A land of champions... this is not just about the number of Olympic or world medals collected over the past 50 years... The attribution of the Grenoble Olympic Games to the Vercors (cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping, etc.) in 1968 has of course contributed to this sporting culture. But it is first and foremost through training that the Vercors has laid the foundations of a place conducive to the installation of athletes. The sports colleges and high schools of Villard-de-Lans, La Chapelle-en-Vercors and Die constitute the basis of this system and are relayed by complementary training centers such as: AFRAT (in Autrans), GRETA (in Villard-de-Lans), the national caving center (in Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors, closed today). This "breeding ground" of training (which sees a significant number of young athletes pass through) coupled with varied and complementary practice sites make the Vercors a natural ground for installation.
And then there are the women and men of the region who have paved the way, such as Raphaël Poirée (Biathlon), Vincent Vittoz (Cross-Country Skiing), Carole Montillet (Alpine Skiing), and Marie-Laure Brunet (Biathlon), giving international visibility to the Vercors.
Everything quickly followed, with the next generation regularly turning the spotlight on the Vercors. First Simon Fourcade, followed by Jean-Guillaume Béatrix, Marie Dorin-Habert, Robin Duvillard, Maurice Magnificat, and... Martin Fourcade.
Activities are also diversifying with mountain biking trials (Yoan Triboulat and Freestyl'Air), freeriding (with Ludovic Guillot Diat), Mathéo Jacquemoud (ski mountaineering, originally from Lus-La-Croix-Haute), and trail running (Renaud Rouanet). The elite of many disciplines (cross-country skiing, ski jumping, alpine skiing, biathlon, mountain biking, etc.) therefore live in the Vercors, and this now translates into a wide choice of activities for all levels, summer and winter, which are represented.
This land of champions is becoming increasingly demanding and is now trying to adapt its offerings. Many former athletes advise and support projects such as the roller ski slope in Corrençon-en-Vercors, which complements the Trompe ski slope (known as the "Raphaël Poirée stadium") in Vassieux-en-Vercors, which already boasts a significant offering.
The latest addition to the program is Marie Dorin-Habert (recently retired from her sport!), accompanied by her husband Loïs Habert (a former biathlete) and cross-country skier Robin Duvillard, who embarked a few months ago on an innovative (and interesting) project called "Zecamp." Zecamp is an accommodation and restaurant facility located at the start of the Corrençon cross-country ski trails, the golf course, and the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors Nature Reserve, open to the public 365 days a year. Created by high-level athletes living in the Vercors region, the formula is well-suited to the sporting public, thanks to healthy food, the provision of maps and GPS tracks of local circuits, a weight room, equipment storage and repair rooms, as well as offers related to Vercors activities. The "Zecamp Outdoor Activity Center" is scheduled to open in fall 2018 in Corrençon-en-Vercors.
And then there's also the solidarity between participants, a true culture of outdoor sports, a simple everyday conviviality, and a way of passing on the knowledge to younger generations!
Finally, a land of champions is above all an incredible network of volunteers: one in four residents is a member of a sports association and volunteers in the evenings and on weekends, when it's cold, snowy, or, on the contrary, when the heatwave melts the tarmac!
