Route
The route follows basically the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path, that is usually completed in 7 to 9 days by hikers. This is a loop around Mont Blanc.
It starts from Chamonix (1,035 m) and goes up to the Col de Voza (1,653 m) to reach Les Contamines (1,150 m). It then climbs to the Croix du Bonhomme (2,479 m) before going down back to Les Chapieux (1,549 m), which is the first life base. The path then runs up to the Col de la Seigne (2,516 m) to enter Italy, follows the ridge of the Mont-Favre (2,435 m) before going down to Courmayeur (1,190 m), the second life base. It climbs again to the Refuge Bertone (1,989 m) and Arnuva (1,769 m) before reaching its highest point, the Grand Col Ferret (2537 m), which also marks the border with Switzerland. The path goes down again to Praz de Fort (1,151 m) via La Fouly (1,593 m) before reaching the third life base, Champex d'en Bas (1,391m). The last part includes two rather low cols: Bovine (1,987 m) and Les Tseppes (1932 m) separated by Trient (1,300 m). On the descent to Vallorcine (1,260 m), the path enters back France, crosses Argentière (1,260 m) before terminating at Chamonix, its starting point.
Slight variations are applied to the route every year sometimes for safety reasons. In 2010, the route was 166 km long for a total elevation gain of 9500m.
A more detailed profile can be found on the official web site: UTMB profile.
Read more about this topic: Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc
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