Mountain Adventure Holidays
According to Wikipedia, 'Trail Running' is a sport-activity which combines running, and, where there are steep gradients, hiking, that is run "on any unpaved surface". Anyone can trail run, whether this be competitively or just getting out and enjoying the nature. Here we highlight the key kit you need to get started.
Trail running is great because you don’t need very much to start, a lot of us think we need more than we do. The key is to make sure your gear is safe, useful and light weight.
Ideally you want the minimum gear to travel quickly and as comfortably as possible. But things can change quickly on the trail, such as weather and injury, so you might find yourself taking more than you use. If you’re unsure, try checking local races for mandatory kit checklists and you can often base what you pack accordingly.
Continue reading to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything for your next run.
Great to see Tracks and Trails featured in the Times Travel section. Journalist Richard Mellor picked our Chamonix Classic Trails running trip as an ideal activity break in the Alps. Enjoy a week of running with views of glaciers, and snowy peaks on trails that are an absolute joy!
The dates for all our 2024 and 2025 trail running holidays are live on the website.
For runners ready to move off-road and onto the trails, we recommend our Chamonix Trail Running Camp. This June trip accesses the mountain trails that Chamonix is legendary for at a time of year when the meadows are at their finest and filled with flowers. Tracks and Trails ill arm you with the tools to tackle the terrain change confidently.
More experienced trail runners will appreciate the opportunity to journey around Mont Blanc. So if you need a quick trail fix, there is our five-day Chamonix to Courmayeur long weekend in July or September.
Other options include the Tracks and Trails eight-day guided runs: Mont Blanc Ultra Trail, Trans Verdon in Haute Provence or the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites.
Our Bespoke Running Holiday options is always available too. Guests can share their running goals and Tracks and Trails will create the trip of a lifetime!
Chamonix. This mythical Alpine town is home to Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain, which has captured the hearts of mountain lovers for generations. Located on the Eastern border of France, right in heart of the French Alps, Chamonix marks the border with both Italy and Switzerland. Steeped in Alpine history and home to some of the world's best hiking and running trails, skiing tracks and climbing routes, Chamonix is an adventure lover's perfect playground.
At Tracks and Trails , Chamonix is our home-away-from-home and we run several hiking, trail running, snowshoeing and family adventure holidays based from this wonderful and historic mountain town. Read on to find out more about Chamonix Mont Blanc and why the magic never dies.
Staying in a mountain hut in a remote and beautiful location is to be savoured. It is a wonderful experience and something which everyone who loves the outdoors should try at least once in their lives. There are many reasons for spending a night in a mountain hut, not least because it allows you to enjoy the high mountains in a wild and natural setting where you can escape the cares of everyday life. Nothing could be more relevant today as we remain in 'lockdown' in our homes. For now we can but dream of those 'mountain nights'.
Summer at Tracks and Trails is all about exploring the mountains under our own steam; our trail running holidays are open to runners of all abilities. Scroll down for our definitive guide to trail running in the Alps and beyond.
How can 'fast packing' skills help you on your next walking holiday? What is fastpacking?
Well it's an interesting term! Is it how quickly you can pack your bag to leave the house on holiday? Or how fast you can stuff all your kit back into your rucksack in the morning to leave the hut (while your guide waits patiently outside)?
A guide to choosing a suitable headtorch for running or hiking, to help light up those dark nights and see you safely through from dusk until dawn.
Whether you’re heading out for an evening run, got caught out as the sun set on a hike, or just finding your way to the campsite facilities, a decent headtorch will make all the difference. Advances in lighting capacity and battery technology now offer us a dazzling range to choose from, depending on our budget and needs. Simple models with minimal adjustment sit alongside more advanced models, offering programmable lighting modes, multiple beams, and even intelligent reactive lighting that economises battery power.
Chamonix is quickly becoming the trail running Mecca of Europe. Known for decades as the climbing and extreme skiing capital of the world, Chamonix's vast network of trails suitable for running remained relatively undiscovered. Recently, though, widespread media coverage of events such as the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and the CCC (Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix) have brought trail running into the limelight and exposed Chamonix to a new legion of outdoor athletes keen to explore the natural wonders of the Mont Blanc massif.
Remember the good old days of fumbling with an OS map in a howling wind, then trying to locate the compass in one of your jacket’s many pockets (only to realise it's embedded firmly at the bottom of your rucksack…)? Remember too the early heart rate monitors that ate batteries, were clunky and didn’t seem to work reliably for more than a few weeks before they’d start to provide inaccurate readings that were off the charts?
