SUISSE · Valais
SwissPeaks Trail 101km: The Night-Start Alpine Ultra That's Steep in Both Directions
Distance
101 km
Date
Droit d’inscription
189 CHF
€ / km
€2.04
A Swiss stage-epic: endless climbs across Valais with multi-day suffering and elite scenery.
Night-start Valais alpine ultra, week after UTMB — 101km, 6,000m gain, steep in both directions (top 5% avg uphill AND downhill). Finishes on Lake Geneva. The race purpose-built for runners who don't want to go home after Chamonix.
Élévation et Terrain
Mètres totaux
6,570m
D+/KM
65.0m/km
Pour référence, le Tor des Géants 330 km a 73 D+/km.
Pente montante moyenne
15.1%
Pente descendante moyenne
-16.3%
Distribution du gradient de montée
| 2–5% | 8.1 km | |
|---|---|---|
| 5–10% | 9.9 km | |
| 10–15% | 8 km | |
| 15–20% | 5.8 km | |
| 20%+ | 12.4 km |
Profil de parcours
AnalysedDétail du terrain
| 43.6% | Montée |
|---|---|
| 12.8% | Plat |
| 43.6% | Descente |
Terrain
Ascensions
Principales montées
| 1 | 6.6 km · 1070 m gain starts km 10 · avg 16.3% · max 52.8% |
|---|---|
| 2 | 6.3 km · 707 m gain starts km 79 · avg 11.3% · max 56.1% |
| 3 | 7.1 km · 616 m gain starts km 41 · avg 8.7% · max 48.6% |
Principales descentes
| 1 | 6.4 km · 958 m drop starts km 26 · avg -15.1% · max -90.7% |
|---|---|
| 2 | 4.6 km · 838 m drop starts km 86 · avg -18.2% · max -61.5% |
| 3 | 8.9 km · 739 m drop starts km 48 · avg -8% · max -77.2% |
SwissPeaks Trail 101km: The Night-Start Alpine Ultra That's Steep in Both Directions
How hard is the SwissPeaks 101km? (Gradient, climbs, and what steep means here)▼
Q: How hard is the SwissPeaks 101km? A: Very hard — by design. The course gains approximately 6,000m (official) over 101km — around 65m per kilometre, placing it in the top 20% most elevation-dense distances in DTR's database. Average uphill gradient is 15.07% (steeper than 95% of the database) and average downhill gradient is 16.32% — one of the 25 steepest descending averages in the database. Over 12km of the course climbs at greater than 20% gradient. The race starts at 20:00, so the early hours are in darkness on exposed high terrain.
Is the SwissPeaks 101km the best race to do after UTMB?▼
Q: What time does the SwissPeaks 101km start? A: The 101km starts at 20:00 on September 3, 2026 from Salvan in the Trient Valley. This means runners spend the first several hours in darkness on exposed high terrain before dawn. A headlamp and appropriate night-running kit are required.
What does the SwissPeaks 101km course cover? (Route and terrain)▼
Q: Is the SwissPeaks 101km a good race to run the week after UTMB? A: If you're fit and want to stay in the Alps — it's purpose-built for this. SwissPeaks always takes place the week after UTMB, making it a natural extension for runners already in Chamonix. The terrain is comparable in difficulty to UTMB itself; this is not a recovery run. It finishes on Lake Geneva — a very different end-point that adds its own appeal.
How much does SwissPeaks Trail cost? (Entry fee, ITRA points, and value)▼
Q: How much does SwissPeaks 101km cost? A: Entry is 189 CHF — approximately €2.04 per kilometre at current exchange rates. The SPTiming registration platform may add administrative or platform fees on top of the listed price, so check the final total at checkout. A 5 CHF train ticket to the start in Salvan is available when registering or up to one month before the race.
Fichiers de course
Logistique
Aéroport le plus proche
Geneva (GVA) / Zürich (ZRH)
Notes
Start: ~3–4.5 hrs (ZRH) or ~2.5–3.5 hrs (GVA) to Valais start towns (route-dependent) / Public transport: possible (train to Valais) but long; race logistics complex / Accommodation: stage/loop formats; book early in Valais. The 2026 edition was cancelled, and may affect the 2027 version.
FAR
It’ll possibly take 3+ hours from the closest large airport to arrive. Plan your adventure accordingly, take an extra day for those after-race beers or Curranz.
