Bruno Yates

I grew up on the island of Jersey, in the UK, where a childhood spent swimming, sea kayaking and running on the coastal paths fostered a lasting love of the outdoors. I now live in France, on the shores of the beautiful Lake Annecy. Running has been a constant fascination since my teenage years, at first hooked on the physical challenges of harder and faster, and then the great sense of well-being experienced when everything starts to flow.

I still work as a mountaineering instructor in the UK and overseas. I’m an Associate Instructor with The Outward Bound Trust and work for a number of expedition companies, leading groups in the mountains of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Japan, India, Morocco, Namibia and next year, Kyrgyzstan!

Annecy is the ideal place to indulge in my passions for biking, swimming, rock climbing, canoeing and skiing. Fairly new to the area, I’m spending quite a lot of time seeking out the best boulangeries, pâtisseries, crêperies and fromageries!

A chance encounter on Mont Blanc with a beautiful French girl has shaped my life – and will for many years to come, as we got married and now have three kids!

It might have to be the simplicity of being able to run out the door, skirt the north end of Lake Annecy and run up the steep end of Mont Veyrier, at first through dense woodland and gradually thinning until… wham! Suddenly, you’re hit with a stunning view down the lake from the Col des Sauts. A final push to the summit leads to a spectacular 2-km ridgeline along Mont Baron, then the run finishes with a descent to the historic Col des Contrebandiers.