Switzerland · Valais
SwissPeaks Trail
Distance
101 km
Date
September 3, 2026
Entry fee
189 CHF
€ / km
€2.04
A Swiss stage-epic: endless climbs across Valais with multi-day suffering and elite scenery.
Elevation and Terrain
Total Meters
6570m
D+/KM
65.05m/km
For context, the Tor des Géants 330 loop has 73 D+/km.
Avg Uphill Gradient
15.1%
Avg Downhill Gradient
-16.3%
Uphill gradient distribution
Route Profile
Analysed 2026-05-02Terrain breakdown
Terrain
Climbs
Top climbs
6.6 km · 1070 m gain
starts km 10 · avg 16.3% · max 52.8%
6.3 km · 707 m gain
starts km 79 · avg 11.3% · max 56.1%
7.0 km · 616 m gain
starts km 41 · avg 8.7% · max 48.6%
Top descents
6.4 km · 958 m drop
starts km 26 · avg -15.1% · max -90.7%
4.6 km · 838 m drop
starts km 86 · avg -18.3% · max -61.5%
8.9 km · 739 m drop
starts km 48 · avg -8.0% · max -77.2%
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.
Race files
Logistics
Nearest airport
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.
