Blog

Recent News Updates Last updated: 15th June 2021 15 June: Switzerland opens to fully vaccinated travelers from North America on June 28th! You will need the physical hardcopy of your proof of vaccination; PDFs and/or screenshots will not be valid. 8 June: France Reopens to Vaccinated Travelers on June 9 – A negative covid test   Continue Reading →

One of the more unusual aspects of the Alps comes when one enters the high pastures. There, where shepherds have tended flocks for centuries, it’s not uncommon to see dogs guarding the animals. In particular, they are entrusted with protecting the young from predators such as wolves, lynx, foxes and bears. With their beautiful cream-colored coats, these “guardian” dogs often look   Continue Reading →

Just what is a “self-guided” trail running tour? While it’s fairly intuitive how a guided  trail running trip is structured, the idea of a self-guided one is often not so well understood. Self-guided trips are some of the most popular ones that Run the Alps offers, so let’s take a moment to explore them! A self-guided tour means   Continue Reading →

From the moment I started Run the Alps, safety has always been top on my mind. This isn’t just because it’s good business. I spent over two decades on a four-season mountain rescue team in the US. We saw everything, and more than a few of those dramatic moments– successes and tragedies– will be with   Continue Reading →

Sam Hill is a trail running guide for Run the Alps, and the manager of our Race Finder database. He’s also an avid trail racer, with a long list of strong finishes around the Alps to his credit– including the epic 330 km PTL edition of the UTMB series of trail races. (You can read about that   Continue Reading →

As we close out the year, we thought we’d share our five most-read and most-shared stories from 2020. With most plans upended, and nearly all of us spending much of our time at home, 2020 was a year to read, watch great films, and tackle other personal projects at home. So, we made time to share   Continue Reading →

On the morning of August 8th, 1897, ten guides from Chamonix’s Compagnie des Guides gathered next to the Saint Michel church. Their objective? A mountain race up and down the Brévent. It was, as far as historians can tell, Chamonix’s first trail race. The route, according to Chamonix’s Blog de Christine, went via Les Moussoux,   Continue Reading →

Since last March, I’ve heard that phrase a lot. “I’ll come out and visit you… when things get back to normal.” “I’ll make those plans… when things get back to normal.” Normal, however, was just a daydream amid a steady drumbeat of difficult news. 2020 has been a year that has tested all of us.   Continue Reading →

As much as we love running the flowy alpine trails of the Alps, stopping along the way at a high mountain hut for a delicious treat is — we confess —  a big part of why we love to trail run here.  All this winter, we’ll be bringing a little bit of that Alps mountain culture home   Continue Reading →

We’re ridiculously proud of our guides here at Run the Alps. Each of them is a highly skilled trail runner, with a deep knowledge of the trail running scene here in the Alps. They’re also simply wonderful people who are fun to spend time with on and off the trails.  There’s something else each of them has   Continue Reading →