The UltraChampsaur Trail - 70km and 3600m of ascent
Have a look at the
map of the route.
With 70km and 3600m of ascent this is a serious trail race for experienced fell, trail and mountain runners only.
The route takes you over wild mountain passes, through larch woods, over spectacular mountain ridges and rewards you with views from the Ecrins to the lac du Serre Poncon!
The route starts with an early alpine start (5:30 in the morning) from the village of Orcieres 1450m.
The first 10 kms are undulating and gently downhill (losing 176m) taking you into and then along the bottom of the valley of Champoleon to the hamlet of Les Borels where the first chronometer and refreshment stop are. A perfect warm up leg.
Then the climbing begins up to the col de la Venasque 2487m. There is a refreshment stop at the refuge du Tourond on the way up where your supporters will be enjoying a more leisurely breakfast.
The climb starts gently, becoming increasingly steep as you near the col. The valley is beautiful, wild and unspoilt and you have a good chance of seeing marmots. The chamois and Ibex will also be there, probably watching you from a distance but unless you run with binoculars, you probably won't see them! All in all there is a height gain of 1213m in this section. The second chronometer is at this col.
The descent from the col is reasonably technical on a rocky footpath at the beginning but it is a fabulous run with stunning views across the Champsaur valley. After about 800m of descent you arrive at the third refreshment stop. After that the descent eases to a gradual descending traverse through alpine woods on good rolling pistes down to the village of Pont du Fosse where the third chronometer and next refreshment stop are.
Pont du Fosse is also the half way marker at 33km so a good time to check your energy levels and decide on your strategy for the second half.
From Pont du Fosse, you start the second big climb of around 1200m up to the Mourre du Piurc 2200m. This is very steep on zig zag paths towards the end taking you up to the dramatic ridge and summit of the Mourre du Piurc with an airy ridge descent towards the Cuchon. The ridge section is quite exposed, rocky and technical but a pleasure to cross! At the top your faithful supporters will be waiting to cheer you on after having taken the chair lift up!
There is the 4th chronometer and another refreshment stop at the Cuchon.
After this summit you have another descent, again starting reasonably steeply. The mountainside is open with great views across to your final objective, The Piolit 2460m.
The route takes you around the bowl of the valley to the Rouanette car park at 1621m where there will be your fifth chronometer and another welcome refreshment stop. You have now run 51.5km and will attack your last climb!
Your objective is le Piolit 2460m with around 840m of ascent to get there. The Piolit is 'Ice Axe' in French and it is a good name for this steep ridge of a mountain!
Half way up the climb you will pass through La Plaine with another refreshment stop. There is a time limit set at 16hrs for passing here for safety reasons but it is generous, allowing you a good ten and a half hours.
The valley you are running up is open and mountainous with steep cliffs and mountainsides on all sides and only accessible on foot. The last section is a ridge which is spectacular and the higher you get up, the closer you get to the reward of a spectacular view across to the Lac du Serre Poncon, the largest dammed lake in Europe.
At Le Piolit is the final chronometer before you start your final descent to the village of Ancelle.
Now with some of the best views in the Alps to keep you motivated and a spectacular ridge to fix your concentration, you can start your final descent.
It is a beautiful descent through woods and across open mountainside, taking you over the col de Moissiere and down to the village of Ancelle. Your last refreshment stop is half way down at 65km and 2070m of altitude at the Italian bridge.
At Ancelle you can finally relax and meet up with your supporters for a good lunch before deciding how best to recover for the afternoon!
