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The hamlet of Commeire above Orsières among autumn larches, with snowy peaks behind
Michel Jaquier / Unsplash

OCC course map and aid stations

From Orsières in Switzerland to Chamonix, crossing into France at the Col de Balme

2027 dates not announced yet, usually in August Orsières, Switzerland to Chamonix, France

The OCC is the shortest of the three Finals at HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc, held every year as the 50K Final of the UTMB World Series. It starts in Orsières, in the Val d'Entremont in Switzerland, and runs through Champex-Lac and Trient before crossing into France at the Col de Balme. The finish is under the arch in Chamonix. First run in 2014, it got a new course in 2026, with a new high point at Tête de Balme.

The map shows the 2026 course, the one the organizer published and the race ran. The 2027 course isn't out yet. Download it to your phone before race week: it shows where you are on the trail with or without a signal, and where the next food is.

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

OCC 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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OCC courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
OCC61.3 km (38.1 mi)3,342 m (10,965 ft)Thu, Aug 27, 8:15 AM14 h 30 min

Start times are the 2026 edition's.

OCC OCC

Orsières to Chamonix by Champex-Lac, Trient and Tête de Balme, about 60 km with 3,500 m of climbing.

Distance
61.3 km (38.1 mi)
Climbing
3,342 m (10,965 ft)
Start
Thu, Aug 27, 8:15 AM
Time limit
14 h 30 min

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The organizer bills the OCC as 60 km with 3,500 m of climbing. Its own course data, which the map uses, comes to 61.3 km and 3,342 m. You climb from Orsières to Champex-Lac, a drinks-only stop at 7.3 km, then go on over La Giète and down to Trient. Plan de l'Au, on the way, has a cutoff (11:30 AM in 2026) but nothing to eat or drink. Trient at 23.9 km is the first food.

From Trient comes the big climb, to the Col de Balme on the border and on to Tête de Balme, the high point. In 2026 the course left the old route here: it dropped down the Swiss side, crossed back into France at Vallorcine, and climbed to the Col des Posettes. It then went down to Le Tour and Argentière and along the valley's northern balcony trails to Chamonix, leaving out the old climb to La Flégère and changing the last kilometers into town. Trient to Argentière is 26.5 km with only drinks at the Col de Balme, so leave Trient with food for a long stretch.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Orsières (start)
7.3Champex-Lac (drinks)
23.9Trient Thu 14:30
33.6Col de Balme (drinks) Thu 17:45
50.4Argentière Thu 21:15
61.3Chamonix (finish) Thu 23:30
Trail runners on a grassy ridge above the Chamonix valley, with the Mont Blanc massif behind
Susan Flynn / Unsplash

Getting a place

Most runners get in through the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc lottery. You need at least one Running Stone earned in the past two years, from finishing a UTMB World Series Event or Major, and a UTMB Index valid in the 20K, 50K, 100K or 100M category. Every Stone you hold is one more chance in the draw. Elites qualify directly by finishing in the top three men or women in the 50K at a World Series Event, or the top ten at a Major.

The 2026 fee was €199 plus an 8% administration fee, with the bus to the start included. Entries can't be refunded without the cancellation insurance offered at registration. The OCC is a Final, and the Finals give no Running Stones to finishers.

Getting to the start in Orsières

The hamlet of Commeire above Orsières among autumn larches, with snowy peaks behind
Michel Jaquier / Unsplash

You can't drive yourself to the start. Orsières has very little parking, so OCC runners must ride the UTMB Mobility shuttles, which leave from Cluses, Sallanches, Le Fayet, Les Contamines, Chamonix and the Chamonix valley. Swiss residents are exempt, and so are runners who stay in Switzerland the night before and upload proof of their lodging. The ride is free with the QR code on your bib, but you book a seat in MyUTMB. In 2026 bookings ran from May 9 to July 12 at 11:59 PM, and none were taken on site.

For Chamonix itself, Geneva airport is about an hour and a half away and Lyon Saint-Exupéry about two and a half. The organizer says plainly not to rent a car: buses and trains cover the valley.

Following a runner

A lakeside path at Champex-Lac under autumn larches, with snowy peaks in the distance
Yann Lerjen / Unsplash

The CCC and UTMB let one person help you at some aid stations; the OCC allows no assistance at any point. No one can hand you a bag, and running alongside you is only allowed in the marked spectator zones near aid stations. Being crewed outside the authorized zones costs 30 minutes.

Friends who want to cheer can follow the OCC only on the UTMB Mobility coaches, with an OCC pass (€36 for one adult in 2026, sold June 9 to July 12). The roads to Champex, Trient and Vallorcine are closed to private cars for the races, though Vallorcine is on the Mont-Blanc Express train line.

Weather and kit

Wildflowers in a meadow near Chamonix, with forest and a pale rocky peak behind
Alessandra Lavazza / Unsplash

August in Chamonix averages a high of 23.1°C and a low of 8.7°C (Météo-France normals, 1981 to 2010). The organizer warns that the month can bring more than 30°C, or as low as -10°C above 2,000 m, with rain, hail or snow.

The OCC's basic kit is lighter than the longer races'. You need a hooded waterproof jacket and waterproof overpants, one headlamp, a survival blanket, a whistle, a container for at least 1 liter of water, a 15 cl cup, a food reserve, a cap or bandana, an elastic bandage and your ID. The warm layer, beanie and gloves the longer races require aren't on the OCC's list, though the organizer can add a warm layer, gloves and more if the forecast calls for them. Carry a smartphone with the LiveTrail app and international roaming. Turning it off or onto airplane mode costs 15 minutes.

OCC 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.

  • Orsières (start)

    915 m (3,002 ft)

    46.02398, 7.14513

  • Champex-Lac (drinks)

    1,469 m (4,820 ft)

    46.02559, 7.12246

  • Trient

    1,304 m (4,278 ft)

    46.05610, 6.99555

  • Col de Balme (drinks)

    2,202 m (7,224 ft)

    46.02628, 6.97074

  • Tête de Balme

    2,321 m (7,615 ft)

    46.03115, 6.96637

  • Argentière

    1,255 m (4,117 ft)

    45.98416, 6.92732

  • Chamonix (finish)

    1,035 m (3,396 ft)

    45.92352, 6.86941

OCC FAQ

When is the OCC 2027?

The 2027 date hadn't been announced when this page was checked. The 2026 OCC started at 8:15 AM on Thursday, August 27, in Orsières, during HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc race week (August 24 to 30).

How do you get into the OCC?

Through the lottery, with at least one Running Stone from the past two years and a UTMB Index valid in the 20K, 50K, 100K or 100M category. Top finishers at UTMB World Series races qualify directly.

How long is the OCC, and what is the time limit?

The organizer calls it 60 km with 3,500 m of climbing; its course data for 2026 measures 61.3 km and 3,342 m. The time limit is 14 hours 30 minutes. The start runs in waves and the limit counts from the last one, which left Orsières at 9:00 AM in 2026 by the organizer's data, so the finish cutoff in Chamonix was 11:30 PM.

Can you have a crew at the OCC?

No. The regulations allow no assistance anywhere on the OCC, and crewing outside the authorized zones is a 30 minute penalty. Supporters can still watch, and they get around on the UTMB Mobility coaches.

Do you get Running Stones for finishing the OCC?

No. In 2026 the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc races gave Running Stones to finishers except at the Finals (UTMB, CCC and OCC) and the PTL. You do get a UTMB Index in the race's category.

Who won the OCC in 2026?

Frédéric Tranchand in 5:10:08, and Lauren Gregory in 6:08:07, three seconds ahead of Naomi Lang.

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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.