Continuing my series of blogs about summer activities in Verbier, in the Swiss Alps, after a day of hiking with my guide Marie, I enjoyed a trail running route with Emily Vaudan, an accomplished mountain runner.
A guided trail run in the Alps
I confess I was a little daunted to discover that my trail running guide for the day, Emily, had finished 12th female in last year in the UTMB race. She also has a string of other podium places for impressive endurance running events. I worried she would be too fast for me, or she would become frustrated by my slow pace.
Thankfully, however, Emily was very happy to guide me on some of her favourite trails in her local mountains – and to go at a pace to suit my fitness level. When I wanted to hike uphill, we did. When I wanted to run we did. When I wanted to stop to take photos, or for something to eat, we did.
On top of this, I didn’t need to think about where I was going because Emily knows the trails very well and so the adventure proved to be a great experience.
Gondola, a chairlift and a run uphill
Emily and I met at Le Châble, below Verbier. I took the gondola down from Verbier, before we then both rode a gondola and a modern chairlift with delightfully heated seats to Grand-Tsai at 2232m. These lifts took us to a different area, Bruson, in the wider Verbier valley, compared to the hike the day before.
The mountain tops were still covered in morning cloud and so we delayed the start of the run with a coffee, although, in the end, the cloud lingered. This meant that while I missed some of the wider vistas from higher up the mountains, I welcomed the cooler temperatures as we ran.
Again, the trails were dotted with route signage, although Emily, who grew up in the area, didn’t need the waymarking cues. I was happy to follow and simply enjoy moving at a faster pace amid a superb landscape.
The trails are ideal for trail runners and after many months of wet running in Scotland, it was a delight to be on dry and dusty paths.
Mixing running and fast uphill hiking – where the gradients dictated my capabilities – Emily and I progressed steadily towards our first high point Six Blanc at 2445m. In between the clouds, I took in a vista of mountain peaks and deep valleys.
At ground level, myriad wildflowers created a stunning display of many different and vibrant colours. This was exactly what I had hoped for during a summer trip to the Swiss Alps.
We continued, this time descending at a faster pace and then uphill again to the summit of Mont Brulé (2572m), which is located on the Swiss-Italian border. The clouds had started to rise and disperse, which meant the views grew and grew.
As we ran, Emily and I got to know each other and I learned about how she had arrived at trail running only in the last seven or eight years. It seems her progression to the podiums in ultra events had been fairly swift and she was looking forward to another UTMB this year. Emily is also a keen ski mountaineer and road cyclist.
Running and eating in the mountains
Running further on and slightly downhill we reached Col de Mille (2472m) where a convenient mountain cafe, Cabana de Mille, was located. Emily was keen to eat and she ordered a delicious looking Tarte de Linz, a fruit tart, while I rehydrated on a sugary fizzy drink called Rivella. I am not good at eating mid-run and so I nibbled on a snack bar I had with me.
Downhill running – and a lunch
For much of the rest of the run we descended on an undulating but flowing path that eventually took us below the line of the gondola that we had used earlier in the day.
The heat from the sun was much stronger and the views became ever more breath-taking.
Reaching Moay at around 1700m elevation. Emily suggested we could eat lunch in a mountain restaurant and then we had a choice, to take the gondola back to Verbier or run further downhill.
Lunch at Moay Restaurant was delicious with a shared plate of local meats and cheese and, feeling a bit more energised, I thought I might like to complete the run descent to Verbier.
It was only after the run that I realised we had gained a total of 724m, yet, in total, we had descended 2045m – 1182m before lunch and another 863m after eating. I was surprised my stomach held up with the running downhill after a meal but I know my muscles were grateful for the input of food.
It felt somewhat bizarre to have descended almost three times the total ascent over a route of 21km but, equally, I had throughly enjoyed the outing.
We departed each other at Le Châble and, with some relief, I sat down and rode the gondola back uphill to Verbier. My legs were in no mood for more uphill walking or running.
There are many options for trail running in the Verbier area. You can go with a guide or follow a route detailed in this great trail guide. Pick up the leaflet from the tourist office.
You can find out more about my trip to Verbier, how I got there, where I stayed and where I ate at Verbier in summer.
Also read about my road cycle tour from Verbier.
- While the trip was hosted, the views and opinions in this article are entirely my own.