From 3 to 5 July 2026, Arêches-Beaufort will host the 11th edition of the ASICS Pierra Menta Summer. Nearly 300 teams are expected on the ridges and technical trails of the Beaufortain for three days of competition combining endurance, commitment, team spirit and a passion for the mountains. The 2026 programme promises to be particularly packed, with the return of the Grand Mont SkyRun, the introduction of a vertical race and the hosting of the Skyrunning Masters World Championships.
In winter, the Beaufortain massif is inextricably linked with the Pierra Menta, one of the world’s most iconic ski-mountaineering competitions. When the snow melts away, the spirit of the race lives on. Skis give way to trail running shoes, but the principles that have built the event’s reputation remain the same: teamwork, technical routes, pacing and solidarity in a high-mountain environment.
From Friday 3 to Sunday 5 July 2026, the ASICS Pierra Menta Summer will return to Arêches-Beaufort for its 11th edition, which is set to be one of the most challenging in the event’s history. Over three days, nearly 300 teams will tackle the demanding trails, ridges and summits of the Beaufortain.
The competition will retain its iconic team format, whilst expanding its programme to include several events open to skyrunning specialists, amateur runners, young people and even children.
ASICS Pierra Menta Summer: nearly 300 teams taking part in a collective adventure
Now an unmissable event on the summer skyrunning calendar, the Pierra Menta Summer is a demanding team event taking place over three consecutive days. Participants will have to contend with technical routes, significant elevation gains and mountainous terrain requiring constant vigilance. Physical fitness alone will therefore not be enough. Pace management, consistency and the team members’ ability to stick together will be crucial.
As they make their way through the “Grande Journée”, Mirantin, Grand Mont and Roche Parstire sectors, competitors will discover the many facets of the Beaufortain region. Airy ridges, sustained climbs, technical descents and sweeping views of the peaks will form the backdrop to this 2026 edition.
Nearly 300 teams are expected to take part. This turnout should once again contribute to the event’s unique atmosphere, which is a cross between a top-level international competition and a huge mountain festival.
A particularly competitive mixed category
The mixed competition could be one of the sporting highlights of this year’s event.
Toni McCann, the recent winner of the Maxi-Race, will be competing in the Pierra Menta Été alongside Bastien Perez. Their complementary strengths and the British runner’s experience of demanding races should make them one of the pairs to watch.
Julie Lelong and Jean Debardonneche will also be taking part, as will Eva Delafosse and Benjamin Berthoud. Clément Bontemps and Romane Gauthier round off the list of experienced teams confirmed for the start.
The strength of the field suggests that the competition will be wide open across all three stages. The ability to keep the gaps to a minimum from the very first day, and then to conserve enough energy for the Grand Mont and Roche Parstire sections, could prove decisive.
Several athletes from the ASICS team are among the men’s favourites
In the men’s race, several runners from the ASICS team will be representing the event’s title sponsor.
Paul Cournut and Clément Truffaut will form one of the teams taking part. Bastien Peres will team up with Kilian Luison, whilst Hugo Schmitt will line up alongside Thibert Debizet.
These teams will, in particular, have to take on Felix Gugliemo and Florian Mairy, as well as the duo of Alexis Sévennec and Jules Raybaud. All of them are among the contenders likely to challenge the defending champions’ dominance.
With several teams capable of challenging for victory, the gaps could remain tight right up until the third and final stage.
Maud Mathys and Diane Rassineux announced for the women’s team
The women’s category will also feature a field of very high calibre.
Diane Rassineux and Maud Mathys will represent the ASICS team. Maud Mathys’s track record and experience in mountain disciplines will naturally make this team one of the most closely watched in the competition.
They will be joined by Sarah Veille and Marie Dohin, as well as the German duo of Anna Michel and Tanja Löwenhagen.
This clash between international athletes is set to make for a particularly exciting race, on courses where technical skill and stamina will be just as important as sheer speed.
The Pierra Menta Verticale opens a new chapter
The main new feature of the 2026 event will take place on Friday 3 July with the launch of the Pierra Menta Verticale. Run as a solo race, this new event will offer a short, intense and explosive challenge, on a route featuring several sections with gradients of over 25 per cent. The organisers’ general overview announces a course of 3.8 kilometres with 850 metres of elevation gain.
The detailed schedule, for its part, mentions a route of 3 kilometres and 800 metres of elevation gain, heading towards the Cuvy plateau. These details will therefore need to be confirmed by the organisers before the race.
Whatever the final distance, the course promises a particularly gruelling climb. It will require competitors to give their all whilst retaining enough clarity of mind to tackle the steepest sections and the technical passages. Romain Discher, Vincent Loustau and Mathieu Gandolfi are among the first athletes announced for this inaugural edition. They will be among the competitors to watch during this climb, which is set to kick off the sporting weekend.
The Pierra Menta Verticale will start on Friday 3 July at 5 pm.
The Grand Mont SkyRun is back
Saturday 4 July will see the return of the SkyRun du Grand Mont, now in its second year. The general overview of the event announces a route of 25 kilometres with 2,500 metres of elevation gain. The detailed programme for the day, meanwhile, specifies a course of 23 kilometres with 2,500 metres of elevation gain, in the Grand Mont area.
Once again, the exact distance will need to be confirmed by the organisers. The elevation gain and the particularly demanding nature of the race have, however, been confirmed. For this second edition, several skyrunning specialists will be on the starting line. Yoann Sert will be racing on trails he knows inside out. He will, however, face stiff competition, notably from Simon Bibollet, Mickaël Gasc, Pierre Ouvret and Raphaël Riom. All appear to be serious contenders for the top places.
The Skyrunning Masters World Championships in the Beaufortain
The 2026 event will take on an added international dimension, as the Grand Mont SkyRun will be included in the International Skyrunning Federation’s (ISF) global calendar.
The event will serve as a venue for the Skyrunning Masters World Championships. International athletes will therefore come to compete on the trails of the Grand Mont as part of this global competition.
At the same time, the race will remain open to the general public. Amateurs will therefore be able to compete on the same course as the top international specialists taking part in the World Masters Championships.
This coexistence between elite athletes and amateur participants is central to the identity of the Pierra Menta Été, which seeks to preserve the event’s accessibility and down-to-earth atmosphere despite the sporting demands of its courses.
Three stages through the iconic areas of the Beaufortain
The main team race will begin on Friday 3 July in the Grande Journée and Mirantin sectors.
This first stage will cover 26 kilometres and 2,350 metres of elevation gain. The race will start at 6.30 am, and the first teams are expected to finish from 10 am onwards.
The second stage will take place on Saturday 4 July in the Grand Mont area. The programme states 23 kilometres and 2,500 metres of elevation gain. Competitors in the Pierra Menta Été will set off at 6.30 am, at the same time as the participants in the Grand Mont SkyRun and the World Masters Championships.
The final stage will take the teams to Roche Parstire on Sunday 5 July. Covering 17 kilometres with 1,700 metres of elevation gain, this final day will be shorter, but will still be challenging enough to shake up the overall standings.
Over the course of the three days, the teams in the main race will therefore have to cover 66 kilometres and climb 6,550 metres in elevation gain, based on the distances stated in the official programme.
A race that also caters for young people
The ASICS Pierra Menta Summer will not be restricted to adult teams and Masters athletes alone. A Youth Race will be held on Sunday 5 July, alongside the third stage of the main competition. Race numbers can be collected on Saturday between 4 pm and 6 pm, and then on Sunday morning between 6 am and 8 am. The race will start at 8.00 am.
The U18 category will compete on a course of 16 kilometres with 1,200 metres of elevation gain. A U20 category is also listed in the programme, although no further details regarding its distance have been provided. The first young riders are expected to cross the finish line from 9.30 am, at the same time as the first teams in Stage 3.
The little ones can also join in the fun with the Trail des Marmots, taking place on Sunday between 10.00 and 10.30. The race is open to children born between 2014 and 2019. Registration will take place on the day at a cost of 3 euros.
The full programme for the ASICS Pierra Menta Summer 2026
Thursday 2 July: welcoming participants and making preparations
The day before the official start of the races will be set aside for the arrival of the participants and the final formalities.
- From 2 pm to 6 pm: registration of runners and distribution of race numbers.
- At 4 pm: trail running session with coaches as part of the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- At 6 pm: general briefing on the next day’s stage.
Friday 3 July: Stage 1 and the Pierra Menta Verticale
The first stage of the Pierra Menta Été will pass through the Grande Journée and Mirantin sectors, covering a distance of 26 kilometres with 2,350 metres of elevation gain.
- At 6.30 am: start of Stage 1.
- At 10 am: the first teams arrive.
- At 10.30 am: trail running session with coaches at the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- From 1 pm to 4 pm: collection of race numbers for the SkyRun and the Verticale for participants in the Masters World Championships.
- From 2 pm to 6 pm: collection of race numbers for the SkyRun and the Verticale for the general public.
- At 4 pm: the second trail running session of the day at the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- From 4.00 pm to 4.30 pm: briefing for the Verticale and SkyRun events at the World Masters Championships.
- At 5 pm: start of the Pierra Menta Verticale, listed in the detailed programme as a 3-kilometre race with 800 metres of elevation gain heading towards the Cuvy plateau.
- At 6.30 pm: podium ceremony for Stage 1 and briefing for Stage 2.
- At 7 pm: screening of the video of today’s stage, produced by Superzise.
Saturday 4 July: Stage 2 and the Grand Mont SkyRun
The second day will take place in the Grand Mont area. The main stage is set to cover 23 kilometres with 2,500 metres of elevation gain. The day will also serve as a supporting event for the Skyrunning Masters World Championships.
- From 5.00 am to 6.15 am: collection of race numbers for the Grand Mont SkyRun for the general public.
- At 6.30 am: the start of Stage 2, the SkyRun for the general public and the World Masters Championships race.
- At 9.30 am: the first teams in Stage 2 arrive.
- At 10.30 am: trail running session with coaches at the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- At 11.45 am: the first competitors in the Grand Mont SkyRun, taking part in the World Masters Championships, crossed the finish line.
- At 2 pm: the SkyRun and Verticale prize-giving ceremonies at the World Masters Championships.
- At 3 pm: prize-giving ceremonies for the SkyRun and the Verticale, open to the general public.
- At 4 pm: the second trail running session of the day at the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- From 4 pm to 6 pm: collection of race numbers for the Youth Race.
- At 6.30 pm: Stage 2 podium ceremony and Stage 3 briefing.
- At 7 pm: screening of the video of today’s stage, produced by Superzise.
Sunday 5 July: Stage 3, junior races and closing ceremony
The third and final stage will take place in the Roche Parstire area, covering a distance of 17 kilometres with 1,700 metres of elevation gain.
- 6.00 am to 8.00 am: collection of race numbers for the Youth Race.
- At 8 am: the start of Stage 3 and the Youth Race. The U18 course will cover 16 kilometres and feature 1,200 metres of elevation gain. A U20 race is also scheduled.
- At 9.30 am: arrival of the first teams from Stage 3 and the first participants in the Youth Race.
- From 10.00 am to 10.30 am: Trail des Marmots for children born between 2014 and 2019. You can register on the day for 3 euros.
- At 10.30 am: trail running session with coaches at the ASICS Fujitrail Camp.
- At 12 noon: closing lunch open to spectators. Tickets will be on sale at the refreshment bar for 8 euros.
- At 2 pm: the day’s podium finishes.
- At 2.30 pm: podium ceremonies for the overall classification.
