Via Valais: The Route

The final route: over 225 kilometers and 14,000 meters of gain on trails ideal for running. Connecting Verbier and Zermatt in nine stages, the terrain is technical and challenging on its high passes and summits, but with long stretching ribbons of perfectly buffed singletrack.

Beneath Switzerland’s highest peaks, beside glaciers, and weaving in and out of wildly beautiful valleys, the tour passes through the very best views of the Swiss Alps. It passes some of Europe’s biggest, highest and longest. It’s a route to aspire to. It’s hard. And to make it harder, each stage has an optional bonus peak to run or scramble for the overly-motivated.

The route is not signposted, so it’s critical to have good maps and a navigation device. With FATMAP Explore you can also download all the maps for the route offline, so you don’t have to rely on mobile signal. You’ll also get access to important Terrain Tools that give you information on snow levels and customisable overlays.

| Trail runners: Learn how to avoid the snow using the new FATMAP Snow Layers

Each stage ends at a mountain hut high along the route or by dropping into town for a much needed shower and restock.

You can view all 9 stages of the Via Valais route in the FATMAP Guidebook here and here’s the breakdown of each individual stage:

STAGE 1 Verbier to Cabane d’Essertze 29km 1119m+/1113m-

STAGE 2 Cabane d’Essertze to Cabane Aiguille Rouge 30km 1783m+/1178m-

STAGE 3 Cabane Aiguille Rouge to Cabane Becs de Bosson 25km 2220m+/2052m-

STAGE 4 Cabane Becs de Bosson to Cabane de Moiry 17km 868m+/1025m-

STAGE 5 Cabane de Moiry to Zinal 24km 1064m+/2215m-

STAGE 6 Zinal to Turtmann Hut 19km 1687m+/841m-

STAGE 7 Turtmann Hut to Randa 18km 1376m+/2453m-

STAGE 8 Randa to Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu 25km 2025m+/1171m-

STAGE 9 Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu to Zermatt 27km 1254m+/1942m-