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The Matterhorn above a forested valley seen from Rotenboden, with a trail cutting across the slope
Chris Holgersson / Unsplash

Matterhorn Ultraks course maps and aid stations

Five races on the trails above Zermatt in August, from a headlamp climb to Sunnegga to 49 km over Gornergrat.

2027 dates not announced yet, usually in August Zermatt, Valais

Matterhorn Ultraks has been run in Zermatt every summer since 2013. Over one weekend there are five individual races, plus a company relay and two children's races. The Extreme opens it on Friday morning: a technical 26 km over a glacier to the Rothornhütte, and a stage of the Merrell Skyrunner World Series. That evening the Vertinight climbs from the village to Sunnegga by headlamp. The Sky and the Mountain go on Saturday, the Active on Sunday.

All of them start at the Ultraks Plaza on Obere Matten, in the middle of the village, and all but the Vertinight finish there. The courses link the lift and railway stations above the village: Sunnegga, Riffelalp, Furi and Schwarzsee. The Sky also goes up to Gornergrat, and the Extreme to the Rothornhütte.

The map shows the routes from the organizer's 2026 race pages. For the Mountain and the Extreme those are the 2025 lines, and the 2027 courses aren't out yet. Download it before you go, and it shows where you are and how far it is to the next aid station without needing a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with TREK Matterhorn Ultraks. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Matterhorn Ultraks course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Matterhorn Ultraks courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Sky49 km (30.4 mi)3,600 m (11,811 ft)Sat, Aug 22, 7:00 AM12 h 30 min
Mountain32 km (19.9 mi)2,000 m (6,562 ft)Sat, Aug 22, 9:30 AM10 h
Extreme26 km (16.2 mi)3,066 m (10,059 ft)Fri, Aug 21, 8:00 AM8 h
Active19 km (11.8 mi)1,150 m (3,773 ft)Sun, Aug 23, 8:30 AM6 h
Vertinight4.9 km (3 mi)691 m (2,267 ft)Fri, Aug 21, 8:45 PM1 h 15 min

Start times are the 2026 edition's.

Matterhorn Ultraks Sky

The longest race: up to Gornergrat at 3,100 m, then round the valley by Schwarzsee and Trift.

Distance
49 km (30.4 mi)
Climbing
3,600 m (11,811 ft)
Start
Sat, Aug 22, 7:00 AM
Time limit
12 h 30 min

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From the village you climb to Sunnegga, then on up to Gornergrat at about 3,100 m, which has drinks only. The course drops to Riffelalp, then crosses a suspension bridge, which you walk without overtaking, on the way to Furi. The time barrier is at Schwarzsee, 30 km in, at 3:00 PM.

From Schwarzsee it's more than 12 km to Trift with no aid station, then down to the finish. You start in a block of about 200 runners. The barriers are clock times, and starting in a later block doesn't excuse missing one.

An observatory dome on Gornergrat, with the Matterhorn and snowy peaks across the valley
Young Shih / Unsplash

Matterhorn Ultraks Mountain

Sunnegga, Riffelalp, the Gorner gorge bridge and Schwarzsee, in 32 km.

Distance
32 km (19.9 mi)
Climbing
2,000 m (6,562 ft)
Start
Sat, Aug 22, 9:30 AM
Time limit
10 h

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Like the Sky, the Mountain climbs first to Sunnegga. At km 12 you cross a railway line, so use the marked crossing and stop if a train is coming. At Riffelalp, 13 km in, the barrier is 1:00 PM. Below it you cross the suspension bridge over the Gorner gorge at walking pace, pass Furi, which has drinks only, and climb to Schwarzsee before heading down to Zermatt.

The RELAY by Loyco runs the same course, in teams of three colleagues from one company, handing over at Sunnegga and Furi.

A dirt path across a grassy ridge at Riffelberg toward a small hut, with the Matterhorn in cloud behind
Natasha Ruf / Unsplash

Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme

A technical skyrace to the Rothornhütte at 3,180 m, with a marked section on micro crampons.

Distance
26 km (16.2 mi)
Climbing
3,066 m (10,059 ft)
Start
Fri, Aug 21, 8:00 AM
Time limit
8 h

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The Extreme goes past mountain lakes and along cliffs to the Rothornhütte, and crosses a glacier on a section marked and watched by mountain guides. You must wear micro crampons there or you're disqualified. A windproof long-sleeved jacket and an emergency blanket are also compulsory. You have to pass Hohbalm by 9:30 AM, after 4.5 km and 1,060 m of climbing, and the Rothornhütte by noon.

The organizer checks every entry. Along with the Go Active registration you fill in a form about your mountain experience, since you need to move safely off trail in bad weather or fog. In 2026 rain and snow higher up delayed the start, and the race ran on a shortened 15 km course. The map shows the full route as the organizer's 2025 course map draws it.

Matterhorn Ultraks Active

19 km on Sunday, by Sunnegga and Riffelalp, with the Matterhorn in view the whole way.

Distance
19 km (11.8 mi)
Climbing
1,150 m (3,773 ft)
Start
Sun, Aug 23, 8:30 AM
Time limit
6 h

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The Active climbs to Sunnegga, crosses to Riffelalp and comes back down to the village, with one finish barrier at 2:30 PM. It's open to runners born in 2010 or earlier, and under-18s need a signed parental consent form to collect a bib.

The Matterhorn reflected in a still mountain lake, with dry grass along the shore
Vivi Serelli Lee / Unsplash

Matterhorn Ultraks Vertinight

A night climb of 691 m from the village to Sunnegga, by headlamp.

Distance
4.9 km (3 mi)
Climbing
691 m (2,267 ft)
Start
Fri, Aug 21, 8:45 PM
Time limit
1 h 15 min

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It starts at 8:45 PM on Friday, and you have until 10:00 PM to reach Sunnegga. A headlamp is mandatory, and most of the way is singletrack, so step aside for faster runners. Your bag goes up to the finish, and runners and the people with them ride the lift back down for free.

In 2026, once online entry had closed, the race took entries on site at Obere Matten from Thursday at 4:00 PM.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Zermatt, Ultraks Plaza (start and finish)
4.9Sunnegga Fri 22:00

Entry and fees

Every race is entered online through Go Active. In 2026 the Extreme, the Mountain and the relay sold out well ahead, and the others still had places eight days before the start. Fees rise as a race fills: the Sky cost CHF 149 for the first 200 entries and CHF 179 from the 501st, the Mountain CHF 129 to 149, the Active CHF 79 to 109. The Extreme was CHF 149, for 250 places, 220 of them open to the public. Fields were capped at 1,300 for the Sky and the Mountain, 1,700 for the Active and 400 for the Vertinight.

In 2026 the organizer sold its last bibs on site from the Thursday before, where a race hadn't sold out, and you could switch to another race with free places until 9 August, paying any difference in price. The 2027 dates and fees weren't announced when this page was checked.

Getting to Zermatt

The Matterhorn above Zermatt, its chalets and the river running through the village
András Gál / Unsplash

Zermatt is car-free. Drive as far as Täsch, 5 km down the valley, and park at the Matterhorn Terminal, which has 2,100 covered spaces. Shuttle trains leave every 20 minutes and take 12 minutes to Zermatt.

By train, change at Visp or Brig for the narrow-gauge line up the Matter valley, about an hour and a half. The organizer gives about 3 hours 15 minutes from Zurich or Basel and 2 hours 10 minutes from Bern. Bib pickup, the starts and every finish but the Vertinight's are at the Ultraks Plaza on Obere Matten.

Aid stations and kit

There are no cups at the aid stations, so carry your own. Help from friends is allowed only inside an aid station; anywhere else it costs you a penalty. Poles are allowed on every course, but you carry them from start to finish, and you shouldn't use them in the first 500 m through the village.

Apart from the Extreme and the Vertinight, there's no compulsory kit. The organizer recommends a phone, a long-sleeved top and an emergency blanket, and asks you to check the forecast. If you drop out, do it at a checkpoint and send your bib number, name and location to race management by SMS or WhatsApp, on +41 75 402 70 00. Your bib gets you down to Zermatt on the mountain railways for free. In a medical emergency call 144.

Weather

A dirt path across a grassy ridge at Riffelberg toward a small hut, with the Matterhorn in cloud behind
Natasha Ruf / Unsplash

August in Zermatt averages highs of about 20°C and lows around 8°C, with rain on about ten days of the month, by the 1991 to 2020 normals for Zermatt's weather station at 1,638 m. Gornergrat and the Rothornhütte are over 3,000 m and colder. In 2026 rain, and snow higher up, cut the Extreme short on the Friday, and the Matterhorn was freshly white for the rest of the weekend.

When the weather turns, the organizer can move a course to a replacement route or change the time barriers, and entry fees aren't refunded.

Matterhorn Ultraks aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Zermatt, Ultraks Plaza (start and finish)

    1,606 m (5,269 ft)

    46.02250, 7.74940

  • Sunnegga

    2,288 m (7,507 ft)

    46.01640, 7.76960

  • Gornergrat (drinks)

    3,090 m (10,138 ft)

    45.98310, 7.78300

  • Riffelalp

    2,222 m (7,290 ft)

    46.00220, 7.75000

  • Furi (drinks)

    1,864 m (6,115 ft)

    46.00220, 7.72920

  • Schwarzsee

    2,588 m (8,491 ft)

    45.99080, 7.71020

  • Trift

    2,337 m (7,667 ft)

    46.03010, 7.72070

  • Hohbalm (time barrier)

    46.01570, 7.71704

  • Rothornhütte

    3,180 m (10,433 ft)

    46.04850, 7.69710

Matterhorn Ultraks FAQ

When is Matterhorn Ultraks 2027?

The organizer hasn't announced the 2027 dates yet; its site says they'll be out soon. The 2026 edition ran from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 August.

Is Matterhorn Ultraks part of the Skyrunner World Series?

The Extreme is, as an official stage of the Merrell Skyrunner World Series, and its results go to the International Skyrunning Federation for the rankings. The organizer says the event has been in the series since its first edition. The Extreme pays EUR 4,000 in prize money and awards the top ten.

Does a later start block get more time?

No. The time barriers are clock times, and the rules say starting in a later block doesn't excuse missing one. A jury member stands at each barrier and has the last word.

Do I need micro crampons for Matterhorn Ultraks?

Only for the Extreme, along with a windproof long-sleeved jacket and an emergency blanket. The runners' guide says Bayard Sport in Zermatt has micro crampons. The Vertinight needs a headlamp; the other races have no compulsory kit.

How old do you have to be?

In 2026 the Sky, Mountain, Extreme and relay were open to runners born in 2008 or earlier, the Active to those born in 2010 or earlier, and the Vertinight to those born in 2012 or earlier. Under-18s need a parental consent form.

Where can friends watch?

At the finish on the Ultraks Plaza, and up the mountain by lift. Zermatt Bergbahnen gave runners and the people with them a discounted lift ticket for the 2026 weekend if they booked online before it. For the Vertinight, supporters ride to Sunnegga and back for free.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.