X-Alpine

X-Alpine

The first climb leaves at night, and the course traverses a ridge above the lit-up resort before dropping to Champex and its lake. From there it runs through Swiss villages to the long climb to the Orny hut, beside the first glacier, then down to La Fouly and up through pastures past the Fenêtre lakes to the pass. A short passage in Italy leads to the Grand St Bernard, with its hospice. The return to Verbier crosses several more passes, the Panossière glacier and its suspension bridge, and runs close to the Grand Combin at 4,314 m.

The last obstacle is the wall of about 1,200 m above Verbier, followed by the descent to the finish. Runners’ assistance bags are collected at Bourg St Pierre and brought back to Verbier. The organiser lists 4 Running Stones for finishers; aid stations and intermediate cutoffs are on a separate page that is not yet published for 2027.

Forty-two hours means a family following from home spans two nights and long gaps between villages. On a Livebib broadcast the runner shares, they see the position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. In the high valleys where the phone has no signal, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated rather than frozen at the last village. No account and no app: the link opens in a browser, and the runner decides who has it.