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Nov 7, 2015
Doug Mayer

CMBM: The Club at the Heart of Trail Running in Chamonix

Thanks to Chloë Lanthier for her help with this interview, and to Maia Rauschenberg for the transcription. Over the last decade, Chamonix has become one of the world’s top locations for trail running. It makes sense. Long the world’s center for alpinism, thanks to its location at the base of Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles

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Oct 20, 2015
Doug Mayer

From Chamonix to Zermatt: Our 2016 Run the Alps Tours are Here!

We’ve just announced our 2016 tours! These last few months have been one of the busiest periods ever for Run the Alps. We wrapped up our most successful season, departing the trails of the Chamonix valley only when snow started to work its way down the flanks of Mont Blanc. Back here in the states, we spent the

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Oct 6, 2015
Doug Mayer

Fall Comes to the Alps: A Look Back, A Look Forward

Here in Chamonix, the fall mornings are suddenly becoming much more brisk. Puffy winter shells have made their annual reappearance. Snow comes and goes from the high pastures. Trail des Aiguilles Rouges, organized by the local CMBM trail running club, was run last week. The race, a favorite among locals, bookmarks the end of another season

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Sep 21, 2015
Doug Mayer

A Sure Sign of Autumn: DDM Trail

Autumn is my favorite time of year in the Alps. The busyness of summer has subsided. Cowbells echo over frost-covered hills. Désalpe, the annual celebration when herds of cows move down from summer pastures, is starting to take place throughout the region. In the mountains, a thin mantle of snow comes and goes with each

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Sep 15, 2015
Doug Mayer

Running the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Year… After Year… After Year

This past month saw the 13th annual running of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) trail race, arguably the most famous trail race in the world. The race course wends its way for 166 kilometers around the Mont Blanc massif, from Chamonix, France, into Italy, Switzerland, and finally returning to Chamonix. For many runners, the UTMB

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