Ambassadors

HometownPortland, Oregon

A bit about me

I run! Usually my time is spent on the trails, but I have a soft spot for the roads and chocolate chip cookies.

My other life

Ummm, about that… Someday – and probably sooner than later – I will have another life, but at the moment I’m quite content eating Top Ramen and sleeping in my truck at the trailhead, or eating Poco Loco and crashing with Run the Alps in Chamonix!

During a few weeks each summer I work at Steens Mountain Running Camp, a wilderness running experience for high school cross country runners. Think of 180 high school runners, sleeping in tents, no cell service, running all day and sitting by the camp fires at night. A place of dreams.

In my free time

I like painting, doing some basic woodworking, walking and reading. Someday, I hope to build a wooden canoe.

Fun Fact

I once ran a race without pants… I was five years old, and apparently my parents let me dress myself on race morning. My Dad was running a marathon that morning, and my Mom was probably busy getting my siblings and me out the door on time. The race t-shirt was really long – more like a dress – so I think the lack of pants wasn’t super obvious.

Favorite Alp trail run

I love the Tour du Mont-Blanc from Courmayeur, Italy to Grand Col Ferret high on the Italian-Swiss border. The trail starts with a great climb to Refuge Bertone and then rolls along a smooth, fast and beautiful section of single track to Refuge Bonatti, before grinding up to Grand Col Ferret, the highest point on the Tour. From here, you can enjoy 360-degree views of the Alps.

HometownServoz, France and Saint Johnsbury, Vermont

A bit about me

Native of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain huts alum, Middlebury College graduate, and Adirondack Mountains enthusiast. I currently live in the village of Servoz, in the Chamonix valley. At the suggestion of my partner, Brad, my initial plan was to come to ski for a season and then head home…but seven years later, we’re still here!

My other life

Formerly a high school teacher, I now spend my days working for CREA Mont-Blanc, the Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems in Chamonix. We are a small team studying the effects of climate change on the Mont-Blanc massif, and getting folks involved through citizen science and educational initiatives. I also moonlight as a translator.

In my free time

Free time…What’s that? When I’m not running in the World Skyrunner Series, I love to be out in the mountains, either backcountry skiing, alpine climbing, hiking or just ogling beautiful landscapes with my partner, who is an aspiring mountain guide here in Chamonix. When the weather isn’t cooperating, I like to be inside cooking and eating good food, enjoying a book, or poring over topographic maps.

Fun Fact

My favorite kitchen utensil is the rubber spatula.

Favorite Alp trail run

Too hard to choose!  There are so many great trails here to choose from! While in Grenoble for 6 years, the traverse of the Néron leaving from and returning to the city became an all-time favorite.

HometownHeart and soul are in Larkspur, California and Sun Valley, Idaho; Roots are squarely in Vermont!

A bit about me

I have been accused of being in two places at once– but that’s because I have an identical twin. My husband Jerry and I swim, bike, and run in the most exotic places, but I will give up a swim any day for a trail run in the Alps! Mountain adventures started in the Wyoming’s Wind River Range and spread to Greenland, the Alps, North Cascades, Sierra, New Zealand, and the Idaho Sawtooth Range.

My other life

I’m the founder and CEO of Bungalow Munch Organic Granola, but spend most of my professional work time fundraising at Rainforest Action Network, a global environmental NGO that works at the intersection of forest protection, human rights and climate change.

In my free time

I love to race but I only have two speeds – on and off, so the longer the race the better the outcome! I love 50k – 100K trail runs; I’ve done 21 Ironmans but have settled on the half Ironman distance, so all my eggs aren’t in one basket. Skate skiing is my favorite sport and I’d like to ski across Finland before the snow melts there.

Fun Fact

Food is a passion – coffee, granola, home made and gluten-free preferred. And as a new ambassador to Run the Alps, more time running in the Alps seems apropos!

Favorite Alp trail run

Les Contamines, France to Courmayeur, Italy along the Tour du Mont-Blanc. It’s remote feeling, there are stunning views, and as you pass from France to Italy, you’ll get a view all the way down the long Val Veny. Oh, and you get to finish with dinner in Courmayeur!

HometownI'm a California native; my "homes" include Yosemite National Park,  Marin, and Ketchum, Idaho. Glenorchy, New Zealand has future potential. 

A bit about me

I’m a fast twitch Dipsea runner trying to be a slow twitch Alps-type runner. Just ask Run the Alps Guide Simon Conroy.

My other life

I’m celebrating a 45-year history with Yosemite National Park. For more than twenty years, I’ve held the Chief Financial Officer/ Chief Operating Officer post at the Yosemite Conservancy. The highlight of each day for me are my two trips across the Golden Gate Bridge by bike.

In my free time

I’m preparing for the next adventure by eating Bungalow Munch at least once a day, running on Mount Tam, skate-skiing in Idaho, cycling dirt roads in the Marin Headlands, and seeking a great flat white.

Fun Fact

I’m a decades-long runner of the Dipsea trail race– the oldest trail race in the United States that’s unique in another way, with a special handicapping system.

Favorite Alp trail run

Running from the car-free village of Mürren, high in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, to the mountain inn at Obersteinberg. The side trip up to the high, little plateau called the “Dance Floor” is a must.

HometownGardiner, Maine

A bit about me

I live in Zurich, Switzerland, but know very little about the city, as I am constantly hopping trains headed to the mountains.

I grew up hiking with my dad in New England. During my summer breaks at Middlebury College, I worked in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s high mountain huts in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest. There, I baked bread, cleaned toilets, offered trail advice, and fast-hiked around the mountains in – no kidding – a variety of costumes.

After arriving in Zurich in the summer of 2016, I quickly connected with Hillary Gerardi, a fellow AMC huts and Middlebury alumna, and now also a Run the Alps ambassador. Hillary brought me to my first-ever Skyrace – and I was hooked! Racing is such a great excuse to travel to new places, meet fun people, and run through the mountains with well-spaced snack stops!

My other life

In my other life, I’m a geologist, working on my PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, otherwise known as ETH-Zurich. I study the landslides caused by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal and my research group is interested in how large earthquakes affect long-term erosion and sedimentary cycles in mountainous landscapes. I travel to Nepal for field work, where I fly drones to map landslides and collect a lot of sand. I can’t think of a better way to combine my scientific interests with my love for the mountains!

In my free time

In my free time, I’m either baking muffins or planning my next run, bike, or ski tour!

Fun Fact

While studying abroad in Iceland, I played in the Women’s National Ice Hockey League, having never before played competitive hockey.

Favorite Alp trail run

I love the Mercantour National Park in France’s Maritime Alps. The area is very wild, and you can go hours without seeing another person. But closer to home in Switzerland, the scramble up the Dossen on the Grosse Scheidegg – and a cake stop at the Dossenhütte is a real treat! Really any Swiss trail marked in blue – that is, not bordering on rock climbing – is sure to be filled with technical fun!

HometownMunich, Germany

A bit about me

I fell in love with the Alps after moving to France in 2009. Growing up near flat Chicago, it took some years to build the strength, confidence, and experience that unlock the freedom and bliss of running in the mountains. Now, there is nothing more natural than to bound down a mountain over rocks and snow through the fog and rain or to enjoy those blue sky days in the wildflowers. I like the challenge of pushing hard on a relentless climb and the reward, not only of a great view, but of each step that carries us higher… and of course finishing the day with a long downhill dance.

My other life

I’m a freelance writer and looking for any excuse to be in the mountains.

In my free time

If I’m not running, then I am skiing, doing yoga, or baking something to share with friends during our next outing.

Fun Fact

I started running in the mountains because I was always excited to see what would be around the next corner or over the next summit. Before that, I was 100% not a runner. Last year, I was one of few women to run the 2016 Skyrunner Extreme Series, not something I ever imagined possible.

Favorite Alp trail run

Whichever one I’m running that day. Trail running has been such an unexpected passion, that every run is my favorite. If I really had to choose, Pointe Percée, in the French Alps, not very far from Chamonix. Or, something technical that combines running, scrambling, and a rapid descent.

HometownLutry, Switzerland

A bit about me

I am Dutch, and as you might know, half our country lies below sea level. It’s always funny to refer to this fact while climbing mountains! However, while we don’t have mountains, our tradition of biking everywhere – in any condition, at any age – makes for a good start in endurance.

I started running roughly 14 years ago and have gradually increased from 5k, to 10k, to half and then full marathon. Then, on to trails and ultras over the years. I believe patience and consistency is key to longevity and injury prevention.

I moved to Boston in 2012 and my ultra trail running career started to bloom. As a pacer for the Leadville 100, I encountered “real” mountains. I fell in love with ultra running, the trails, and the ultra community.

Continuing my focus on trails and longer distances, I realized my body fared quite well on the endurance side. Distances of 80 km seemed ideal. Eventually, the 100 mile distance called and I tried my hand at two of them, Rocky Raccoon (4th female, in what was also the US trail 100-mile championships) and Leadville 100, where I finished within the 25-hour limit, and received the coveted belt buckle.

In 2017, I moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and have a daily view of the Alps. I will be joining the Salomon Ultra Running Academy in Annecy and look forward to sharing the joy of trails and mountains with other trail enthusiasts here!

My other life

I am a scientist and run (pun intended!) my own laboratory in biomaterials at the École polytechnic fédérale de Lausanne. We focus on controlling the assembly of molecules into complex 3D architectures by using DNA as a programmable glue. Think of it as a box of LEGOs, or an IKEA package, where all the individual components know exactly how they should come together. No human involvement is necessary, and there are no missing bits and pieces! Pretty cool, huh? My work takes place on a microscopic level, where I strive to create the perfect environments to grow cells for sophisticated diagnostics and therapeutics.

In my free time

I can’t remember the last time I had any free time…!

Fun Fact

I am a professional classical flutist. I studied flute at the Tilburg Conservatory in the Netherlands, while I was doing my Biomed training in Eindhoven.

I am also a big fan of run-commuting. Running twice a day with a backpack full of books is perfect ultra training, and also saves time in a busy life, when you don’t know how to fit your training in.

Favorite Alp trail run

My favorite run in the Alps so far is up to Lac de Tanay, not far from Lake Geneva and the French border, in what is known as the Chablais Alps.

I see the Alps every morning from my bedroom window, and I can tell you, there is no better place on earth to live and run! I look forward to spending more time exploring all the trails in this new playground!

HometownLes Houches, France. Originally from Durban, South Africa.

A bit about me

I grew up in South Africa spending most of my time playing sports, hiking with my family, and riding horses. Running is very much ingrained in my family. I grew up watching the Comrades year after year and ultrarunning was pretty normal for me. I got into trail running after university in about 2010 and after exhausting all the trails in South African, I started racing a lot in Europe. I discovered the beauty and fun of Chamonix, France through spending a summer in a van here in 2018. After that, I decided to move here permanently. I’m very proud to now call this valley my home!

My other life

I studied Economics and Political Science, switched to teaching after a few years of realizing that I didn’t actually love the business side of life. I then specialized in remedial therapy. I worked in that field until around 2015, when I studied life coaching and started my very own coaching business, called The Run Project.

In my free time

My free time is usually spent finding very cold rivers and pools to dip into, and hanging out with wonderful friends and mentors in Chamonix, including Izzy!

Fun Fact

I’m just over 5 feet tall. 🙂 That’s fun, right?

Favorite Alp trail run

I love the area around Mont Buet in the Aiguilles Rouges, towards the Swiss border from Chamonix. I love the wild feeling it has, and it was one of the first long trail runs I ever did in the Alps, so it has a certain nostalgia to it that reminds me of how lucky I am to live here!

HometownAnnecy, France

A bit about me

I discovered mountains and trail running my last year of college at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I was on a website looking to buy a new wetsuit, and saw clothing for something called “trail running.”

I had to learn more. I Googled “trail running,” and it opened a whole new world. Eventually, I saw a Salomon TV episode about UTMB and I knew I belonged in this sport.

Since that time, my love for trail running has shaped my life and has been a constant source of inspiration.

My other life

I am a Product Line Manager for Salomon Trail Running products in Annecy, France. I use consumer insights and market feedback to bring future products to life. It’s a combination of problem solving and innovating. I manage the process of sharing the idea of the product, working with designers on the look of our new shoes, and integrating the marketing and commercial teams to bring the product to the marketplace.

My wife Steph and I moved here in spring of 2019, and are looking forward to the next chapter of our life in Europe.

I have been working with Salomon since 2015, and enjoy the constant evolution of my roles.

In my free time

In my free time I am usually out trail running. Steph and I enjoy cooking at home and playing board games. We also enjoy traveling, going to concerts, and eating sushi. If we’re not trail racing together, I love supporting my wife at her races.

Fun Fact

I have never had a cavity or a speeding ticket. I really don’t like snakes. The Sopranos is my favorite TV show.

Favorite Alp trail run

I love everything that gets me above the trees. The North and South Balconies in Chamonix are great for a steep climb and then a run with spectacular views. Running in Chamonix, France is classic, but I really enjoy the German and Austrian Alps, too.