Marta's Monterosa Blog

I am passionate about the Alps. They are my heart's home and the place where I would like to spend the last day of my life. I have been a tourist in the village of Champoluc in the Italian Monterosa for all my life and worked as a tourist operator in this area since more than 15 years.

I believe in respect for the special environment of this place that you can find only here. We all gain by enjoying its beauty, while trying to make a minimum impact at the same time. Leave it for our children in the future!

I believe in respect for people who live here with their traditions and culture, language, and work, their genuine products and delicious wines. They open their homes for us, tourists and meet us as their guests, if we are able to open our hearts for them. I have a friend who is a hotel owner and he says that when stressed people from the city come to his place, he tells them to sit down and take a drink before they even begin to worry if they have a room. Perhaps, we can bring a little of their kindness and calmness with us on our way back to the city.

My philosophy is to give back a little of what the mountains and the people from this place have given to me and to my family through my work, to communicate my philosophy and my passion to those who follow me on the blog, and in my trips as a tour operator.

If you would like to visit Champoluc, Gressoney, Alagna or other villages in the Aosta Valley, trek or ski in the Monterosa, discover Sardinia or other places we offer, contact us.

The toughest race in the world

Posted: Sep 8, 2017

Categories: Cervinia, Champoluc, Gressoney, News

Comments: 0

Author: Linnea

The whole Aosta valley is waiting for the eight edition of the endurance trail race Tor des Géants. The name, meaning Tour of Giants, in the local language Valdôtain patois, refers of course to the region’s many Four-Thousanders sourronding the trail.

The tour follows the two high-level treks Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2, passing through both Gran Paradiso Natural Park and the Mont Avic Regional Park, covering a total of 336 km with an altitude range of 24,000 meters (it is like climbing the Mont Blanc five times).

The 860 athletes from 67 different countries will start in Courmayeur on Sunday the 10th September and the last concluding competitor will cut the finish line, always at Courmayeur, seven days later, in what is defined as the “Toughest race in the world”.

The tour brings the participants across the craggy ridges and cols of Italy’s dramatic Val d’Aosta in a circle , from Courmayeur to Valgrisenche, Cogne, Donnas, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Valtournenche, Ollomont and back to Courmayeur. In each of these villages, there is a base and check-point. Each runner will be provided with a wristband with an ID chip, which will be read as they pass through each checkpoint. At the base there is also possible to stop for some rest and a hot meal.

Even thought the trick seems to be not to sleep. For the best racers the stops do not last for hours, like for most competitors, but minutes. After seven editions, it is now clear that to win counts not only to run as fast as possible, but also the ability to stay awake. The top-tier runners arrive at the finish line in 70 to 80 hours.

See a film about the race

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