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Autumn is my favorite time of year in the Alps. The busyness of summer has subsided. Cowbells echo over frost-covered hills. Désalpe, the annual celebration when herds of cows move down from summer pastures, is starting to take place throughout the region. In the mountains, a thin mantle of snow comes and goes with each

This past month saw the 13th annual running of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) trail race, arguably the most famous trail race in the world. The race course wends its way for 166 kilometers around the Mont Blanc massif, from Chamonix, France, into Italy, Switzerland, and finally returning to Chamonix. For many runners, the UTMB

Sierre-Zinal is a 31-kilometer mountain race that climbs over 2,200 meters from Sierre in Switzerland’s Valais region to Zinal.

Here is the first thing I learn about the towns that line Europe’s famed Tour du Mont Blanc route: cavort about all you’d like in your short shorts, spandex, compression socks, and trekking-pole-flanked running pack, and it’s unlikely anyone will even raise an eyebrow. After all, you—my trail-running friend—will be in good company. Three weeks

In 1976, just two years into the now long and storied history of Sierre-Zinal, five members of a family took part in the new mountain race that was one of Europe’s first. The youngest, Daniel, needed cajoling to cross the finish—his mom Trudi promised there would be a medal awaiting him, and a chance to