The Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge will take place on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Around 100 teams will start at 0:00 a.m. on the slopes of Saas Grund. They will take on the challenge of skiing or snowboarding for 12 hours; pushing their own limits and raising money for people with physical challenges. The teams participate in one of three disciplines (see below) and each team needs to raise a minimum of €500 through crowdfunding. This funding will be used to finance the Mentelity Games.
Why participate.
By pushing your own limits, you also make this possible for someone who is dealing with a physical disability, or more accurately, a physical challenge. With your crowdfunding, you contribute to a participant of the Mentelity Games gaining new experiences, developing new self-confidence, gathering new strength for a better and more active life and, above all, enjoying winter sports.
Three different Challenges
Next year, for the first time, you can choose from three disciplines of the Hohsaas 12-Hour Challenge. Below you will find more explanation of the three different options:
Distance Challenge -Glacier Piste
This section is for the real "race tigers. Each team tries to cover as many kilometers as possible in the 12 hours. The team that covers the most kilometers wins this challenge. It is all about speed, stamina and the right tactics for switching the three team members, who take turns on the slopes. Due to safety concerns on the Triftgletscher Piste (high speed and partially narrow trails), the organization recommends this discipline only for advanced skiers and snowboarders.
Fun(d)raise Challenge - Triftalp
Set your own goal during the Fun(d)race Challenge: For example, define how many runs you want to make with your team during the 12 hours and challenge yourself with an ambitious goal amount for your crowdfunding. The Fun(d)raise Challenge is about fun, fundraising and skiing/snowboarding. Speed on the slopes is not the most important thing, because participating is more important than winning. Your motivation lies in the combination of contributing to charity, pushing your own limits and taking on the adventure on the slopes, together with your teammates.
After your team is complete, you will choose a goal together. Are you going for a minimum number of laps on the track or the title "Best Crowdfunders"? Of course, you can also combine these two objectives and let friends, family or companies sponsor you per lap. This way you challenge yourself not to sit still during the 12 hours, but to keep going. After all, every lap is extra money for charity. In 2022, teams completed an average of 59 descents during the 12 hours (most 80, least 29).
Tour Challenge - Weissmieshütte
For the adventurer who prefers not to get in the elevator. Here, too, it's about covering as many miles as possible in the 12 hours, but without using the gondola. You walk up (with skins under your skis or your snowboard on your back) and ski or snowboard down. The course for this challenge is a different one than the distance challenge, so you don't have to consider participants from the other challenges. You can do this discipline individually or as a team.
Registration, costs and crowdfunding
Each team chooses one of the above disciplines and each team consists of 3 team members (except for the tour challenge, which can be done as a team or solo). During the challenge, one person is always skiing or snowboarding and each team sets its own rhythm for switching. The goal is to push your own limits and raise money to fund the Mentelity Games. The 12-hour Challenge kicks off at midnight (on the night of March 24-25), so for the first few hours you ski or snowboard in the dark (there are lights on the slopes at a few points). After a few hours you will see the sun rise between the 4,000-meter peaks of Saas Grund. An amazing experience!
Each team member should buy a ticket as a starting license, this covers the organizational costs of The 12-Hour Challenge (Gondola use, breakfast, lunch, security etc.). The ticket costs €100 per person. In addition to the starting license, each team must raise a minimum of €500 through crowdfunding for the Mentelity Games (for individual Tour Challenge participants, the minimum amount is €175). Each team will have its own fundraising team page on the crowdfunding website.
More information on the rules during the challenges, lodging, crowdfunding tips and other practical information can be found here.
Would you like to register for the Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge? Then go to the registration page!
