
Staff

Abby Strauss-Malcolm
A spring backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail in the US as a teenager firmly planted the seed for outdoor adventure and appreciation. My joy for the outdoors led professionally into outdoor education. Later, I made the switch to guiding in the southwest, which eventually led me to guiding in the Alps. I’m now rooted in New England, though I’m lucky enough to get over to the Alps each summer, exploring old favorites and new locations for our trips, too!

Carrie Craig
I am an eager ultra and mountain runner, originally from Scotland. After spending many summer holidays exploring the Alps and realizing that the sky here can be blue for more than one consecutive day, I took the plunge in 2018 and quit my day job, moving to Chamonix, France to train for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. I’m still here, and the ore I spend in the Alps, the more I realize I have only just scratched the surface.

Doug Mayer
I’ve been playing in the mountains since I was a kid growing up in the US, breaking wooden cross-country skis on remote peaks in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with my older brothers. The ensuing years have been filled with adventures from the Alps to the Andes. The thought of a warm chocolate croissant and a friendly dog at the next mountain hut can make me run for hours.

Hillary Gerardi
Native of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain huts alum, Middlebury College graduate, and Adirondack Mountains enthusiast. Since leaving the US in 2011, I’ve made my home 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 in 2010 and then head home…but more than a decade later, we’re still here!

Ian Mills
Having skied in the Alps when I was young, I have always had something of a fascination with mountains, but it’s only since moving to the region that this has developed into something much more involved! I moved to the Alps with my family in 2017 and have since wondered why we took so long to make that decision. I have had a fantastic time throwing myself into everything that is on offer – skiing, hiking and a lot of trail running.

Isabella “Izzy” Mayer
I started life in France’s Loire Valley, on a quiet farm with a wonderful human couple and six brothers and sisters. At eight weeks, I hitched my star to an American living in Chamonix. My professional trail running goal is to get out and meet all of our Run the Alps guests. If you’re coming on a trip, I hope to meet you on the trail!

John Anderson
I grew up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. We lived down a dirt road several miles outside of a small town, and my brother and I would pass the time wandering around in the woods. Eventually, this became more structured in the form of rock climbing and running, and I moved around the American West from Montana to Idaho to Colorado, finally landing in the Sierra Nevadas. Running, climbing, playing and racing in the mountains have provided me with some exceptional adventures exploring the globe.

Kim Strom
For the last decade, I’ve been able to build my life around trail running and being in the mountains. Running around the Alps led to co-authoring Run the Alps Switzerland and partnering with PatitucciPhoto to create the online resources AlpsInsight and Elevation. Mountain running, photography, and writing have offered me opportunities to travel all over the Alps, Himalaya, and now to explore back in the US, as well.

Malcolm Pittman
I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the proofreading job, including having plenty of spare time, being detail-oriented to the point of neurosis (and beyond), and being the brother-in-law of Run the Alps founder Doug Mayer.

Steph Lefferts
Although my dad had run countless ultras, the sport never interested me until my senior year of college. Since then, I have completed numerous ultras and continue to be inspired by pushing myself physically and mentally. My husband Mike and I moved to Annecy, France in 2019 and spent three amazing years playing in the Alps! We’ve recently relocated to Utah, but make frequent trips to the Alps. If you come in the summer, we’ll probably cross paths!

Zach Dahlmer
I’ve been passionate about helping others discover wild places for almost as long as I can remember. Growing up on Gloucester, Massachusetts rocky coast, one of my first jobs was working for an adventure camp taking kids hiking, climbing, rowing, and camping. After a handful of years as a sail-charter guide and a few years as a carpenter, I moved to Prescott, Arizona to finish my undergraduate degree in Adventure Education. From there I embarked on a six-year journey into guiding and teaching outdoors that led me through much of the southwestern U.S., the Caribbean, Mexico, and eventually to the Alps. After four seasons of Alps guiding, I moved into the planning end of the job!
Run the Alps Announces Salomon Limited Edition Collaboration!

Run the Alps is pleased to share the very first news of a special Alps trail running collaboration with Salomon– and the first chance to order your limited edition Run the Alps gear!
Tour du Mont-Blanc

The Tour du Mont-Blanc is the most famous trail running route in the world, and for good reason. Wandering over mountain trails from France, to Italy, to Switzerland and back into France, the “TMB” footpath includes some of the most iconic mountain terrain anywhere. We’ll kick off the trip with a day of running one of Chamonix’s
Reusable Euro Market Bag

Thanks to our crew and friends here in Chamonix, it's not unusual to spot our reusable bag at the Saturday morning market. Now, you can use it at your local farmer's market, too!