4 to 7 September 2024 - Registrations open 16 October 2023!

170 km Ultra Tour Information

Information about the 170 km Ultra Tour route

Wild spaces, 4000m mountains in every direction, and quiet trails – this is where I chose to train for UTMB and other races. It’s a tough route, high and technical in many places – and prior mountain running experiences is needed, the full route is more challenging than UTMB.

But it is wonderfully varied, taking you through magnificent alpine landscapes as well as delightful Walser hamlets and villages. I realised, “if this was a race, this is the race I would really like to run“. It didn’t exist so we created it for you to enjoy. As a one-stage race it is a serious challenge: bold, brutal, beautiful. Come and try it!

– Lizzy Hawker

Running the Tour de Matterhorn trails
Lizzy Hawker Running trails near the Matterhorn.
Date
5 September
Distance
171 km
Ascent
+11600m
Descent
-11600m
Start time
04:00
Time limit
60:00
Max. starters
300
Points
6
The UTMR has more climb, more technical terrain, more altitude, more glacier crossings and more beauty than UTMB. I’ll definitely be back.
Damian Hall, GB Team INOV-8
ultra runner damian hall

A taste of what to expect…

Race highlights

You will reach the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge at or just after dawn, hopefully to see the sun rise on the Weisshorn (4506m).

charles kuonen suspension bridge
runner in zermatt

One of the iconic scenes from the race: the Matterhorn, the world’s most recognised mountain, rising up on the skyline of the mountain town of Zermatt.

Leaving Zermatt (41 km) comes an enormous climb to the Swiss-Italian border, a Theodulpass (3295m). The last 2 km to the pass are on ice, where Matterhorn becomes Monte Cervino. The checkpoints following have Italian flavour and excellent coffee…

UTMR 2017 winner Stone TSang
runing past turquoise lakes to gressoney

Crossing the Col Nord des Cimes Bianches, brings you in to the valley of Champoluc, and the grand, wild traverse on wild trails to the south of Monte Rosa.

The Monte Rosa’s South Face is a giant of Himalayan scale.

UTMR monte moro pass
Hohenweg Saas fee

The way home is longer than you could imagine on the Höhenweg from Saas Fee to Grächen.

Elevation profile

PDF maps

 Map 1: Switzerland    Map 2: Italy  

GPS tracks

 GPX    KML  

NB right click and “Save As”

ITRA

 ITRA    Trace de trail  

Results

 2019    2018    2017  

Course records

Julia Boettger ultra runner
Women’s record
Julia Boettger

Time:
35:05:38 (2017)
Nationality:
Germany
Team:
Salomon

Stone Tsang ultra runner
Men’s record
Marián Priadka

Time:
29:28:16 (2023)
Nationality:
Slovakia
Team:

Checkpoints, distances, elevation and cutoff times

Check points km Cum. km Altitude m m Cut off Refreshments Dropbag Rest DNF Medical
START Grächen 0.0 0.0 1619 ↑ 0 ↓ 0
CP1 Europahütte 17.7 17.7 2266 ↑ 2018 ↓ 1375
CP2 Täschalp 9.3 27.0 2172 ↑ 621 ↓ 705
CP3 Zermatt 10.1 37.1 1600 ↑ 286 ↓ 774
13:00
Thu, 05 Sep
CP4 Trockenersteg 9.5 46.6 2937 ↑ 1320 ↓ 72
CP5 Teodul 4.0 50.6 3324 ↑ 456 ↓ 60
CP6 Rifugio Ferraro 16.9 67.5 2083 ↑ 420 ↓ 1660
23:50
Thu, 05 Sep
CP7 Gressoney-la-Trinité 12.0 79.5 1629 ↑ 658 ↓ 1051
4:00
Fri, 06 Sep
CP8 Passo dei Salati 9.5 89.0 2961 ↑ 1364 ↓ 172
CP9 Rifugio Pastore 14.9 103.9 1575 ↑ 700 ↓ 2079
13:30
Fri, 06 Sep
Colle del Turlo 11.7 115.6 2701 ↑ 1515 ↓ 86
CP10 Quarazza 8.5 124.1 1382 ↑ 16 ↓ 1226
CP11 Macugnaga 5.8 129.9 1310 ↑ 128 ↓ 210
20:30
Fri, 06 Sep
CP12 Monte Moro Pass 6.5 136.4 2789 ↑ 1333 ↓ 18
CP13 Saas Fee 16.6 153.0 1792 ↑ 296 ↓ 1170
8:00
Sat, 07 Sep
CP14 Hannigalp 17.1 170.1 2123 ↑ 1006 ↓ 718
FINISH Grächen 3.8 173.9 1618 ↑ 25 ↓ 464
16:00
Sat, 07 Sep
  • Water
  • Snack
  • Meal
  • Firstaid
  • Ambulance
  • Dropbag
  • Rest
DNF notes:

Race programme

Wednesday 4 September
15:00 to 19:30

Registration & equipment check

Thursday 5 September
03:45

Pre-race briefing

04:00

Start of the 170 km ultra in Grächen

Friday 6 September
10:00

First finishers of the 170 km Ultramarathon expected in Grächen

Saturday 7 September
16:00

Close of the 170 km Ultramarathon in Grächen

16:30

Children's race in Grächen

19:00+

Buffet dinner, prize giving and closing celebrations in Grächen

Pre-registration information & form