The Wild Italian Alps: A Taste of Tor des Géants Guided

Welcome to Italy! After landing in Geneva, Switzerland, you’ll take a two-hour shared shuttle to the “sunny side” of Mont Blanc, known in Italy as Monte Bianco. After settling in to our hotel in Courmayeur, in the Aosta Valley, our group will gather to hear the plans for our adventure through the Northern Italian Alps. We’ll finish the day with a welcome dinner at one of the wonderful restaurants along Courmayeur’s rustic pedestrian walkways.

We’ll start at the door of our hotel, running through the neighboring ancient village of Dolonne, then up to Col d’Arp and onto an exciting ridgeline trail over Mont Fortin. We’ll finish the day by running down to the small mountain town of La Thuile, at 1,441 meters, where timber and stone chalets dot the landscape, interspersed with dairy farms. We get a transfer back to our hotel in Courmayeur.

We get a taxi back to where we left off in La Thuile, before heading high up into rugged Northern Italian Alps, our day starts with a warm-up, running to the end of the local valley. Then, we move up into the alpine zone, past dramatic waterfalls and a placid mountain lake, pausing for a late morning treat at Rifugio Deffeyes. After running through a high valley, we’ll climb to 2,857-meter high Haute Pas, descend technical ground to a wild valley, and immediately climb to 2,826-meter Col Crosatie, finishing with an airy section using chains and cables to keep us safe. A long descent past a flowing alpine river brings us to the tiny hamlet of Planaval (population: 22), where we’ll stop for a break at the cafe. From here, a taxi takes us up the final stretch of the road to our destination, the centuries-old village of Valgrisenche.

Today, we head through some of the most remote, wild and challenging terrain in Northern Italy as we enter Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park. The run begins with a climb through the forest and onto grassy alpine slopes dotted with herds of cows. We’ll take a break at Rifugio Chalet de l’Epée, before the final push up to 2,854 m high Col de Fênetre.

One of the most dramatic descents of the trip comes next, as we switchback down airy terrain to the village of Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, a perfect spot for lunch at one of the outdoor cafes in the village. Another climb ensues, this time concluding with a vertiginous few meters with iron steps and cables to help us over 3,002 m high Col d’Entrelor. The hard work done, we’ll coast past alpine lakes and high alp farms, down through forests to the charming, rustic Hostellerie du Paradis in Valsavarenche for a well-deserved gourmet dinner.

After a classic Alps breakfast at the Hostellerie, we’ll climb up and through the wild heart of Gran Paradiso National Park, over 3,295 m Col du Lauson, the high point of the Tor des Géants ultra event. The descent includes an airy traverse secured by ropes and chains. After that excitement, we’ll run down switchbacks through pastures to Rifigio Vittorio Sella, one of Italy’s most historic and famous mountain lodges and well-known for its wonderful meals. After lunch outside at this high pasture rifugio, it’s a downhill run for about 10 km, ending in the medieval village of Cogne, surrounded by the high peaks of the Italian Alps.

Today, we’ll bid arrivederci after our Italian alpine trail running adventure. An 8 am shared shuttle will take guests to Geneva Airport via the Mont Blanc Tunnel. You should arrive at Geneva airport by midday. For earlier departures, we recommend spending an extra evening in Geneva, and are happy to provide hotel recommendations.