Martin Anthamatten reveals his best tips for the PdG 2026

57.5 kilometers, nearly 4,400 meters of elevation gain, and a night in the high mountains: the PDG demands everything. Martin Anthamatten knows this challenge like few others and in 2026 looks back on two decades of experience with the race. His tips show how hard preparation can turn into confidence, composure, and strength on race day.

PdG 2026: 7 pro tips for your preparation for the ski touring race in Zermatt

The Patrouille des Glaciers is no ordinary race, it is the ultimate endurance test. There are 57.5 km and almost 4,400 m of climbing on the program. Anyone standing at the starting line in Zermatt at night knows that this is going to hurt. Between glaciers and thin air, it's not the best racing suit that counts in the end, but pure willpower and the team.

ZERMATTERS have been part of the PDG for decades. For us, this race is not a trend, but Valais lifeblood. And who better to explain how to tackle the route from Zermatt to Verbier than someone who is at home here and has already completed it several times?

PDG athlete climbing at night with headlamp, light trails from other teams, and the Matterhorn in the background. — Night ascent toward Tête Blanche: an athlete pushes through the darkness in the beam of a headlamp, while the light trails of hundreds of teams mark the route. This long exposure image captures the mystical atmosphere of the Patrouille des Glaciers, when the night becomes an arena.

Martin Anthamatten: 20 years of experience in the toughest ski touring race

When Martin talks about the Patrouille des Glaciers, he doesn't beat about the bush. The Zermatt mountain sports athlete started out as an amateur in 2006. In 2026, he will be celebrating his 20th anniversary with the PdG. With two victories and two second places under his belt, he knows exactly what is important.

Here are his blunt tips for all those who not only want to arrive at Patrol 2026, but also want to deliver:

Athlete at the material check before the PDG, equipment on the table, military personnel in the background — Safety comes first: during the equipment check before the Patrouille des Glaciers, every detail is inspected: rope, harness, helmet, avalanche transceiver. Martin’s focused expression shows the seriousness of this moment. The PDG is an army race, and the equipment check by military personnel is mandatory.

Your PdG preparation: What really matters

Three PDG athletes running jubilantly across the finish line in Verbier, cheering spectators behind barriers — The most emotional moment of the Patrouille des Glaciers: The three teammates cross the finish line in Verbier arm in arm. Exhaustion gives way to joy as the crowd celebrates. Pure team spirit after more than 50 kilometres and 4,000 metres of elevation gain.

1. team spirit: In the three-man patrol, it's the "we" that counts:
Forget ego trips. If one person in your patrol has a low, everyone does. You have to understand each other blindly. If you can't smell each other during training, you'll mentally collapse during the Rosablanche portrait at the latest.

2. nutrition training: eating under stress:
Your stomach will rebel the first time you stuff gels down your throat at two in the morning. Practice this! Test in advance exactly which bar doesn't sit in your stomach like concrete. The eating rhythm must be right before the starting signal is given in Zermatt.

3. long training sessions for ski touring races: "Time in Motion":
Sure, you need to be fit. But Martin advises: Focus on "time in motion". Spend many hours at a time outside on your ski touring skis. Your body has to learn to deal with the fatigue that only sets in after a few hours at altitude.

4. technique & rope handling: efficiency on the mountain:
When it comes to PdG, it's often the details that make the difference. Rope handling must work in your sleep - even with clammy fingers. Important: The strongest athlete only goes to the front if he can pull the team without "tearing" it apart.

Team of three ascending on touring skis at the PDG with snowy high-mountain panorama in morning light — In step through the Valais Alps: Team Suisse 1, with Martin Anthamatten, climbs toward the summit on touring skis in the morning light. The Patrouille des Glaciers is teamwork in its purest form.

PDG athlete Martin Anthamatten in the nighttime transition zone with headlamp, surrounded by other participants and helpers — Concentration in the transition zone: in the middle of the night, Martin Anthamatten prepares for the next stage of the Patrouille des Glaciers. The light of the headlamps, the cold, the tension: in the transition zone, it becomes clear that the PDG is far more than just a ski race.

5. cold and altitude: Don't underestimate the Valais Alps:
Don't wait until you're shivering to get dressed. Once you've cooled down, it's hard to get back up to operating temperature in the thin air. The right layering is not a recommendation, but a strategy for success.

6. respect for nature: safety first:
This is high alpine terrain. If the conditions are not suitable for training, stay at home. "Don't force anything," says Martin dryly. The mountains are always stronger than your training plan.

7 Regeneration: He who rests, wins:
Overtraining is every athlete's worst enemy. Many make the mistake of powering through until shortly before the start in Zermatt. But the fact is: a burnt-out engine won't get you over the Tête Blanche and Rosablanche. If you want to perform at your best on race day, you have to have the courage to put your feet up from time to time. Recovery is not a sign of weakness, but an integral part of your training plan. Only with fresh batteries will you still have a smile on your face at the finish in Verbier.

Three athletes of the Swiss PDG team posing with touring skis in front of the Matterhorn in Zermatt — Team Suisse in front of the Matterhorn: Three athletes present themselves with touring skis in Zermatt before the start of the Patrouille des Glaciers.

Together towards PdG 2026

Martin will attack again in 2026, together with Aurélien Gay and Rémi Bonnet. The goal for Team Suisse 1? To be at the top of the podium in Verbier.

Three ski mountaineers ascending on a snowy ridge with Valais Alps panorama at sunrise — The climb at sunrise is one of the most striking moments of the Patrouille des Glaciers. The three athletes of Team SUI1, dressed in their racing suits, push forward in perfect sync toward Verbier, with the majestic four-thousand-meter peaks of Valais rising in the background. An image that captures the fascination of ski mountaineering racing perfectly.

And you? Whether you're aiming for the long route from Zermatt or the short variant from Arolla: We at ZERMATTERS will support you with your PdG preparation. Whether it's technical coaching, equipment checks or the final preparation tour with an experienced mountain guide, get in touch with us at the office.

We at ZERMATTERS Homebase wish Martin, his team and all other participants good preparation and a successful Patrouille des Glaciers 2026!

Martin Anthamatten

Martin Anthamatten is one of Switzerland's most successful mountain sports athletes and competes at the highest level in both winter and summer. The pictures in this article were kindly provided by Martin and are from the Patrouille des Glaciers 2022, when Team Suisse 1 with Martin Anthamatten, Rémi Bonnet and Werner Marti secured victory in a time of 6 hours 35 minutes and 36 seconds.
As a mountain guide with ZERMATTERS, he knows the mountains around Zermatt inside out and lives his passion every day. He is also an EFZ draughtsman specializing in architecture.