The Best of Mont-Blanc Trail Running Guided

Arrive in Geneva, Switzerland and transfer through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur, Italy. An airport pickup is included, making this an easy and relaxing journey. Enjoy Courmayeur’s pedestrian-only Via Roma while you take in impressive views of the Mont Blanc range, with time to relax before joining the group for our trip meeting, followed by dinner at one of the many great restaurants in town.

We’ll run straight from the steps of our hotel up through the forest to the pretty summer pastures of La Suche. From here, we continue into the wild Val Sapin, traversing the valley sides, then climbing to reach the Col de Sapin. Next, we descend into a wild quiet valley leading us to the Bonatti refuge, where we can stop to refuel. Our traverse back to Courmayeur is on one of the best sections of the Tour du Mont Blanc, offering amazing views opposite Mont Blanc and some of the most storied alpine peaks in the world.

Today we’ll take the bus to start our run at La Visaille, a hamlet in the shadow of Mont Blanc, before climbing up to Mont Favre. From here, the traverse is another one of the best sections of the Tour du Mont Blanc. After a stop at the famously welcoming Rifugio Maison Vieille, we head back down to Courmayeur.

After an early morning taxi from Courmayeur to Montroc at the top of the Chamonix valley, we head up the Posettes mountain, gaining panoramic views on our way up this airy, beautiful ridgeline. From the top, fun single track takes us down to the hamlet of Le Buet and then it’s over the Col des Montets pass on wide smooth trails to reach our hotel in Argentière.

We’ll get the valley train a couple of stops to Le Buet, then run through the villages of Vallorcine and Barberine. Then the real climbing starts! We go up through the forest to reach the expansive Emosson lake, formed by one of the largest dams in Switzerland. After taking in the dramatic beauty of this spot, we follow a more technical traverse to Loriaz refuge for some drinks and food. We’ll run down gentle trails through the forest into the pretty Bérard valley, then either run or get the train back to our hotel in Argentière.

After taking the train to the hamlet of Le Buet, we head into the wild Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve on a fast-packing adventure, staying overnight in a remote mountain refuge. At the top of the Bérard valley, we’ll stop for a break at the refuge Pierre à Berard, and prepare for the final climb over steeper and more technical ground to the Col de Salenton, the day’s high point at 2526m – unless we chose to summit Mont Buet at 3096m!  We’ll descend to our overnight refuge, underneath the stunning Rochers de Fiz, where we may see ibex and bearded vultures. The refuge will provide us with a hearty dinner, bunk room accommodation and showers. Because of the remote location, there is no baggage delivery tonight.

The day starts with a short trip to the beautiful Lac de Pormenaz, from which we descend to the Diosaz river. A long, steady climb brings us to the Col de Brévent. We can descend from here into the Chamonix valley, using the cable car part-way if we want to save our legs, or there’s an option to extend the route by descending via the dramatically located Bellachat Refuge, further along the ridge. 

We’ll arrive back in Chamonix for some après-trail drinks with our friends at Big Mountain Brewery, and the chance to chat over the adventure we’ve shared, just on the other side of the mountains!

Today we say “au revoir” to Chamonix, and depart for our post-Mont Blanc destinations.