The Trail du Kurhaus

There are races you organise, and races you carry. The Trail du Kurhaus is one of the latter: an event born at the hotel, which sets off and loops back to its finish in front of the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus, in Arolla. Every autumn, for a single day, the house becomes a race village.

A race in our image

The route hugs the Arolla valley: technical singletrack, sharp climbs and rolling sections, all in a high-mountain setting. The course is run in loops from the hotel — a way of returning regularly to base, and of keeping the race as legible for runners as for the public. Over the editions, the format has grown: from a single loop repeated to distances for everyone, longer for some, accessible for others.

Through the stone-pine forest

The great appeal of the Trail lies in the terrain: you run through our magical forest, scented with larch and stone pine, in an exceptional setting. At 2,000 metres, the air is keen, the autumn light golden, and the peaks watch over the course. It is less a matter of the clock than an encounter with the landscape.

A celebration, more than a race

Around the runners, the day takes on the air of an end-of-season celebration: games for children, music, raclette and grill stands, and various forms of entertainment. Camping is available on request for those who want to linger. Seasoned runners, families and the simply curious all come together — exactly the spirit we love to cultivate in Arolla.