The Odyssey is a great adventure depicted in Homer’s epic poem, entailing hardships and trials faced by Greek protagonist Odysseus who fought off one-eyed monsters and cannibal kings. The human and canine competitors of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc sled-dog race have their own battles to fight as they tackle the tough alpine terrain.

However, the only monsters in their narrative are the massifs’ perils and bad weather. Racers spend years training their hounds and huskies, sharing a bond that allows them to achieve impossible tasks and conquer mountains together.

La Grande Odyssée takes place each January. This year, it brings together 68 international mushers and their 600 top-level dog athletes. It is considered the most difficult middle-distance sled dog competitions with a €25,750 grand prize. The motto is ‘go hard or go home’ and at the start line, human contenders pull up their fur lined parkers, steady their nerves and yell “Mush”, signalling their canines to chase the scent of snow over the mountains.

Having to adjust to many challenges en-route, including a change in altitude of more than 25,000 metres (82,000 ft), challengers cover roughly 40km per day in an 11-day quest. This charts a daring course across epic alpine landscapes, passing through many Savoie Mont Blanc ski resorts across France.

Sled dog racing found popularity in Europe during the 1970s involving huskies and hounds pulling sleds over snow-covered courses. In the spirit of such heritage, La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc was born in 2005 – the brainchild of the late Henry Kam and Nicolas Vanier as a 1,000-metre long-distance event. Now this 400-metre annual European sled dog event brings together the ‘best of the best’ to compete in the superb panoramas of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in the French Auvergne Rhône Alps.

Ten stages cross prominent Savoie Mont Blanc ski resorts, all hosting a range of unique activities.  An opening ceremony in Samoëns welcomes mushers and spectators with a colourful firework display plus cultural heritage and gastronomy.  Early sprints pass through Praz de Lys Sommand and then Grand Massif Montagnes du Giffre. Then mushers enter five-star resort territory at Les Gets, ascending to the echelons of exclusivity at Megève.

The next stage is at Peisey-Vallandry in the Paradiski ski area. Then it is onto Pralognan-la-Vanoise to Valmorel in the Auvergne Rhone Alps region before reaching Bessans to Bonneval-sur-Arc ahead of Aussois. Final stages take place at Val Cenis to Base Polaire and Lac du Mont-Cenis to Val Cenis, finishing close to the Italian border.

Onlookers might choose to stay at Four Seasons or Relais & Chateaux Flocons de Sel in Megève enjoying the resorts’ Michelin restaurants. This year, viewers at home can follow the race in real time with live feed streamed via the website including a 3D “virtual walk around.”

Sled dog racing leaves only sled marks and pawprints in the snow. These disappear with the first flurries and reappear at next year’s La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc.