ski Hire shops rent the equipment, including Intersport shops Hurycana, near the Argentiere trails and on the Avenue du Bouchet, near Chamonix’s Bois de Bouchet course.

In fact, ladies in the valley have the opportunity to try biathlon just as we have during Chamonix GirlsZone in March, when Hurycana Sports will also be offering free rental of the kit – check out the event details here.