Les Gets ski resort in the French Alps played host to nearly 20,000 visitors from central European countries to see “skidders” compete on their slippery slopes. Here’s an expert from an article on Forestry.com about skidders and the competition:“For those of you who haven’t seen a skidder, it can easiest be described as a four-wheeled forest tractor. One wheel in each corner, frame steering and a low center of gravity on the machine. The skidder is faster compared to a forwarder and rather versatile. A skidder is able to handle steep terrain and it runs normally empty uphill and then pulls its load of trunks downhill. In the Alps, it is most common with cable skidders which means a machine that grabs and pulls the trees with wires and two strong winches.”
“The main attraction in Les Cognées is the skidder competition. The idea is that a skidder with a load (4 big trunks of about 18 m length) should run a path that goes both uphill and downhill, including curves and difficult passages. The track is marked by poles and for every time the operator come across a pole with wheels or load they get penalty points. The operator with less penalty points will be the winner. There is really no performance competition on time, but time is measured to distinguish competitors who end up on the same points.”
