The Hub Chamonix is now open for the summer 2022 season!
We’re happy to welcome you to this runners’ chalet on the quiet end of town. Now that you know where to stay, next you might want to know where to run.
Chamonix is home to amazing trails which are just a quick bus or train ride from The Hub or even right out our door. And of course, Grace and I, your Hub managers for summer 2022, are happy to recommend our favorite routes while you’re here.
Over the summer, I’m going to share a few of my go-to trails around Chamonix including the quickest trail access from The Hub.
Route 1: The Vertical Kilometer
First up is one of the first “ups” I do each time I arrive in Chamonix: the VK route that is part of the Marathon du Mont-Blanc race series each June.
Arriving in Chamonix after some amount of travel, I head to the VK to remind my legs just how steep the trails in Chamonix tend to be. If you’re new to Chamonix trails, it’ll let you know what you’re in for when you’re aiming high in the Alps. From town, the tight switchbacks look like a zipper reaching straight up the hillside in the exposed cut under the Planpraz lift. The zigzags start out somewhat runnable, getting steeper as you go higher, until the route becomes fitted with a few metal rungs, ladders, and rails, near the top. You’re above the lift station in just 3.8 km with 1000 meters of gain. And hopefully you’ve stopped to eat some ripe strawberries along the way to catch your breath.
Just two weeks ago, the VK took place as part of the Mont-Blanc Marathon series of eight races. For spectating, we watched runners take off every 15 seconds from the Église Saint-Michel, an emblem of Chamonix racing, and headed up the Planpraz telecabine to see the runners 1000 meters later at the finish line.
Where to run next?
In my next post, I’ll share one of my favorite mellow loops from The Hub to introduce you to the Chamonix forest trails.
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