Interneige 1965
Winter Jeux Sans Frontières

Entrants Winter 1965:
Switzerland (CH) • France (F)

Presenters / Commentators of International Heats:
Claude Evelyne and Georges Kleinmann (SSR -CH)
Heidi Abel and Frank Neff (SRG - CH)
Simone Garnier, Guy Lux, Claude Savarit and Léon Zitrone (ORTF - F)

Referees:
Mario Saldatti
Cesare Vampa

Scoregirls:
Mirielle Perdeu in France
Sandra Schutzer (Miss Switzerland 1964) in Switzerland

Production Credits:

National Producers: Paul Siegrist (CH); Pierre Brive, Guy Lux, Jean-Louis Marest, Claude Savarit (F); National Directors: Paul Siegrist (CH); Roland Bernard, Jean Bescont, André Pergament and Roger Pradines (F)

Produced by:
SSR (CH) and ORTF (F)

CH & F

Interneige 1965

Heat 1

Event Staged: Sunday 31st January 1965
Venues: Verbier, Switzerland and Alpe d'Huez, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Sunday 31st January 1965, 1.30-2.45pm (Live)
ORTF (F): Sunday 31st January 1965, 1.30-2.30pm (Live)

Playing Surfaces:
Switzerland - Snow
France - Ice

Teams: Verbier (CH) v. Alpe d'Huez (F)

Games: Mountaineering in 1900 (in Switzerland), Ben Hur (in France), Slalom Relay Race (in Switzerland), The Waiter's Slingshot (in France), Slalom Carrying Water (in Switzerland), Elastic Stretch (in France) and Game of Questions - History of the Mountain (at both venues).

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Result and Finishing Order Unknown

The Host Towns and Venues

Verbier, Switzerland

Verbier is one of the largest holiday resort and ski areas in the Swiss Alps and is recognised as one of the premier 'off-piste' locations in the world. Located in the Valais canton in the south-west of Switzerland, some areas are covered with snow all year. Many top skiers have settled in the Verbier area in order to take advantage of the steep slopes, varied conditions and resort culture. Although Verbier has around 3,000 permanent residents (which includes a noticeable population of Scandinavian and British residents), the number can rise to 35,000 in the winter season.

Verbier is also a popular holiday destination for celebrities including Diana Ross, James Blunt, Sir Richard Branson, Rose Neill and Lawrence Dallaglio. It is also a favourite haunt of members of the British Royal family including Prince Harry of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York, and her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

L'Alpe d'Huez, France

L'Alpe d'Huez is located in the Isère département in the Rhône Alpes region of France, with an altitude ranging from 1,250-3,330m (4,100-10,930ft). It is one of Europe's premier skiing venues and was the site of the Pomagalski’s (a French manufacturer of cable-driven lift systems) first surface lift in the mid-1930s. The resort gained popularity when it hosted the bobsleigh events for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games held at Grenoble some 40 miles (65kms) away.

At that time, the resort was seen as a competitor to Courchevel as France's most upmarket purpose-built resort but the development of Les Trois Valles, Val d’Isère, Tignes and La Plagne saw Alpe D'Huez fall from favour in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today however, with 249 km (154mi) of piste and 84 ski lifts, the resort is now one of the world's largest and popular, and is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France cycling tournament. The climb is 13.8 km (8.5mi) at an average 7.9 per cent, with 21 hairpin bends. It was first included in the race in 1952 and has been a stage finish regularly since 1976.

The Games in Detail

Game of Questions

The final game - ‘Game of Questions’ - of all the programmes was played by ‘intellectuals’ representing the two competing teams, who had to answer correctly a total of ten questions on alpinism and the local mountain ranges of each heat. These questions had to be answered within a time limit designated by their team in two compulsory tasks. Before the questions, the local dignitary had to opt for a 3pt outcome or a 1pt outcome. There was a limit of 15 questions that could be asked and any question could be passed on, should the ‘intellectuals’ not know the answer. However, as soon as the question had been asked, the clock was started and was only stopped when the teams answered or stated ‘pass’ and move onto the next question. If all fifteen questions had been asked and the team had not reached their target of 10, then all the ‘passed’ questions would be repeated until the total had been achieved or limit time was reached. If the team achieved their goal and answered the required number of questions, then the points value chosen by their dignitary would be added to their score, but if they did not succeed, the score would be deducted.

Additional Information

This was the first-ever international programme of Interneige, a winter version of Intervilles, which would be staged on the ski slopes and ice rinks of skiing resorts in Switzerland and France. As was to be the norm in the winter series, all the programmes were jointly staged at venues in the two countries.

The qualifying criteria for a place in the Winter Final of the first two series of Interneige programmes was based on the difference in scores between the winning team and their respective opponents, which ultimately could have led to some teams scoring more points than the actual qualifier.

Running Winter Final Qualifiers:

Switzerland (CH) - Verbier ?pts difference
France (F) - Alpe d'Huez ?pts difference

Made in B/W • This programme may exist in European Archives

CH & F

Interneige 1965

Heat 2

Event Staged: Sunday 7th February 1965, 1.30pm
Venues: Pentes de Ski et Patinoire (Ski Slopes and Ice Rink), Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
and Pentes de Ski (Ski Slopes), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Sunday 7th February 1965, 1.30-2.45pm (Live)
ORTF (F): Sunday 7th February 1965, 1.30-2.30pm (Live)

Weather Conditions:
Switzerland - Overcast and Cold
France - Sunny and Cold

Presenter Locations:
Simone Garnier (F) and Georges Kleinmann (CH) in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
Claude Evelyne (CH) and Guy Lux (F) in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Referee Locations:
Cesare Vampa in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
Mario Saldatti in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Neutral Jury in Genève, Switzerland:
Pierre Brive (Chairman), Yves Frank [Belgium], Gregory Wütten [West Germany],
Piero Duome [Italy] and Annalise Preis (Interpreter)

Playing Surfaces:
Switzerland - Snow and Ice
France - Snow

Teams: Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) v. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F)

Team Members included:
Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) - Danielle Barras, Gustav Barras, Roger Barras, Daniel Cabriole, Jean-Claude Mittard, Ken Rogesch and Liliane van Günton;
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) - Christian Benneteau, Olivia Crosette, André Estande and Michel Morsec.

Games: Block Slalom (in France), Horse-Drawn Skiing (in Switzerland), Balloons and Arches (in France), Ice Hockey Sweepers (in Switzerland), The Musketeers and the Balloons (in France), The Pyrotechnic Jeep (in Switzerland) and Game of Questions - History of the Mountain (at both venues).

Game of Questions:
Timing Tasks - 'Tenez Bon' (Hold Tight)
(in France) - A skier hanging from a trapeze must balance a football between the tips of his skis for as long as possible;
(in Switzerland) - A male competitor must lift a girl holding a bell on a rope, off the ground with one arm and leg and spin her round on the ice keeping the bell in the air and her torso from touching the ground for as long as possible.

The total time amassed by the teams over both tasks, would give the time available for them to answer 10 questions from a total of 15 within that time limit.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

The Host Towns and Venues

Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland

Crans-sur-Sierre is a small ski resort and, as was the Swiss venue in the previous heat, is located in the canton of Valais in the south-west of Switzerland. The resort nestles on a plateau in the Swiss Alps at an elevation of about 1,500m (4,921ft). As the resort grew in popularity, it was merged with the nearby resort of Montana in the mid 1970s and has since been known worldwide as Crans-Montana, which is often utilised as a venue in the Alpine Skiing World Cup calendar.

In common with many Swiss ski resorts, it has had many famous residents including French chef Michel Roux, British actor and director Kathy Burke, magician Ali Bongo, international golfers Adam Scott, Sergio García and brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari. English actor Roger Moore (James Bond 007 and The Saint) has owned a chalet in the resort for many years since moving from Gstaad, and even Sophia Loren had an apartment overlooking the 8th green of the resort's golf course which annually hosts the Omega European Masters.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (more commonly known as Chamonix) is a small commune and ski resort in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône Alpes in the south-east corner of France, with a population of around 10,000 today. The resort is one of the oldest in France, with the north side of the summit of Mont Blanc and the summit itself being classified as part of the village of Chamonix.

The growth of tourism in the early 19th century led to the formation of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix in 1821, to regulate access to the mountain slopes (which were communally or co-operatively owned), and this association held a monopoly of guiding from the town until it was broken by French government action in 1892. Thereafter guides were required to hold a diploma issued by a commission dominated by civil servants and members of the French Alpine Club rather than local residents. From the late 19th century onwards, tourist development was dominated by national and international initiatives rather than local entrepreneurs, though the local community was increasingly dependent upon and active in the tourist industry.

The commune successfully lobbied to change its name from Chamonix to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in 1916. However, following the loss of its monopoly, the Compagnie reformed as an association of local guides, and retained an important role in local society. It provided the services of a friendly society to its members, and in the 20th century many of them were noted mountaineers and popularisers of mountain tourism. The resort is famous for being the venue for the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and for its spectacular cable-car up to the Aiguille de Midi at 3,842m (12,605ft). Constructed in 1955, it was then the highest cable car in the world.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

Presenter and commentator Georges Kleinmann introduced the programme with the usual acknowledgement to the local and visiting dignitaries and then handed over to Pierre Brive in Genève to welcome the members of the neutral jury.

Game 1 - Block Slalom

The first game - ‘Block Slalom’ - was held on the ski-slopes of Chamonix and was a straightforward ski-slalom with teams of six competitors, each carrying an individually lettered large block of polystyrene down the course. On the whistle, the first players descended the course and, after passing the finishing line, a touch-judge waved a flag to signal the start of the next player. This was repeated until all players had skied down the course and crossed the line. Once their sixth competitor had crossed the line the team then had to stack the six blocks on top of each other in order to spell out the team’s name, and the time was taken. Although the Chamonix team descended the slope quickest and had already got four blocks stacked before their rivals arrived, disaster befell them when attempting to place the final block under the stack, and the top three blocks came tumbling to the ground. Despite their efforts to rebuild, the Swiss team successfully got their sixth box underneath before their tower all tumbled. The referees had deemed the tower to have been complete for a split second before it tumbled and they were awarded the point.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 1pt total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: So that both teams could have the same number of boxes, the French team’s boxes were marked with a cat and the letters M, O, N, I and X, whilst the Swiss boxes were marked with C, R, A, N, S and Sierre. The cat symbol has no bearing to Chamonix and was actually a clever tongue-in-cheek play on the town’s name. The French word for cat is ‘chat’ pronounced 'sha' and when added to ‘Monix’ it reveals Chat-monix! This game format had also been used in the 'pilot' programme in 1964 when Chamonix-Mont-Blanc competed against Megève in a one-off French national special.

Game 2 - Horse-Drawn Skiing

The second game (the first in Switzerland) - ‘Horse-Drawn Skiing’ - was held on a small snow-covered racecourse shaped area and featured two players from each team on skis holding cloth towropes which were attached to horses. On the whistle, the riders had to circumnavigate the course four times and the first player to cross the line would decide which team received the winning point. The French team got off to the better start, but after crossing the line on the first lap, their leading horse and rider veered off to the right and out of the course. This allowed the leading Swiss player to now take the lead followed someway back by the second players from both teams. The ‘outbound’ horse and skier returned to the course but found themselves now in fourth place. The Swiss kept their cool and continued to lead the others for the remainder of the game and secured their second win.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: After the third lap of the course, the leading French player at the time veered out of the course like his compatriot had done after the first lap!

Game 3 - Balloons and Arches

The programme returned to Chamonix for the third game (the second in France) - ‘Balloons and Arches’ - which involved skiers carrying 10 (2 x 5 in each hand) giant balloons down the course traversing under large arches. Each team started with a ‘total’ of 1000pts and for each balloon burst, they were deducted 30pts. This total was further reduced by the time taken to complete the course multiplied by 10. The French team participated first and was rather unfortunate that one of her sets of balloons became entangled with an arch on her descent and was pulled from her hand. On reaching the finish line she only had 3 balloons intact. The French girl took 33.50 seconds to complete the course and this was multiplied by 10 to give a sub-total of 335pts. This was then added to the 210pts (7 balloons burst x 30) and should have given her a penalty total of 545pts. Although the scoring was straightforward, French presenter Guy Lux took it upon his self to work out the totals in his head and was somewhat inaccurate. He made a mistake immediately when he stated that 33.50 multiplied by 10 was 340pts. With this added to the 210pts he stated that she had a penalty total of 550pts. The Swiss girl participated second and after witnessing the first heat, she took her time to come down the course and completed it in 39.20 seconds but had 6 balloons intact. This gave her a sub-total of 392pts and with 120pts (4 balloons burst x 30) being added, she finished with a penalty total of 512pts. Guy Lux confirmed that the 1pt would be awarded to Crans-sur-Sierre. The Swiss had now won all of the first three games.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 3pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (0pts / 0pts)

After the points had been awarded for the third game, the cameras then returned to the neutral jury to witness chairman Pierre Brive explaining to Guy Lux that he was somewhat inaccurate in his scores and stated the correct totals as above. Guy Lux appeared to accept his error and the programme then moved on to the next game!

Game 4 - Ice Hockey Sweepers

The fourth game (the second in Switzerland) - ‘Ice Hockey Sweepers’ - was, as its name suggests, an ice hockey match. However instead of the normal equipment being used, players used brushes instead of sticks, an inflatable football was utilised in place of a puck and the players were wearing normal shoes instead of skates. Another difference was that the goal-posts could be moved from side-to-side by the attacking opposition to assist goals in being scored. These changes in some way provided a little hilarity to a somewhat monotonous game. With a duration of 4 minutes, Chamonix took an early lead and were 2-0 ahead within 1 minute and 30 seconds. However Crans-sur-Sierre fought back and by the end of play the scores were level at 2-2.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (1pt / 1pt)

Game 5 - The Musketeers and the Balloons

The fifth game (the third in France) - ‘The Musketeers and the Balloons’ - involved players dressed as musketeers giving chase to large balloons down the ski slope. On the whistle, 10 large water-filled balloons (5 dark balloons from the French starting station and 5 white ones from the Swiss starting station) were released down the slope. After seven seconds, the musketeer was given a signal to start and he had to chase after the balloons and burst as many as he could with his ski poles, before they reached the bottom of the course and were deemed out of play. This was another straightforward game which was played over two rounds and saw the Swiss compete first. A good performance saw their musketeer succeed in bursting 8 of the 10 balloons (despite there being confusion at the top and bottom of the slope by both presenters as to the exact number he had burst) on the first run. The French played next and their musketeer suffered a mishap halfway down, when he tripped on one of his skis and went tumbling over. By the time he had recovered, most of the balloons had reached the end of the course, but nevertheless he still managed to burst 4 balloons. The second round was almost an exact reversal of the first, with Switzerland only bursting 6 balloons to bring their total to 14, whilst the French burst 9 balloons to bring their total to 13.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 5pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (1pt / 1pt)

Game 6 - The Pyrotechnic Jeep

The sixth game (the third in Switzerland) - ‘The Pyrotechnic Jeep’ - was held on the ice and involved a motorised jeep being driven round the perimeter of the ice rink whilst being chased by an opponent with a torch flame. At the start of the game, the torch-bearer and jeep were positioned on opposite sides of the rink and on the whistle it was simply a case of cat-and-mouse. The jeep driver however, was limited to the speed that he could travel as the vehicle only had normal tyres and was liable to skid off the ice on the turns, whilst the torch bearer was on skates and was able to go as fast as he wanted. After he had caught up to the vehicle, he had to light a firework on the back and then continue forward to make another circuit of the rink to be able to light the next firework. Played over 2 minutes 30 seconds, the team with the greatest number of fireworks alight was declared the winner. The French competed first and were able to light 3 fireworks within the time limit. The second round got off to a troubled start when the Swiss flame went out and the game had to be stopped and then restarted. With the game restarted, the Swiss went on to light four fireworks and they had won their fifth game outright.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (1pt / 1pt)

Game of Questions

With Chamonix trailing by 5pts and the slenderest of chances of still being able to win, it was now all dependant on the single round of Game of Questions and the choices made by the local dignitaries. The first question choice went to Crans-sur-Sierre and the mayor sportingly chose the 3pt option. The cameras returned to France for the first of the timing tasks which saw the Swiss competitor only being able to amass a total of 2 seconds. The cameras then returned to Switzerland for the second task and, fortunately for the Swiss, the competitors were able to amass a further 33 seconds to provide a little respectability and a chance of being able to answer the required number of questions. Fortunately for the Swiss team, the ‘intellectuals’ were able to answer all 10 questions from 17 asked (two of which had been 'passed' on the first time around) in just 31 seconds and scored the 3pts that they had opted for. The Swiss had ensured victory and recorded the first maximum score in Jeux Sans Frontières history.

►GQ Switzerland - 3pts Question Answered Correctly◄

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (3pts awarded / 9pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (1pt / 1pt)

The mayor of the French town also opted for 3pts and in contrast to the Swiss, the French amassed 1 minute from the first task but only 18 seconds from the second task. Again the ‘intellectuals’ did not disappoint and answered their 10 questions from 16 asked in 54 seconds and scored 3pts also.

►GQ France - 3pts Question Answered Correctly◄

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (9pts total) 2nd Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) (3pts awarded / 1pts) Points Differences: Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) +5pts Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (F) -5pts

Comments: Crans-sur-Sierre had written themselves into the Jeux Sans Frontières history books as the first of only two teams ever to achieve the feat of a maximum score in any of its related programmes. Although the Chamonix team team scored 4pts, Crans-sur-Sierre scored 1pt in every game (the maximum awarded) and also scored 3pts in their Game of Questions (again, the maximum possible). The only other team to match this achievement was Inzell during the 1968 season of the German Domestic Series Spiel Ohne Grenzen.

Returning Teams and Competitors

The ski resort of Crans-sur-Sierre participated again in 1966 and teamed up with neighbouring resort Montana to participate as Crans-Montana in the Winter series of 1978 and 1981.

Records and Statistics

In this heat, Crans-sur-Sierre became the first of only two teams in any Jeux Sans Frontières-based event to achieve a maximum possible score by winning every single game. Although the Chamonix team team scored 4pts, Crans-sur-Sierre scored 1pt in every game (the maximum awarded) and also scored 3pts in their Game of Questions (again, the maximum possible). The only other team to match this achievement was Inzell during the 1968 season of the West German Domestic Series Spiel Ohne Grenzen.

Running Winter Final Qualifiers:

Switzerland (CH) - Crans-sur-Sierre +5pts difference
France (F) - Alpe d'Huez (?pts) or Chamonix-Mont-Blanc -5pts difference

Made in B/W • This programme exists in European Archives

CH & F

Interneige 1965

Heat 3

Event Staged: Sunday 14th February 1965, 1.30pm
Venues: Pentes de Ski (Ski Slopes), Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
and Patinoire (Ice Rink), Villard-de-Lans, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Sunday 14th February 1965, 1.30-2.45pm (Live)
ORTF (F): Sunday 14th February 1965, 1.30-2.30pm (Live)

Weather Conditions:
Switzerland - Heavy Snow and Very Cold
France - Heavy Snow and Very Cold

Presenter Locations:
Guy Lux (F) and Claude Savarit (F) in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
Simone Garnier (F) and Georges Kleinmann (CH) in Villard-de-Lans, France

Referee Locations:
Cesare Vampa in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
Mario Saldatti in Villard-de-Lans, France

Neutral Jury in Paris, France:
Pierre Brive (Chairman), Yves Frank [Belgium], Marita Theile [West Germany],
Arturo Chiotti [Italy] and Annalise Preis (Interpreter)

Playing Surfaces:
Switzerland - Snow
France - Ice

Teams: Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) v. Villard-de-Lans (F)

Team Members included:
Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) - Edouard du Prez;
Villard-de-Lans (F) - Marcel Chevare, Jean-Claude Emaire

Games: The Vanilla Ice Pies (in France), The Skiing Accident (in Switzerland), Human Curling Stones (in France), The Skiing Pugilists (in Switzerland), Rink Outside the Box (in France), Olympic Rings Ski-Jump (in Switzerland), Game of Questions - History of the Mountain (at both venues).

Game of Questions:
Timing Tasks - 'Tenez Bon' (Hold Tight)
(in France) - An ice hockey player must dribble a puck around the perimeter of the ice rink without losing control within the 1 minute time limit;
(in Switzerland) - A child must descend the slope on skis unaided whilst holding a large teddy bear within the 1 minute time limit.

The total time amassed by the teams over both tasks, would give the time available for them to answer 10 questions from a total of 15 within that time limit.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

OR

1st
2nd

OR

1st
2nd

OR

1st
2nd

The Host Towns and Venues

Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland

Villars-sur-Ollon (commonly referred to simply as Ollon) is a small ski resort in the Vaud canton of Switzerland. Apart from being famous for its ski slopes, it is also known for its boarding schools, especially for Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil and English boarding school Aiglon College, two of the most expensive schools in the world.

There are around 270km of pistes for all skiing and snowboarding abilities and there is now also a snow park called '1984' that allows freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

Villars-sur-Ollon is also the home of the once well-known Ollon-Villars hill climb. Racing drivers from all over the world would come to participate in this internationally renowned event which began from the small town of Ollon at the base of the mountain. Participants would climb the mountain via 8kms (5mi) of roads, finally arriving at the top of the ascent in Villars. The event was popular in the Fifties and early Sixties, before laws were passed banning motor racing in Switzerland.

Villard-de-Lans, France

Villard-de-Lans is a small commune in the Isère département in the south-east corner of France. The town’s main industry is leisure, and during the winter months it becomes a hive for skiers. In the summer months it is awash with hikers and hot-air balloon fanatics.

During the 1968 Winter Olympic Games held at Grenoble, the town played host to the luge events on a specially buit track for the event. Costing around 3.19 million French Francs (approx. £265,000) to construct, the track was completed using 1,400m³ of soil and rock and 1,800m³ of reinforced concrete. The facility had three start houses, 132 lighting posts, telephone circuitry, 40 loudspeakers, and a signaling system for the competitors.

The games were held on the open-air ice rink, home of Les Ours (The Bears) ice hockey team. In 1975, the mayor of Villard-de-Lans voted for the rink to be covered in order that the club could join the French elite in major championships and to ensure that meetings were not postponed due to bad weather. Between 1976 and 1977, the work was carried out, and during that time, the Bears had to play almost all their home games at away rinks. However, this inconvenience did not stop them from winning the club's first major title, the Coupe de France in 1977.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

This heat opened with heavy snow falling at the small ski resort of Villars-sur-Ollon. Shortly afterwards, the French co-presenter Simone Garnier arrived in style in snow-covered Villard-de-Lans in France - aboard a horse-drawn sleigh

Guy Lux, co-presenter and creator of Interneige, explained that fellow Swiss presenter Claude Evelyne could not be be present at the event at she had been become the first victim of the cold weather and was confined to bed in her hotel after contracting a flu virus. He went on to say that fellow French presenter / producer, Claude Savarit would be standing in on her behalf. After a short conversation with local dignitaries and an introduction to scoregirl Sandra Schutzer, it could be seen that the name of the French team on the scoreboard was incorrect as it was showing ‘Villars-de-Lans’ instead of Villard-de-Lans! The programme was then handed over to Paris for an introduction of the neutral jury, which included future West German producer of Spiel Ohne Grenzen, Marita Theile.

Game 1 - The Vanilla Ice Pies

The first game - ‘The Vanilla Ice Pies' - was held in France and was something of a slapstick affair involving waiters and foam pies. On the countdown, a member of the opposing team had to collect a foam pie and climb and set of step and release the pie down a slide. This had to be caught unassisted on a tray by a waiter from the competing team, and then carried and placed onto a table. The opposing player had to try and relinquish all of the 15 pies as quickly as possible in order that the waiter collected as few as possible, but could only deliver one each time he climbed the steps. The waiter was obviously keen to collect as many of them as he could and therefore provided much hilarity with his antics as he was wearing normal shoes instead of skates. Any pies not delivered by the opposing team within the time allowed would be added to the number of pies collected successfully.

As the game progressed, the slide became covered in foam which in someway hindered the descent of the pies. The time duration was 3 minutes and the French team went first, and although the Swiss player delivered all the pies in 2 minutes 29 seconds, the French waiter was still able to collect 9 pies. Before the start of the second round, the Villard-de-Lans player complained that he wanted the slide cleaned as it was covered in foam, and as had been seen in the first round, it had somewhat slowed the descent of the pies. The referees deemed that nothing could be done, so the player took it upon himself to hurl the pies down the slide at a greater speed than his rival had. However, he nearly became a cropper when the 13th pie he had released fell off the slide halfway down and it was deemed that he would have to climb the steps again with a spare pie. This resulted in him just managing to release all of the 15 pies in 2 minutes 59 seconds! But his tactics were to prove beneficial to his team as the Swiss competitor had only secured 8 pies.

Game 2 - The Skiing Accident

The second game (the first in Switzerland) - ‘The Skiing Accident’ - was a game which had several elements to it. On the countdown, two skiers from opposing sides were released down a typical slalom course. At the bottom, the players had to ski into a chalet and crash through the door (somewhat simulating an accident). On the opposite side of the chalet, team-mates with one leg in plaster and wearing one ski, took their place and they had to zip-wire down to the ground below. On making contact with the ground, they had to ski further down the course on just one foot and ring a bell which was hanging from some scaffolding. Once this had been completed, they then had to race towards two sleds by any means they wished (skiing or running) and jump aboard. The sleds were attached to ropes, which in turn were attached to pulleys on a building at the far end of the course, and once aboard, the sleds could be pulled up an incline towards the ‘hospital’ by team-mates. Despite the fact there were several elements, it was a very close run thing with both teams boarding their sleds at the same time. However, the French puller was able to get his player to the hospital or the Clinique Beau Sejour (as was stated on screen) - loosely translated into English as Beautiful Clinic Living Room - five seconds ahead of his opponent. The French had won their second game.

Game 3 - Human Curling Stones

The third game (the second in France) - ‘Human Curling Stones‘ - was a game using female competitors sitting on circular concave trays protected all around by heavy padding as curling stones. At one of the ice rink, a competitor from the opposing team wrapped in padding, had to stand on a small cylindrical podium and he was the target to aim at. On the countdown, two of his team-mates had to hurl two ‘stones’ down the course towards him and attempt to place them in positions that would block their opponent’s stones from knocking him off. In order to do this, a long piece of rope was wrapped around the stone in a ‘U’ shape and then they skated forward pulling the stone behind them and, at a given point, released it in a manner similar in style to that of a child’s catapult. Each competing team had four attempts at displacing the target, and would be awarded 4pts if they succeeded on their first try, 3pts on their second, 2pts on their 3rd and 1pt on their fourth and final try. The Swiss curlers (or soofters) were quite adept in the placing of their stones and this resulted in the French players initially having to use a blast shot, with the intention of removing their opponent’s stones from play and creating a clear path for their second stone. However, having done this successfully, it took them a further three attempts before they achieved their goal and displaced their opponent from the podium, scoring 1pt. The French target was then put onto the podium and again, as was the case with the Swiss, the French team placed two good stones on the ice. However, the Swiss curlers were not as accurate as their opponents, and although they succeeded in knocking out one of their opponent’s stones, they had simply replaced this with the first of their stones. This was also the case for their second stone which appeared to have congested their path even more. With none of their stones hitting the target and therefore scoring 0pts, Villard-de-Lans were declared the winners.

Game 4 - The Skiing Pugilists

The fourth game (the second in Switzerland) - ‘The Skiing Pugilists’ - appeared to be a straightforward game but had some complicated scoring. The game involved a downhill slalom course of 2 rows of 22 large cubes placed on podiums, and the idea was that a skier wearing boxing gloves, would descend the slope and whilst passing through the middle of the two rows, would attempt to punch the boxes from the podiums. On reaching the end of the course, he had to ring a bell which was hanging from above, and then the time was taken. The Swiss team went first and their first player competed on the left hand side of the course knocking down cubes with spots, and he succeeded in displacing 26 cubes and finishing the course in 21 seconds. The boxes that had been knocked down were then all replaced by stage-hands and the second player repeated the course. He fared better and knocked down 30 boxes and completed the course in 20 seconds. However, for the third round, only a few of the boxes were replaced by the stage-hands and the player descended the slope, and managed to knock down 22 boxes in 19 seconds. The French team competed next and their players had to punch cubes with stripes on the right-hand side of the course. The first player succeeded in knocking down the first 12 boxes in total from the first 6 podiums on either side. He then crouched down in the normal skiing position and appeared to ignore the remaining 16 podiums on either side and finished the course in 19 seconds. However, unlike the previous round, no boxes were replaced by the touch-judges and the camera returned to the top of the course to presenter Claude Savarit. As their second player descended the course, it became clear as to the method employed in their first round, as he only knocked down the remaining 16 boxes on the left-hand side of their course in 18 seconds. At this point French co-presenter Guy Lux announced that the French team had gained their fourth win of the competition and stated that they were now leading 4-0. The game continued and the third French player knocked down the remaining 16 cubes on the right-hand side of their course in 17 seconds. Unfortunately, at this time it is unclear as to the method of scoring employed and as to the reason behind the Swiss team’s boxes being replaced before their second round.

Game 5 - Rink Outside the Box

The fifth game (the third in France) - ‘Rink Outside the Box’ - was a cat-and-mouse chase around the perimeter of the ice rink carrying large boxes. On the countdown, two opposing players raced around the ice rink carrying a large rectangular box. After one circumnavigation they had to stop, collect a second box which had to be placed on top of the first by a team-mate and then carry the two boxes around the same course. This was then to be repeated with another two boxes, making a total of four boxes to be carried on the final round. The first round was quite straightforward with both players on each others heels throughout. However, things started to slow down once the second boxes had been placed on top. The French player had been leading throughout the first two rounds, but some hesitation whilst collecting the third box, allowed the Swiss player to set off first. However in his haste, the boxes had not been stacked securely, and at the second corner of the rink, his boxes became unsteady and eventually came tumbling to the ground. This permitted the French to regain the lead, and despite some heart-stopping moments, he held his nerve and completed the third circumnavigation without mishap. The real test was now to come as the fourth box was placed on top at right angles to the other three to produce a ‘T’ shape. With the French taking the decision to ensure all the box’s edges were as straight as possible before attempting to set off, it allowed the Swiss to catch up somewhat after their earlier disaster. However, just as the French team were ready to depart, referee Mario Saldatti blew the whistle for limit time of four minutes. The French were declared the winners as they had moved furthest around the course. It now appeared that this competition was heading for a similar outcome as the previous heat, with the French not having dropped a point throughout.

Game 6 - Olympic Rings Ski-Jump

The sixth game (the third in Switzerland) - ‘Olympic Rings Ski-Jump’ - was played over five rounds and, like its two predecessors at the venue, was hampered by heavy snow that continued to fall throughout the programme. At the top of the ski slope, there were five hangmen’s scaffolds from which were hanging a number of Olympic rings. On the countdown, a skier had to descend the slope and at a given point, jump up and grab as many of the rings as possible from any of the five scaffolds. A ring successfully grabbed from the nearest scaffold was valued at 1pt each, from the second was 2pts, the third was 3pts, the fourth was 5pts and from the fifth (the furthest from the jump area) rings were valued at 10pts each. After completing this, the skiers had to descend the slope and place the rings onto a board so that at the end of the game they displayed the overlapping rings of the Olympic flag. On the first run, the Swiss skier scored 3pts (1 x 1pt and 1 x 2pts) whilst the French skier jumped higher and further and scored 6pts (1 x 1pt, 1 x 2pts and 1 x 3pts) to give his team a clear lead of 3pts. On the second round, the Swiss skier equalled his team-mate’s first run and also scored 3pts (1 x 1pt and 1 x 2pts) to bring their total to 6pts. This also happened to be the case for the French skier, after he scored another 6pts (1 x 1pt, 1 x 2pts and 1 x 3pts) to bring their total to 12pts. Things did not go as planned for the Swiss on their third run, as the skier failed to grab any rings and descended to the bottom of the slope empty-handed. With the French already ahead by 6pts on the game, their lead was increased further when their next skier grabbed a 3pt ring to bring their total to 15pts. The fourth round was slightly more successful for the Swiss team, after their skier scored 4pts (1 x 1p and 1 x 3pts) to bring their total up to 10pts. The fourth French skier repeated the feats achieved by his first two team-mates and scored another 6pts (1 x 1pt, 1 x 2pts and 1 x 3pts). With the French now leading 21-10, only a miracle could save the Swiss team from their sixth consecutive defeat. On the final run, the Swiss skier grabbed two rings and scored 8pts (1 x 3pts and 1 x 5pts), but they had left it too late and had already been beaten, as the score stood at 21-18 to the French. Although now academic, the French completed the game with one ring valued at 2pts to bring the final score to 23-18 in the French team’s favour. With their sixth outright win of the programme they now led their rivals 6-0, and with the possibility that the scores could end 3-3, it was now all dependant on the Game of Questions!

Game of Questions

The programme was handed over to Swiss presenter Georges Kleinmann in Villard-de-Lans to ascertain from the French mayor his choice of question value and he stated that he would take the 1pt option. This decision had not only sealed French outright victory and a defeat to the Swiss, but would prevent the Swiss from participating further in the programme. The first of the timing tasks (all called Tenez Bon or Hold Tight in this series of Interneige) saw players controlling a puck around a cordoned off course on the perimeter of the ice rink. The French team played first but after a few mishaps whereby he went off course, he completed the task in 45 seconds, leaving just 15 seconds to be added to their second task time. The second of the tasks was held on the slopes of Villars-sur-Ollon and featured a child participating for the first time. Six-year old French boy, Jean-Pierre, was given a large teddy bear to hold and had to descend the slope without the aid of ski poles within 1 minute. He successfully completed his task in 31 seconds, giving the French a total time of 44 seconds in which to answer 10 questions correctly.

The 13th question asked of the French ‘intellectuals’ caused some confusion to presenter Georges Kleinmann, and although the team had given an acceptable answer (albeit not the one he was expecting) he dismissed their answer and the clock continued to run. Pierre Brive, chairman of the jury, then stepped in and stated that the answer they had originally given was acceptable and for fairness, 3 additional seconds would be given to the team. However, the additional time was not needed as the team had already answered nine of the required ten questions and still had 14 seconds remaining. The 14th question was answered within a second of the clock being restarted and with another victory under their belt, the French were now leading 7-0.

►GQ France - 1pt Question Answered Correctly◄

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (1pt awarded / 7pts total) 2nd Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) (0pts total)

French presenter, Guy Lux then stated that with the score standing as it did at 7-0, there was now no requirement to show the Swiss team participating in the questions round. He went on to say that irrespective of whether they scored 3pts or 1pt (for answering correctly) or -3pts or -1pt (for answering incorrectly), the points difference for the Villard-de-Lans team would be a winning score and would still be the better of the three teams that had participated so far.

►GQ Switzerland - 1pt / 3pts Question Selection and Answer Unknown◄

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (7pts total) 2nd Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) (3pts, 1pt, -1pt or -3pts total) Points Differences: Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) -4, -6, -8 or -10pts Villard-de-Lans (F) +4, +6, +8 or +10pts

Comments: The final score, which was not shown on screen, would have seen Villard-de-Lans (F) beating Villars-sur-Ollon (CH) by one of the following scores: 7-3 (3pts question selected, answered correctly by Swiss 'intellectuals'), 7-1 (1pt question selected, answered correctly), 7-minus 1 (1pt question selected, answered incorrectly), 7-minus 3 (3pts question selected, answered incorrectly).

Running Winter Final Qualifiers:

Switzerland (CH) - Crans-sur-Sierre +5pts difference
France (F) - Villard-de-Lans (F) +4, +6, +8 or +10pts difference

Made in B/W • This programme exists in European Archives

CH & F

Interneige 1965

Heat 4

Event Staged: Sunday 21st February 1965, 1.30pm
Venues: Skipisten (Ski Slopes), Grindelwald, Switzerland
and Pentes de Ski (Ski Slopes), Megève, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Sunday 21st February 1965, 1.30-2.45pm (Live)
ORTF (F): Sunday 21st February 1965, 1.30-2.30pm (Live)

Weather Conditions:
Switzerland - Sunny and Very Cold
France - Sunny and Cold

Presenter Locations:
Heidi Abel (CH) and Georges Kleinmann (CH) in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Claude Evelyne (CH), Simone Garnier (F) and Guy Lux (F) in Megève, France

Commentator Locations:
Léon Zitrone (F) in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Frank Neff (CH) in Megève, France

Referee Locations:
Cesare Vampa in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Mario Saldatti in Megève, France

Neutral Jury in Paris, France:
Pierre Brive (Chairman), Yves Frank [Belgium], Marita Theile [West Germany],
Arturo Chiotti [Italy] and Annalise Preis (Interpreter)

Playing Surfaces:
Switzerland - Snow
France - Snow

Teams: Grindelwald (CH) v. Megève (F)

Team Members included:
Grindelwald (CH) - Cristian Kaufman and Fritz Lehrmann

Games: The Floral Bouquets (in France), William Tell’s Apples (in Switzerland), Tandem Ski Slalom (in France), The Dancing Couples (in Switzerland), Ski Jump Balloon Burst (in France), The Winter Postal Service (in Switzerland) and Game of Questions - History of the Mountain (at both venues).

Game of Questions:
Timing Tasks - 'Tenez Bon' (Hold Tight)
(in France) - A skier on stilts must descend the course and pass a row of 14 large polystyrene cubes between his legs and then cross the finishing line within the 1 minute time limit;
(in Switzerland) - A female competitor must descend the slope on the blade of a snow shovel and cross the finishing line within the 1 minute time limit.

The total time amassed by the teams over both tasks, would give the time available for them to answer 10 questions from a total of 15 within that time limit.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

OR

1st
2nd

The Host Towns and Venues

Grindelwald, Switzerland

Grindelwald is a village located in the Bernese Alps in the Interlaken-Oberhasli district in the canton of Bern. Lying at 1,034m (3,392ft) above sea level, it has a population of about 3,000 inhabitants. Although classed as a village, the perimeter of the locale totals 171.08km² (66.05mi²). However, only 3.06km² (1.18mi²) or 1.8% is used as settlement (buildings or roads). The remainder comprises agricultural, forestation, rivers and unproductive land. The 3,692m (12,112ft) Wetterhorn mountain, which was first reached on 31st August 1844 by Swiss geologist and alpinist Édouard Desor (1811-1882) with the help of Grindelwald guides Johann Jaun and Melchior Bannholzer, towers over the village. The ascent of Wetterhorn is a mixed climb on snow, ice and rock, and among its many climbers was (Sir) Winston Churchill (1874-1965) in 1894. Besides winter sports, Grindelwald has been in the media spotlight many times over the years.

The 1969 James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, included a chase through the skating rink and Christmas festival in Grindelwald and, in addition to this, The Eiger Sanction starring Clint Eastwood was filmed there in 1975. The village also featured in the computer game Gran Turismo 2 and the character of Gellert Grindelwald from the Harry Potter series of books takes its name from the village.

Megève, France

Megève is situated in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhone-Alpes region of south-eastern France. With a population of around 4,000, the town doubles as a ski resort during the winter months, and is well-known due to its close proximity to Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

The resort was originally conceived in the 1910s by the Rothschilds as a prime destination for the French aristocracy to compete against the Swiss resort of Sankt-Moritz. In 1921, Baroness Noémie de Rothschild opened an important hotel which boosted the resort's development and was the first purpose built resort in the Alps.

Today there are 116 lifts providing access to the 217 ski slopes totalling 445km in length. In the summer months the resort is a favourite for golfers worldwide.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

French presenter Guy Lux introduced the programme and welcomed Claude Evelyne back after her short illness of the previous week. He also welcomed newcomer Frank Neff, in the on-site commentary box, to Interneige. With the competing Swiss team being located in the German-speaking area of Switzerland, Neff acted as commentator for the Swiss teutophones in the region.

Game 1 - The Floral Bouquets

The first game - ‘The Floral Bouquets’ - was held on the ski slopes of Megève and was played in two heats. At the top of the slope there were three opposing skiers, whilst at the bottom were a team of four competitors who had to build two towers of large white polystyrene boxes on which were placed floral bouquets. The boxes then had to be lifted up in order for a female competitor standing on a high scaffold, to collect the bouquets. However, the top white boxes of each pile were attached by a rope to two large black boxes located behind the competitors. On the countdown, the first of the skiers had to circumnavigate a small chapel at the top of the slope, whilst the competitors at the bottom began to build their tower. After the circumnavigation, the skier descended the slope in order to hit the black boxes and cause the towers to tumble before the female had collected the bouquets. This was repeated on two more occasions by each team, and the team collecting the greatest number of bouquets following the arrival of the third skier would be declared the winner.

The French team participated first and collected 3 bouquets in the 2 minutes 2 seconds it took for the Swiss skiers to descend the slope.

Between the two heats of Game 1, Guy Lux introduced the local dignitaries in the crowd, together with two young celebrity supporters, singers Petula Clark (for Switzerland) and Sacha Distel (for France).

The second heat saw Switzerland competing, but the French skiers were much faster and completed all three descents in 1 minute 40 seconds which only permitted the girl to collect 2 bouquets. The French had taken the first point.

After the first game, Swiss presenter Georges Kleinmann introduced the local dignitaries along with on-site SRG presenter Heidi Abel and French commentator Léon Zitrone, who was in the on-site commentary box speaking to ORTF viewers.

Game 2 - William Tell's Apples

The second game (the first in Switzerland) - ‘William Tell’s Apples’ - which was held directly in front of the Hotel Adler. The game was played in two distinctive parts and firstly featured opposing skiers transporting large balloons disguised as apples on their head, down the ski slope and secondly, a William Tell archer from the competing side attempting to burst as many of them as he could. On the countdown, the first skier with both of his hands on the apple at all times, descended the slope and along the way make his way through a snow tunnel and over two wooden ski jumps as he went. At the bottom of the slope, he had to place the apple onto the head of a wooden cut-out of William Tell’s son. At this point the next skier could start his descent and this was repeated until a maximum of five apples had been transported down the slope or the number transported within the time limit of 2 minutes 10 seconds. The Swiss team competed first and their first skier reached his goal in 28 seconds followed by the second in 1 minute 2 seconds and the third in 1 minute 33 seconds. The fourth skier began his descent but came a cropper on the second jump and tumbled to the ground and with time limit fast approaching had no way of picking himself up and continuing the game before the whistle was blown. The second part of the game was determined by the result of the first part, and the time limit on the game was set so that parity was seen to be done. If the opposing team had been successful in bringing down 4 balloons or then the competing William Tell would only be given 3 arrows to burst as many of them as he could from his son’s head. Any number less than this, then the William Tell would be given four arrows to burst them. Therefore it was important for the opposing team to bring the maximum number of balloons possible to the bottom of the course. With just three balloons delivered by the Swiss, the Frenchman had four arrows to burst three balloons with a push lever crossbow and although he was successful on his first arrow, he missed the next three completely. France had failed in their task, but although 1 balloon was still registered in their favour, it appeared an easy target for the home team to beat. The French skiers were slightly ahead after the first run in 27 seconds, and made up more ground after the second reached his goal in 53 seconds. With the third and fourth skiers completing their runs in 1 minute 20 seconds and 1 minute 52 seconds respectively, the final skier had just 18 seconds to finish the course. However, although he did not make the time, he was ultimately disqualified as he had failed to keep both hands on the balloon throughout his run. The Swiss archer now came forward and had four balloons to aim at but had only three arrows. Although he now had to burst just two of them to win the game, he made it look easy, and despite the pressure he burst all three balloons with the three arrows and with this result, the Swiss had won the game.

Game 3 - Tandem Ski Slalom

The third game (the second in France) - ‘Tandem Ski Slalom’ - was a very quick game and involved two skiers standing back-to-back on one pair of skis. On the countdown, the skiers descended the slope and halfway down they had to stop and start to negotiate nine ski gates. These gates had to be passed in alternate directions with each skier taking the lead. After passing the first gate with the original forward facing skier in front, the team had to stop and then cross the course with the original backward facing skier now facing forward. They then had to repeat this through all of the other gates. On completion, the team descended the remainder of the slope passing over a small ski jump as they went. The French team descended first and completed it in just 41.50 seconds. The Swiss however were slightly slower and finished the course in 44.20 seconds. The French had taken the lead for the second time in the contest.

Game 4 - The Dancing Couples

The fourth game (the second in Switzerland) - ‘The Dancing Couples’ - was a straightforward dancing competition on skis played out whilst descending the ski slope. On the countdown, a male and female couple on skis descended the slopes to a piece of music, to which they had to interpret into a dance movement. On reaching the bottom of the course they had to pass the finish line hand-in-hand and only on one ski each. The judging of this game was not dependant on anything else but the decision of a neutral dance professional. Clearly not wishing to upset either team, he declared the game a draw and each team were awarded 1pt.

Game 5 - Ski Jump Balloon Burst

The cameras now returned to Megève for the fifth game (the third in France) - ‘Ski Jump Balloon Burst’ – which was simple in its format and play. On the course below a small ski jump, were three rows of nine balloons. Each row of balloons had five small balloons in the middle valued at 1pt each and four large balloons (two on either side) valued at 2pts each. Each row was also given a value with the closest (row 1) to the ski jump being worth 1pt, the middle row (row 2) was valued at 2pts and the furthest down the course (row 3) was valued at 3pts. On the countdown, a skier propelled himself down the slope towards the ski jump and the leapt as far down the course as possible. Scoring was in two parts with the value of the row reached being added to the value of the total number of balloons in that row being burst (e.g. a skier who reached row 3 and burst a 2pt balloon would get a total value of 3pts + 2pts = 5pts). The Swiss team competed first and scored 4pts (row 3 + 1pt balloon), this was followed by the first player from the home side and he also scored 4pts (row 3 + 1pt). The second round saw the Swiss skier score 4pts, with the exact same combination as the previous two jumps (row 3 + 1pt balloon), whilst the second French player emulated the same combination and scored 4pts. The running totals were level again, with the scores now standing at 8-8. Before the third round, presenter Guy Lux announced that only the value of the burst balloon would be counted on this round to try and encourage the skiers to aim for the outer balloons. The third Swiss player could still only score 1pt and the score moved to 9-8 in their favour. However, not to be outdone, the next French player did the same and the scores were level once more at 9-9. With the original scoring back in place for the fourth round, the Swiss and the French repeated their scores from the first two rounds scoring 4pts each and the scores remained level at 13-13. The deadlock continued into the fifth and final round with both teams scoring 4pts each, and the game ended 17-17 - a draw.

Game 6 - The Winter Postal Service

The sixth game (the third in Switzerland) - ‘The Winter Postal Service’ - was somewhat entertaining and had a surprise conclusion. On the countdown, a postman on a sled had to transport a large parcel down the slope to the bottom of the course. On reaching the bottom, a signal was given for the second postman to descend on a bicycle (without wheels) on skis carrying six small parcels on his back. The third postman had to ski down the slope in the normal fashion, whilst the final player had to descend prostrate on a small inflatable lilo. Once he had reached the finish line, he had to hit a button to set off a fuse to ignite a large space rocket. Once the fuse had been ignited, the rocket began bellowing out clouds of smoke until the tip exploded upwards, sending hundreds of pieces of paper (representing letters) in to the air and downwards over the watching crowd. The Swiss completed all four runs by the postmen and set the rocket into the sky in 2 minutes 40 seconds, but the French were slightly quicker completing the course in 2 minutes 32 seconds. For the first time in three games, a clear winner had emerged and the French had increased their lead.

Game of Questions

The contest returned to France for the start of the Game of Questions with the Mayor of Megève choosing the 1pt option. The French participated in the first timing task at home, and although their competitor was somewhat of a professional skier, he became entangled with the ninth box in the row and along with the next five boxes, he tumbled to the ground. With only a one minute time limit to complete the task, he regained his composure and finished the course in 57.30 seconds (rounded-up to 58 seconds). However, there was a 1 second penalty for each box dislodged, and his total time was increased to 1 minute 3 seconds (which was over the 1 minute permitted) and this resulted in the team not accumulating any time to carry-over to the next task.

On the second task their player fared somewhat better, completing the course in 34 seconds, but this only left the team an accumulated total of 26 seconds to answer 10 questions correctly. Although the ‘intellectuals’ tried in vain to answer the questions immediately they had run out of time on the 11th question asked with just 8 correct. The team suffered a 1pt penalty and were now leading the Swiss by just 1pt on 4-3.

The cameras then turned to Grindelwald in Switzerland to witness the local mayor choosing the 3pt option. The first task for the Swiss team was held in France and, like his French counterpart, the skier became entangled with the boxes and suffered a 4 second penalty after collided with the tenth box. However, he had completed the course in a faster time of 50.70 seconds (rounded-up to 51 seconds) and with the 4 second penalty, he had managed to take 5 seconds forward to be added to the time on the second task. Unfortunately further footage of the second task and Game of Questions was terminated and the final result is unclear.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

SRG TV commentator Frank Neff would later go on to become the EBU / UER’s (European Broadcasting Union / Union Européenne de Radio-télévision) spokesperson and scrutineer for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Made in B/W • This programme exists in European Archives

CH & F

Interneige 1965

Winter Final

Event Staged: Sunday 7th March 1965, 1.30pm
Venues: Pentes de Ski (Ski Slopes), Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
and Patinoire (Ice Rink), Villard-de-Lans, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Sunday 7th March 1965, 1.30-2.45pm (Live)
ORTF (F): Sunday 7th March 1965, 1.30-2.30pm (Live)

Weather Conditions:
Switzerland - Overcast and Cold
France - Sunny and Cold

Presenter Locations:
Simone Garnier (F) and Georges Kleinmann (CH) in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
Claude Evelyne (CH) and Guy Lux (F) in Villard-de-Lans, France

Referee Locations:
Cesare Vampa in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
Mario Saldatti in Villard-de-Lans, France

Neutral Jury in Genève, Switzerland:
Pierre Brive (Chairman), Yves Frank [Belgium], Kai-Dieter Treschböfen [West Germany],
Arturo Chiotti [Italy], Leslie Jackson [Great Britain]
and Annalise Preis (Interpreter)

Playing Surfaces:
Switzerland - Snow
France - Ice

Teams: Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) v. Villard-de-Lans (F)

Team Members included:
Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) - Danielle Barras, Gustav Barras, Roger Barras, Daniel Cabriole, Jean-Claude Mittard, Ken Rogesch, Liliane van Günton;
Villard-de-Lans (F) - Marcel Chevare, Jean-Claude Emaire.

Games: The Penalty Puck Catapult Shoot-Out (in France), Ski-Lift Balloon Burst (in Switzerland), The Skating Horses’ Grand National (in France), The Policeman and the Prisoner (in Switzerland), The Barrels’ Football Match (in France), Furniture Ski Relay (in Switzerland), Game of Questions - History of the Mountain (at both venues).

Game of Questions:
Timing Tasks - 'Tenez Bon' (Hold Tight)
(in France) - Six competitors dressed as bowling pins standing on small podiums on the ice rink must survive three human curling stones being hurled towards them one at a time. Each pin still in position at the end of the game counts as 10 seconds towards their opponent’s time;
(in Switzerland) - A competitor must descend the slope on a concaved salver and cross the finishing line within the 1 minute time limit.

The total time achieved from the first task and the remaining time from the second task when added together, would give the time available for them to answer 10 questions from a total of 15 within that time limit.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

The Host Towns and Venues

Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland

Previously visited in Heat 2.

Villard-de-Lans, France

Previously visited in Heat 3.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

This Winter Final opened in Switzerland at the small ski resort of Crans-sur-Sierre. Swiss presenter Georges Kleinmann introduced the programme audibly, whilst camera shots of a small aircraft flying above were broadcast to viewers. After 3 minutes of comments and explanations, the aircraft finally landed on the snow with French presenter Simone Garnier on board. After a further introduction of dignitaries in Crans-sur-Sierre, the winner’s trophy, a large silver-plated vase, was seen on display, and this was followed by the introduction of the neutral jury in Switzerland. The programme was then handed over to Guy Lux and Claude Evelyne on the ice rink in Villard-de-Lans.

Game 1 - The Penalty Puck Catapult Shoot-Out

The first game - ‘The Penalty Puck Catapult Shoot-Out’ - was staged in France and featured a large rubber band and a competitor on a wooden chair on skis, being used as a puck to score goals against an ice hockey goalkeeper. On the countdown, a team-mate pulled the chair backwards against the rubber band causing it to stretch and when the team were in the correct place and ready to play, the chair was released. It was then a simple case of hoping that the chair went in the correct direction and that it had enough strength and power behind it to reach the goal and from preventing the goalkeeper from saving it. After three rounds there was no score and the game looked as if it would end in a draw as it went into the fourth and final round. Villard-de-Lans participated first, as they had in the previous three rounds, and again failed to score. However, the Swiss team managed to break the deadlock on their final attempt, as the chair went crashing through the goal to give them victory.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 1pt total) 2nd Villard-de-Lans (F) (0pts / 0pts)

Game 2 - Ski-Lift Balloon Burst

The second game (the first in Switzerland) - ‘Ski-Lift Balloon Burst’ - required skiers to descend the slope whilst trying to burst as many balloons attached to the ski-lift that was coming up the slope. However, there was a penalty clause in the game that the length of the course had to be completed in no more than 20 seconds otherwise the number of balloons on that run would not be counted. Therefore, the competitors had to make a choice as to whether attempt to burst all the balloons in their reach and hopefully complete the course in the time limit, or burst fewer balloons and guarantee reaching the finishing line in time. Played over three runs for each team, the Swiss competed first and although they burst 5 balloons on their first attempt, the skier took 22 seconds to complete the course and scored nothing. The same was true for their second competitor who burst 6 balloons but took 21 seconds to complete his run. However, the third Swiss skier actually finished the course in 17 seconds and burst 6 balloons. The French team, who had been witnessing the game, now had three runs to beat the score of just 6 balloons. The first of the French skiers descended the course in 18 seconds and burst 4 balloons whilst the second repeated the feat and completed his descent in 16 seconds and burst 7 balloons. With victory already in the bag, the third skier had somewhat of a mishap on the slopes, missing his step and crashing out of the course. After recomposing himself he completed the course in 25 seconds, but it was all in vain as his score would not count towards the French total. Despite this, the first two skiers had done enough between them and had burst 11 balloons in total and won the game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (0pts awarded / 1pt total) 2nd Villard-de-Lans (F) (1pt / 1pt) ▲

Game 3 - The Skating Horses' Grand National

The third game (the second in France) - ‘The Skating Horses’ Grand National’ - provided some hilarity from start to finish. The idea of the game was basically that two pantomime horses had to circumnavigate an obstacle course comprised of bollards, small hedges, a low wire and a bridge in the quickest time. The horses were ‘introduced’ in true style being paraded around the rink by their ‘trainer’. As is the case with the real thing, the horses on the rink started to do back-kicks and fight with their trainer. On the countdown, the first of the horses set off and after completing the first lap, it had to tag the second for it to repeat the course. The French team of Villard-de-Lans competed first and despite a mishap by the first horse under the bridge it completed the lap in a very fast time of 29 seconds. As was the case with his stable-mate, the second horse also met with disaster under the bridge and eventually finished the lap in 39 seconds, giving the team a total time of 1 minute 8 seconds. The Swiss team of Crans-sur-Sierre then began their race and despite a small mishap as the first horse jumped the second of the hedges, it completed the first lap in a slower time than its opposite number in 40 seconds. The second of their horses then ran a perfect lap without mishap, and completed its lap in 28 seconds, also giving a time of 1 minute 8 seconds. The game appeared to have ended in a draw, but then after some deliberation, the referees announced that the French had finished the game just one-tenth of a second slower than the Swiss, and therefore would award the visiting team the point.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Villard-de-Lans (F) (0pts / 1pt)

Game 4 - The Policeman and the Thief

The fourth game (the second in Switzerland) - ‘The Policeman and the Thief’ - was a take on the Hollywood Keystone Kops, but sadly the timing of the game was not thought out well enough, as the policeman was severely handicapped and this prevented the game from being played to its correct conclusion. At the top of the slope was a policeman sitting on a ski-bob (a small bicycle on skis) and halfway down was a jail with a prisoner on small foot skis behind bars. On the countdown, the prisoner, complete with ball and chain, had to escape through the bars of the window (in reality just strips of elastic) and make his way down the slope to a finishing line traversing a number of various obstacles which included a wall, three tunnels and a narrow plank. After 50 seconds of play (the handicap), the policeman was released from the top of the slope and had to try to catch the prisoner before he reached the safety of the finishing line. Complete with police sirens sounding, he had to skibob through two paper hoops on his way down. As stated the game did not play out to its full potential as both of the prisoners made it to the finish line before the policeman had caught them and both teams were awarded 1pt each. With no change in the leading team, the score now stood at 3-2 for the Swiss.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (1pt awarded / 3pts total) 2nd Villard-de-Lans (F) (1pt / 2pts) ▼

The cameras then returned to Villard-de-Lans for confirmation of the times of the previous game held at the venue, and the contest score was about to be changed. The referees stated that in fact, it was the Swiss team that had taken the slower time in the third game and not the French, as previously announced, and that the 1pt should be awarded to the French. This resulted in the overall score of 3-2 now being reversed in favour of the French. This announcement was then handed over to Pierre Brive, the chairman of the jury, for acceptance. However he stated that the game, unlike the 'Tenez Bon' timing tasks, should not be decided on tenths of a second. All the members of the jury agreed that the third game should be declared a draw and that the overall score changed to 3-3.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (0pts awarded / 3pts total) =1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (+1pt adjustment / 3pts) ▲

Game 5 - The Barrels' Football Match

The fifth game (the third in France) - ‘The Barrels’ Football Match’ - was a straightforward game of football on ice played by competitors wearing shoes and dressed in foam barrels. The first goal was scored by the French team after 49 seconds of play followed by a second in 1 minute 17 seconds. The third and fourth French goals followed after 1 minute 52 seconds and 2 minutes 45 seconds respectively. With just 1 minute 15 seconds remaining of the game, it was clear that it was going to end with a French victory. However not to be outdone, the Swiss pulled a goal back after 3 minutes 25 seconds of play. The final score was 4-1 to the French and the win was theirs.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (1pt awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (0pts / 3pts) ▼

Game 6 - Furniture Ski Relay

The sixth game (the third in Switzerland) - ‘Furniture Ski Relay’ - was a race with a difference played over four rounds. At the top of the slope, two competitors raced against each other down the slope with various pieces of furniture on skis. On the first run, competitors sitting on chairs had to transport a table, complete with a complete petit déjeuner (breakfast) on it, to the bottom of the course. With the French competitor falling off his chair halfway down the course, the Swiss team won the first round. The second run saw competitors descending the slope in rocking chairs on skis. The Swiss competitor got off to a bad start after catching the tips of the skis in the snow and causing him to miss his step. This allowed the French player to take the lead and reach the bottom of the course first and bring the scores level to 1-1. The third run saw players dressed as husband and wife facing each other on a pair of skis. After being given the signal, the teams had to ski down negotiating ski-gates as they went. The Swiss team, who had got off to the better start, maintained the lead throughout and eventually won the round, and gave them a 2-1 lead on the game. The final run was quite risky and would certainly be banned today without the correct safety equipment being used. Two competitors in hospital beds descended the mountain and although the French got the better start, the Swiss patient raced down at incredible speed passing his rival just metres short of the finishing line. This gave a final result on the game as 3-1 to Switzerland and with the 1pt awarded it now meant that the scores were all level at 4-4, and now the competition all hinged on the Game of Questions and the choices of the two dignitaries.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (0pts awarded / 4pts total) ▲ =1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (1pt / 4pts)

Game of Questions

The Game of Questions round was slightly different in the Final to what it had been in the previous four qualifying heats, as in much that the timing tasks were completed before the question values had be chosen. The first task was similar to that of the third game from Heat 3 and it involved human curling stones being hurled towards six bowling pins. Each team had three chances to knock down as many of their opponent’s pins as possible. Each pin still intact at the end of the task counted as 10 seconds towards their opponent’s time in the question round. The Swiss participated first and were very unlucky as two of their stones passed between the French team’s pins, but despite this they did knock one of the pins down and therefore gave their opponents 50 seconds (5 x 10 seconds) in the question round. The French team fared a little better in their round after knocking down one pin and having scored another by default when one of the Swiss team players put their foot down on the ice. The Swiss team were therefore awarded 40 seconds (4 x 10 seconds) for their question round.

The second of the tasks was a straightforward slide down the mountain on a concaved salver. The time taken would be deducted from one minute and added to their total from the first task. In this task the French team participated first and completed the course in 23 seconds. This gave them 37 seconds to add to their 50 seconds from the first task making a total of 1 minute 27 seconds for their question round. The Swiss then completed their task in 22 seconds and when the remaining 38 seconds was added to their 40 seconds from the first task, it gave them a total time of 1 minute 18 seconds to answer their 10 questions.

The Swiss team were designated as answering first, and their mayor chose the 3pt option. However the ‘intellectuals’ appeared to have the competition sewn up after answering 9 questions from the first 12 correct in just 21 seconds. Then they hit a stumbling block and could not answer any of the next three questions asked. After 32 seconds, all 15 questions had been asked but they still needed another correct answer. Georges Kleinmann then began to repeat the questions that they had passed on and then for the next 42 seconds they searched their brains for a correct answer after several repetitions of those they had failed to answer earlier. Finally, with just 4 seconds remaining, they found the answer they required to end the game. This delay would ultimately cost the team dearly in this first-ever Interneige Final.

►GQ Switzerland - 3pts Question Answered Correctly◄

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (3pts awarded / 7pts total) 2nd Villard-de-Lans (F) (4pts total) ▼

Although the French mayor was asked to choose the value for his team’s questions, it had already been decided for him by the Swiss team and he had no choice but to choose the 3pt option also. The French ‘intellectuals’ were slower in response than their rivals and had only answered 5 questions after 20 seconds, but they had time on their hands due to the delay by the Swiss ‘intellectuals’. On the 15th question asked, the French team correctly answered the 10th question needed and stopped the clock on 39 seconds (despite the clock continuing to tick by until 46 seconds had elapsed). The French had also scored 3pts and now the teams were tied at 7-7. However, the French team were declared winners of the final as they had answered all their 10 questions with 48 seconds remaining, whilst the Swiss team finished just 4 seconds within the time allowed.

►GQ France - 3pts Question Answered Correctly◄

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (7pts total) =1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (3pts awarded / 7pts total) ▲

With Villard-de-Lans (F) scoring 3pts, they had drawn level with Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) at 7-7. The French team was declared the winner due to having answered all 10 questions with 48 seconds remaining, compared to just 4 seconds for the Swiss.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Villard-de-Lans (F) (7pts total) ▲ 2nd Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) (7pts total) Tie-Breaker: 1st Villard-de-Lans (F) - 48 seconds of question time remaining 2nd Crans-sur-Sierre (CH) - only 4 seconds of question time remaining

Additional Information

For the Winter Final, the EBU / UER (European Broadcasting Union / Union Européenne de Radio-télévision) invited the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) to be present as part of the neutral jury in Switzerland. (Terence) Leslie Jackson, the person chosen to represent the Corporation, was at the time, the executive producer of the highly successful TV programme This Is Your Life.

Made in B/W • This programme exists in European Archives

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