4-day trail running program in the Vercors massif

Ferme de Marthe, mountain hut in the Vercors

Join certified mountain leader Thibault on a challenging 4-day trail-running adventure in the Vercors massif, in the south-east of France.

Alps

5 Days

Sep

High

Intermediate

Description

If you’ve already tried trail-running and you have a crave for new mountain challenges, this 4-day adventure in the Vercors massif is perfect for you!

This 4-day trail running program is a great chance to enjoy a playground with different facets: limestone plateaus, cliffs, caves and canyons. You’ll be able to practice in multiple terrains and sharpen your skills in the high mountains.

The Vercors massif belong to the Pre-Alps, in the South East of France. Most of the area is protected by a regional park: Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors.

Our itinerary in the Vercors include long and technical routes, sometimes with narrow paths on the wall of a mountain. Many sections and mountain passes are graded as D+ (difficult in the Alpine System).

The first day we’ll begin our training on a 23 kilometers trail that will lead us to the summit of Mont Aiguille (2,085 m), a peak whose first ascent is considered the birth of alpinism.

The second day we’ll reach the summit of Bonnet de l’Evêque (2,663), as part of a tough 29 kilometers trail on a rubble terrain. We’ll be practicing sky-running (as trail running is called when it’s practiced in technical mountain paths above 2,000 meters.

On day 3 we’ll explore Grotte de la Fétoure, one of the many caves in the Vercors. Using our frontal-lights, we’ll get inside the bowels of the mountain: a fascinating experience! The whole trail will be 27 kilometers length.

The last day we’ll follow a trail to Grande Tête de l’Obiou, the highest peak of the Dauphiné Alps. The majestic and imposing walls of the Obiou will be the scenery for an amazing sky-running journey. This day will have it all, from a long climb to running on a ridge while overcoming vertigo. The trail goes along 26 kilometers in one of the wildest sections of the Vercors.

During this 4-day trip, we’ll be staying at a familiar mountain hut in the small village of Trièves, where you can taste organic dishes and enjoy an ecoturism experience.

Are you ready for a true immersion in the mountains? Would you like to improve your trail-running skills? Send me a request to book this trip! I’ll be happy to guide you in this amazing French massif!

For a shorter trail-running option, check out this 2-day trip in Les Vosges mountains.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Price details

Group of 11 adults: 770 euros / person
Group of 15 adults: 700 euros / person
A local guide will also join us.
The price does NOT include:
Personal expenses.
Drinks.
Tips.
Additional and optional activities
Visa fees.
Travel insurance (medical and cancellation).

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival: mountain hut 'La Ferme de Marthe', Trièves

Meet Thibault at the hut, from 17:00. The mountain hut “La Ferme de Marthe” is located in Trièves, a small village between the Dévoluy mountain range and the Vercors. A paradise for those who love wild landscapes.
The hut is cataloged 3 Leaves at Ecotourism.
Meal and night at the mountain hut.

Day 2: Trail 1: "Aiguille et Bonnet de Calvin"

Breakfast at the mountain hut.

Meet with a local guide.

Departure from Trail 1, 23 km and 1600 D +.

First day of training your legs on beautiful trails and narrow terraces on the wall
of a mountain. A light D + on rock limestone will take us to the summit of Mont Aiguille, one of the seven wonders of Dauphine.

Return and meal at the mountain hut.

Day 3: Trail 2: "Tête de la Cavale et Bonnet de l’Evêque"

Breakfast at the mountain hut.

Departure from Trail 2, 29 km and 2300 D +.

Sky-running and steep climbs on a rubble terrain.

An opportunity to adapt to a new type of terrain and reach Bonnet de l’Evêque at 2663 meters.

Free meals. Activities in the afternoon suggested by Thibault.

Day 4: Trail 3: "La Grotte de la Fétoure"

Breakfast at the mountain hut.

Departure from Trail 3, 27 km and 1900 D +.

We are recovering from the day before and we leave for a quieter day. Equipped with our frontal we will discover the “Cave of the Fétoure”, a curiosity of Dévoluy, a cave at the foot of the Petit et Grand Ferrand. We will travel in the bowels of the Mountain. One of the unmissable adventures of the massif!

Then we will go back to the normal road and practice our ski-running technique.

Return and meal at the mountain hut.

Day 5: Trail 4: "Grande Tête de l’Obiou"

Breakfast at the mountain hut.

Departure from Trail 4, 26 km and 2200 D +.

Last day of trail. We’ll immerse ourselves in
the atmosphere of sky-running, exploring the rocky and imposing walls of the Obiou, a majestic mountain in a wild section of the Dauphiné Alps.

Return and dinner at the mountain hut.

Details

More info

The trip is organized with Dina Travel sprl / Passions Performances with the following licence number A 5756 / IATA 8241726.
Equipment: Hydration backpack, at least 1,5L backup water, tights, short, t-shirt, underwear and trail socks, technical underwear, thermal long sleeved top, sports sunglasses, head cover, thin gloves, 2 pairs of trail shoes apt for the terrain, headlamp, tissues, replacement laces, trail sticks, clothing and shoes for before an after running, toiletries, earplugs, cash, individual pharmacy.

Meeting point

Trièves, at mountain hut.

About the guide

Thibault

4.6

(8)

Mountain Leader

Passionate about trail running, the outdoors and everything that nature provides to us, I got certified as a mountain leader by the Club Alpin Belge. I also work as a school teacher and devote my free time to my artistic pursuits.

Maps are another of my big passions. I collect them and spend hours looking at them and searching for the best itineraries in the Alps, the Andes, the Carpathians...and then I take you to explore them, running or walking.

My mission is to share with you the happiness that a high altitude lake can provide, the comfort that one can find in a rustic mountain hut and the excitement of walking along a mountain ridge. Looking forward to meeting you!

Languages

French | English

Request more information

What people are saying about Thibault

Valeria

First of all our guide was not Thibault as communicated initially but Nathalie. Already when in contact with Thibault communication wasn't smooth, he only replied via the platform days after the message with very short info. I had asked several times more details about the activity but I never got them...the day before I got a message from Nathalie just giving practical tips about clothes, meteo etc I was told that we would have had orienteering challenges in teams but on the day the guide was sending instructions to get to a point via smartphone (only to me) which was quite useless because I was the only one trying to find a way. On the other hand if she wanted to do something with smartphones she would have warned us in advance so that all colleagues would have had an active one and for exemple she could have sent the messages in a chat with everybody in. Anyway the best would have been to print out for us simple maps/instructions like the ones she had. All this should have been discussed and agreed with me/us in advance...otherwise it would have been far more interesting a simple walk with a guide that knows the history and characteristics of a place and that could tell us something (this was an offered option) interesting.

Pour ceux qu’un stage/week-end organisé de Trail tente, je ne pourrais que vous recommander Trek Atout. Superbe weekend passé dans les Hautes Fagnes... 3 sorties trail sur des tracés magnifiques, super encadrement et top ambiance... plus que vivement conseillé ! Merci Thibault

Des parcours magnifiques, un we bien rempli mais juste ce qu'il faut, un niveau adapté, une guide au top et un chouette logement ! En résumé, un we inoubliable.

J'ai participé à la journée rando-photos à Bouillon ce dimanche et j'ai adoré! C'était super interessant, le cours etait très bien donné, la prof nous a super bien coaché durant la rando et l'endroit était magnifique!! Vraiment a faire!! Je ferai sûrement d'autres cours chez vous pour me perfectionner maintenant!

Il y a juste deux petites semaines, j'ai participé à un weekend rando Trek Atout... Un superbe weekend ! Ok, la météo nous a fait un super cadeau : de la belle neige sur nos Fagnes! Mais tout de même, sans le "président" rien n'aurait été pareil ! Nous avons été accueillis comme des amis, Thibault nous a emmené sur des petits chemins et sentiers magnifiques, nous avons appris à jouer au whist, nous avons partagé l'apéro, Thibault nous a préparé une (demi)soupe sur un sol enneigé, nous avons échangé et beaucoup rigolé ! Je pourrais encore allonger la liste pour les non convaincus! ... Merci encore Trek Atout! (Depuis, je m'entraîne encore plus à la course à pied en espérant un jour faire un trail avec TrekAtout).