You
only need to scan through the running
magazines and forums to get an idea
of how popular trail running is becoming.
We have been offering these Alpine trail
running weeks for many years, to help
people get into this fascinating and
totally addictive sport.
Our
week long Alpine trail running weeks
are based in Chamonix,
at the foot of Mont Blanc, as there
are hundreds of kilometers of trails
to choose from. We offer a great balance
of running, coaching, and trail running
advice, preparation and top tips. Many
people repeat these weeks year after
year!.
These
training camps are open to anyone, but
we suggest that you will get the most
out of them if you are happy running
up to 10km, or even a half marathon.
If you are in any doubt as to if they
will suit, then get in touch to get
advice from one of the coaches.
As
well as enjoying a great week of trail
running of c. 10 - 15km a day at a nice
steady pace, we aim to teach you the
key safety skills for route planning
and Alpine running, with a focus put
on the selection of equipment and how
to develop your training plans for trail
running.
Don't
worry if you have never run on trails
before, as you will pick up the skills
quickly with expert coaching and guidance.
All you need is to be fit for regular
running, to have a sense of humour,
and to love the outdoors. We will teach
you the rest, and you are guaranteed
a great and fun holiday!
You
are led and coached by a Personal
Trainer, who is also an International
Mountain Leader. Most importantly they
will be a passionate trail runner who
has competed in plenty of Alpine ultra
running races, possibly even the Ultra-Trail
du Mont Blanc. You are led by a genuine
expert in ultra-trail running.
Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right,
and they show the live availability
from our secure online booking system.
When you book online, you receive immediate
confirmation, your Alpine Information
Booklet, course specific kit list and
invoice.
FREE
course film: Each
week the leader takes film footage of
your running, both for video analysis,
and for an amazing souvenir at the end
of the week, so you can share your experience
with friends. Here's some videos from
last year...
Run on spectacular trails
Coached by UTMB finisher
Run on real mountain terrain
Marathon
du Mont Blanc week & UTMB week
• If
you book on our June running week at
the end of June, you have the amazing
opportunity to watch or even participate
in one of the Marathon du Mont Blanc
race events which include; vertical
kilometer, 10km, 23km, marathon, or
80km. The events are scheduled on the
Friday to Sunday. Click on website link for details. • On
the last week of September, you overlap
with the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc race
series week, with the main UTMB set
off on the Friday evening. The atmosphere
in Chamonix this week is electric! We
always try and ensure that this week
you are led by a UTMB geek, so they
can give you all the race gossip. Website link.
Key
learning points & features of our courses
Five
full days of trail running coaching, led by top
qualified mountain running professionals
Town
centre accommodation in Chamonix for the week, on
a self-catering basis
Learn
how to plan a trail run in terms of navigation,
timings, and safety
Advanced
gait analysis to improve mountain running efficiency,
and performance
Coaching
from a qualified Personal Trainer, to develop future
plans
Advice
from industry experts on clothing, equipment, and
mountain running safety
FREE
course video, for you to share with friends and
family of your trail running week
Not
only will you enjoy a week of running on some of the best
trails in the Chamonix region, but you will have gain
a huge amount of tips and advice for performance guidance,
efficiency of gait, mountain techniques, and safety skills,
so you leave the week feeling more inspired and better
informed about trail running than ever before.
Our
trail running trips in the press
Brief
Course Itinerary Chamonix
is blessed with hundreds of kilometers of trails over
all types of terrain, from forest tracks to high alpages
and mountain passes, and so the itinerary can be flexed
on any day to take account of weather conditions, to ensure
that you sample the best on offer. The itinerary below
is to provide you with a taster of what you could achieve,
and isn't fixed in stone. As far as the distances run
each day, we advertise c. 10 - 15km each day, though try
and select routes to cater for people to opt out of sections
if they would like an easier day. We aren't expecting
you to be mountain running machines, just a great spirit
of loving the mountains, and wanting to give it a go.
Speed is nothing. Enjoyment is everything! Many clients
come back year after year to repeat this Alpine trail
running week, but they need never repeat a trail they
have run before.
Sunday
Travel to Chamonix to arrive for the 17:00 check-in
followed by and course safety and itinerary briefings.
There is time for kit checks or rental of equipment
(see inclusions below for what you are provided
as part of the course price). Briefings are over
by 18:00 and the Chamonix hosts accompany the group
to pre-dinner drinks. Some clients opt to travel
out a day or two early to get their hill legs back
and to explore the town. Night in Chamonix.
Monday
A
classic trail run in Chamonix, such as up to Montenvers,
and Signal Forbes above the Mer de Glace glacier
basin, then across to Plan
d'Aiguille, then
the option of running down to Chamonix, or taking
the cable car. The key focus of the day is to develop different
running techniques for varied terrain types, especially
how to run up the hills. Night in Chamonix. Highlight
- running the amazing balcony trail overlooking
the whole Chamonix valley.
Tuesday
The
focus is on building your trail running skills in
more mountainous terrain, and a great choice is
a traverse of the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve.
Running to the glacial lakes of Lac Blanc and Le
Cheserys are stunning viewpoints. If your legs are
feeling slightly tired after the previous day, there
are cable cars you can opt for (up and / or down).
Night in Chamonix. Highlight
- gaining autonomy skills trail running in unspoiled
stunning scenery.
Wednesday
We
take the picturesque Mont Blanc express train from
Chamonix to Vallorcine, and run a section of the
Chamonix Mont Blanc marathon to Montroc or further
to Le Tour. You can even divert and take in the
Col du Balme, or even the Croix de Fer, just across
the Swiss border. Alternatives are to traverse the
Col du Salenton, or run up Mont Buet. Night in Chamonix. Highlight
- running over the Aiguillette des Posettes with
Mont Blanc ahead of you.
Thursday
A
day running in Italy or Switzerland, to run on sections
of the UTMB route. The day provides really different
views of the Mont Blanc massif, and experience running
in a different country. A popular option is running
the UTMB / CCC route over the beautiful ridge of
the Mont de la Saxe to visit the Rifugio Bonatti
for a proper Italian hot chocolate! Night
in Chamonix. Highlight
- experience running on a section of the legendary
UTMB trail race route!
Friday
A
slightly longer trail run, to really put all the
elements together that you have learnt over the
week. Often the group opts for a more technical
route, such as running the Chamonix Vertical Kilometre.
If you've the energy, after a short rest, you could
continue over the summit of Le Brevent 2525m, and
down via the Bellachat mountain hut. Night in Chamonix! Highlight
- completing a skyrunning race route on rough technical
Alpine trails.
Saturday
Breakfast
then the accommodation check out is by 10:00. Most
arrange their airport transfers to leave around
this time, to catch a flight from Geneva about midday. Depart for home.
ITINERARY NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries.
Mountain adventures are weather and conditions dependant,
so occasionaly we are forced to alter the plans.
If this is the case, suitable alternatives are offered.
Please use this outline itinerary as a guide to
the types of route / activity that you will attempt.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
5
full days UIMLA guiding, 1:8 max ratio
7 days holiday in total, Sunday-Saturday
£799
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
Inclusions:
1) UIMLA guide for five days, 2) Chamonix course
hosts for logistics & briefings, 3) Pre course
information booklet, 4) Equipment discount voucher
for UK shops, 5) Six nights self-catering accommodation
in Chamonix (inc. bedding & towels), 6) Free
36 page technical Course Instruction Booklet, 7)
Road / train transport in Chamonix valley, 8) Logistics
support and several optional evening instruction
sessions.
Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Personal laundry,
telephone calls, lunches, evening meals, & any
purchases in mountain huts / hotels / restaurants,
3) Cable cars and mountain uplift, 4) Road transport
outside the Chamonix valley (not usually required),
5) Activities insurance, & excess baggage charges.
Group
sizes: 3 - 8 people per UIMLA guide.
If there are more than 8 people on a week, separate
groups operate, so you are guaranteed good access
to the guide for tips and coaching.
Current
course availability
Course Dates Cham Trail Running
No Dates Available
NOTE:
This trip has scheduled
dates, but if there are four who
are booking together, it can be
operated on any date you wish
I
had been on several running camps before,
but this far exceeded my other experiences
in terms of how much I learned and how
it was tailored to me Grant
W , Trail Running
Thank
you for looking after me so well. This
was an amazing week, where I achieved
so much. I never thought I could do
this sort of thing, but now I am hooked Alison
H , Trail Running
The
level of personal training, attention
to detail, and local knowledge, of our
coach was second to none. Thanks Susie
B , Trail Running
Testimonials
Press
& media
Films
& videos
Photo
gallery
We
wrote the book on it...
Published by Cicerone Press,
by Kingsley our head trail running guide & trainer 40 routes inc UTMB, Vertical KM, Chamonix 80km,
CCC Click to buy!
Location
data for this trip
The
majority of our trail runs are based in the Chamonix valley
in the French Alps. It is also easy to access the Valais
region of Switzerland or the Aosta Valley region of Italy,
as these involve less than an hours drive. There is a
great choice of trail running venues in all these regions.
Time
Difference
GMT +1hr
Local
Currency
€ Euros
Travel
from UK
1hr flight
Pro
Trailer Original poles
We
stock these innovative and unique running poles in our
Windermere shop, and are the only UK stockist. They were
developed specifically for trail running (though they
are great for ski touring and hiking too), and only weigh
in at an incredibly light 169g for the unisize 125cm pole.
We
have tested these poles and find them extremely durable,
and the multi-grip handle extending down the shaft reduces
vibration and excels on traverses. All our running clients
are offered a 'try before you buy' scheme where you can
test a pair, and as with all technical gear, there is
a client discount. View poles on shop website; click
here.
Free
resources
FREE
Podcast
Getting into trail running...
Trail
running is a fastgrowing sport, and
this podcast explains what it involves,
how to get into it, and also goes through
all of the equipment that is required.
FREE
Resource Alps
trail running kit list...
If you are planning on attending one
of our trail running courses, you can
see a kit check list of the clothing
and equipment that we recommend you
take.
The
photo above sums it up. All of these finisher jackets
of the UTMB race series belong to our head running
leader. We genuinely think that there is no other
operator out there who is more credible!
There
are several other operators who also offer guided
trail running, and we aren't afraid to advertise
that fact. Please look at their itineraries to see
how they differ from ours.
We
don't offer talks from 'celebrity' runners, or go
in for the chardonnay in a hot tub 'lifestyle',
or quasi-scientific courses. Ours are run by people
who do it, not talk the talk.
Our
prices offer you great value. We genuinely believe
that you'll spend more time actually running and
in the mountains on our courses, than with anyone
else.
Anyone
leading you will be a finisher of one of the iconic
trail races, such as the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc
/ Tor du Geants / Leadville / WS100.
Author
signed! 'Trail Running Chamonix &
the Mont Blanc region' link
...or the NEW book...
'Trail
and Fell Running in
the Lake District' buy
a copy
by Kingsley Jones. Cicerone
Press
£14.95 each
Each book has 40 trail running
routes, each with height profiles,
and full colour mapping
Features
how to adapt your
running in the mountains, and
an index of where to stay
Includes
famous races in each
region, e.g. UTMB, Langdale
Horseshoe and Chamonix VKM
Highlight
- running the amazing balcony trail overlooking
the whole Chamonix valley.
Each book has 40 trail running
