Early Season Trail Running Sampler
Winter is finally ending, and trail season is on its way. As trees are greening and trails appearing in place of ski slopes we're ready to take our runs higher into the mountains. This is a selection of runs to do beginning in May(ish) and early summer while waiting for the snow to melt higher up.
Gental || Cruising through the heart of Switzerland
Beautiful views, grassy pastures, a lake for swimming, smooth sloping trails that you can't run without smiling. We didn't want to give up on finding the perfect run here, so we kept coming back. After multiple returns, Janine pieced together a way to connect all the best sections of running, and none of the bush-wacking that originally stopped us in our tracks.
Lauterbrunnen Obersteinberg Loop || A trail runner's dream at the back of Lauterbrunnen Valley
This is a trail runner's dream track. Plus it has a perfectly situated little lake, the Oberhoresee, and classic, old Swiss mountain hotel, the Obersteinberg, at the end of a long traverse just before you begin your descent back into Lauterbrunnen. This is Sound of Music stuff, and a trail that should top your "Must see to believe" list. It all adds up to a very Happy Place.
Le Moléson || Rocky Terrain above Green Pre-Alp Pastures
Only about an hour from Fribourg, Lausanne, or Montreux, Le Moléson is an easy escape to the mountains. It’s a popular peak, and accessible by funicular/cable car. Overlooking lake Geneva and with views toward the Bernese and Valais Alps, more Pre-Alp horns, and the long line of the Jura on the horizon, it’s easy to see why so many people come here.
Gantrisch || A sudden Rise from Pastures to Pre-Alps
The beauty of being in the pre-Alps is the view of the Alps proper, and from here you'll see much of the Berner Oberland. But it's not the only advantage, the terrain is also a bit more friendly for runners to open it up without such extreme climbs.
Lobhörner Loop || Jungfrau Region ridge and single track running with big views of big mountains
Before you run the Hardergrat, try this shorter ridge run that we're calling the "Startergrat."
Solalex || Tour de l'Argentine
Solalex, tucked away in a side valley near Villars, is one of those finds in the Alps where you just can't believe how pleasant life can be. And it's here where you start and finish the Tour de l'Argentine, a loop around a long chain of peaklets on the Arête de l'Argentine. This is a true running tour that really starts after the first climb to the Refuge Giacomini, after which is almost all quality, and not too steep, trail cruising. While not a tour set amongst big, alpine peaks, this is a route that will have you gaping at a utopia-like landscape, as well as impressive menu cards that include local faire with cheesy names like Croûte au fromage, le Modzet de Véronique or Vacherin Mont d’Or au four - of course there is always a crêpe.