UKC

Hi All,

My girlfriend is looking at doing an alpine hut to hut run on her own as she's got a week or 2 extra holiday before I can head out to meet her in Switzerland. Struggling to find much info online so opening it to the UKC masses. The criteria:

None glacial - most ones we've found online are glacial, she has no glacial experience and will be on her own.

Around 20 miles a day, happy to do more if needs be but seems a decent ballpark figure.

5 days to a week ish. Depends on whats out there really.

Nice and hilly/mountainous, not necessarily scrambling but would prefer to but up top rather than down in the valleys.

Serviced by catered huts.

If anyone has done anything similar, knows a place to find some info, or knows a worthwhile guidebook it'd be very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Paul

In reply to PTatts:

There are quite a few high-level routes in the alps. These are normally walked but I am sure some would work as runs too. The best known is the Tour do Mont Blanc but there are quite a few others, for example around the Matterhorn and up each side of the Aosta Valley. They all have huts at regular intervals. Cicerone do guides to a lot of them.

In reply to PTatts:

Look at the Pyrenees and the Dolomites. Both would be brilliant for this.

In reply to MG:

Isn't the Tour du Mont Blanc glacial though? Had a look and seems to have a bit of glacial travel, but maybe I'm mistaken?

In reply to biped:

Pyrenees not ideal for meeting back up in switzerland, but dolomites definitely an option. Any idea on known routes?

In reply to PTatts:

No the tour de Mont Blanc isn't glacial. Check out the tour of the Dents de Midi. About four or five days and she could throw in the Haut Cime as well, some say with possibly the best view in the alps.

In reply to PTatts:

Hi, not really, it's 10 years since I was there and only did a couple of days walking (Gardena Pass area) as it was more a climbing trip. I'd need to borrow maps to consult. It did strike me as being very good for running/ultralight backpacking though. I suspect you could construct a good circuit from a combination of maps and Cicerone guides.

In reply to PTatts:

no tmb is trails.. maybe the odd snow patch depending how early. But the UTMB route is stunning and you can easily bus sections, also plenty of stopping points, cafes etc..


its expensive though.

Plenty of books out,Hut to Hut in the Austrian alps, but probably best just to pick an area and get a map... midweek you should be OK.

In reply to PTatts:
Alta Via 2? About 150km long, glacial section can be bypassed. One very short section of via ferrata where some of my party did clip on, but it's no more than a scramble. Almost no one clipped the other sections. Helmet recommended for one section though, there were a lot of loose stones being kicked down, though if you waited for a five minute gap you'd be okay.

If you skip any of it, skip the final Southern quarter, and don't miss staying overnight at Piz Boe.

In reply to PTatts:
A traverse of the Jura comes immediately to mind. Some companies offer prebooked nights. Somewhere else that would offer runnable inclines would be the Vercors linking up several GR routes. The Queyras would also be good - but none is as near Switzerland as the Jura. Oh, and the company Undiscovered Alps offers trail running in their programme - British owned, they sound friendly enough to ask for advice on areas. Hq near Gap.

In reply to PTatts:

Just remembered that the people near Gap have a dedicated section Tracks and Trails.com for alpine trail running holidays. Your girl friend might like to have company - certainly worth investigating.