To watch UTMB, pick your spots by when the runners come through and by what's still running at that hour. In 2026, roads in eight places on the course were closed to cars: Les Contamines, Saint-Gervais, Courmayeur, La Fouly, Champex, the Col de la Forclaz, Trient and Vallorcine. In the Chamonix valley you can still take the train to Vallorcine and the gondola to La Flégère, and walk to the finish arch in the centre of Chamonix; the rest of the course means the organisers' shuttle.
This guide is written for whoever is organising the week for a dozen people, children and non-runners included. All times are from 2026, to help you plan the next edition, whose dates haven't been published yet.
- A UTMB spectator guide without a car: Vallorcine by train, La Flégère by gondola, the finish arch on foot, and everywhere else by shuttle with a pass. In 2026, race week had eight races, from 24 to 30 August.
- Vallorcine (km 155.3) is the last crew point, where one person can help their runner. It's 29 minutes by train from Les Praz, a hamlet 3 km (2 miles) from central Chamonix, and the last train back left at 8.10pm in 2026.
- La Flégère (km 166.6) is the last checkpoint, where each runner's time is recorded. UTMB runners came through from Saturday 1.29pm to Sunday 3.09pm, and the gondola ran from 8.20am (first ride up) to 6pm (last ride down).
- You can cheer anywhere along the course, but crewing is only allowed at the four crew points, one person per runner, and running alongside only in the marked spectator zones near the aid stations.
Where to watch UTMB, race by race: days, starts and finishes
UTMB, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, loops round the Mont Blanc massif through Italy and Switzerland, and gives its name to a week of eight races. The table shows where each one started in 2026, where to see it in the Chamonix valley, and when the leader reached Chamonix. Distances and closing times are in the full 2026 race table.
| Race | 2026 start | Where to see it in the Chamonix valley | Leader into Chamonix, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTMB, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc | Chamonix, Friday 28 August, due at 5.45pm, started around 7.45pm | At the start, in Vallorcine, at La Flégère and at the arch | Saturday 29 August, 2.04pm |
| CCC, Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix | Courmayeur (Italy), Friday 28 August, 9am | In 2026, a bad-weather route via Martigny: Vallorcine, then the arch, with no checkpoint at La Flégère | Friday 28 August, 7.21pm |
| OCC, Orsières-Champex-Chamonix | Orsières (Switzerland), Thursday 27 August, 8.15am | In 2026, a bad-weather route over the Col de Balme: Argentière, then the arch | Thursday 27 August, 1.25pm |
| TDS, Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie | Courmayeur, Monday 24 August, 11.50pm | The arch | Tuesday 25 August, 7.18pm |
| PTL, La Petite Trotte à Léon, run in teams | Chamonix, Monday 24 August, 8am | The arch | Thursday 27 August, around 1am, for the first team |
| MCC, Martigny-Combe-Chamonix, for volunteers, partners and locals | Martigny-Combe (Switzerland), Monday 24 August, 10am | The arch | Monday 24 August, around 1.27pm |
| YCC, for young runners, and ETC, Experience Trail Courmayeur | Courmayeur, Tuesday 25 August | Not in the valley: both start and finish in Courmayeur | Not applicable |
Why the 2026 times are later than planned
UTMB was due to start at 5.45pm on the Friday, but a thunderstorm pushed it back two hours. Every UTMB time on this page reflects that delayed start, around 7.45pm.
The weather also changed two routes. The CCC detoured through Martigny in Switzerland before rejoining Vallorcine, and the OCC went over the Col de Balme to Argentière. There's no guarantee these variants will be used again, so check the route the day before.
Cheering or crewing: what UTMB spectators are allowed to do
You can cheer anywhere along the course, on the trails or in the spectator zones, the marked stretches near aid stations and in villages where the public gathers. Crewing means giving your runner practical help, and the race regulations only allow it at crew points, the few places on the course set aside for it. If family or friends help anywhere else, it's the runner who pays, with a time penalty or even disqualification.
On UTMB 2026 there were four crew points: Les Contamines, Courmayeur, Champex-Lac and Vallorcine. Trient wasn't one of them, despite what several guides say.
At each crew point, one person per runner is allowed in, with a bag of 30 litres at most, to hand over food and kit. They can also give a massage or treat blisters, and the rules say the runner has to be sitting down for it.
Running alongside your runner, or pacing, is only allowed in the marked spectator zones near the aid stations. Anywhere else, each time it's reported costs the runner a 15-minute penalty on UTMB, the CCC and the TDS, and 10 minutes on the OCC, the MCC and the ETC. Those last three have no crew points at all.
Read more: Cheering isn't crewing: the UTMB support crew guide
UTMB spectator spots without a car: the checkpoint table
For each point on the 2026 UTMB course, the table gives the time of the winner, who led the race from just after Les Contamines, and of the last finisher, the last runner to be classified at the finish. It also shows how to get there without a car.
| Point (km) | 2026 times, winner to last finisher | Getting there without a car | Crew point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Gervais (22.9) | Friday 9.42pm to 11.31pm | Shuttle, France pass | No |
| Les Contamines (32.4) | Friday 10.33pm to Saturday 1.16am | Shuttle from central Chamonix or Saint-Gervais, France pass | Yes |
| Courmayeur, Italy (81.3) | Saturday 3.38am to 1.15pm | Shuttle from central Chamonix, Italy pass | Yes |
| Champex-Lac, Switzerland (127.5) | Saturday 8.37am to Sunday 2am | Shuttle from central Chamonix via Orsières, Switzerland pass | Yes |
| Trient, Switzerland (144) | Saturday 10.32am to Sunday 7.24am | Shuttle, Switzerland pass | No |
| Vallorcine (155.3) | Saturday 11.54am to Sunday 11.24am | Train by day, 29 min from Les Praz, 33 min from Chamonix station; France pass shuttle running round the clock from Saturday 5am to Sunday 12.30pm | Yes, the last one |
| La Flégère (166.6) | Saturday 1.29pm to Sunday 3.09pm | Gondola from Les Praz, first ride up 8.20am, last ride down 6pm; on foot at night | No: checkpoint with a drinks-only aid station |
| The finish arch, central Chamonix (173.6) | Saturday 2.04pm to Sunday 5.43pm | On foot | No |
The real window is a little wider than the table suggests. At the early points, runners who later drop out sometimes come through after the eventual last finisher.
Reading the times: live tracking
Your runner's times are on the race's live tracking. Search by name or bib number, and the page shows their time at each checkpoint so far, plus a prediction for the next ones.
The day before, check the year's route and your chosen spots on the same page. On race day, go by your runner's last recorded time, which is more reliable than a prediction.
Arriving from Geneva during race week
Chamonix itself wasn't on the 2026 list of closed roads, so you can still arrive from Geneva by coach transfer, or by the Léman Express to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet and the valley train from there. How to get in and which part of the valley to stay in are covered in where to stay for UTMB.
UTMB Mobility shuttles: the only way to the points beyond the valley without a permit
UTMB Mobility shuttles are the organisers' coaches, taking family and friends to the course points beyond the Chamonix valley while the roads are closed; inside the valley, the train still runs as far as Vallorcine. Only people with reduced mobility, families with a child under 3 and the support teams of elite runners could drive on those roads, with a permit. You buy a supporter pass for each race and section you want to follow (France, Italy or Switzerland on UTMB), then book a departure, and a QR code sent by email is scanned as you board.
One pass covers between one and five adults, and it gets cheaper per person the more adults it covers. In 2026, to follow UTMB:
| UTMB pass 2026, adults on the pass | France section | Italy section | Switzerland section |
|---|---|---|---|
| One adult | €26 | €31 | €36 |
| Two adults | €42 | €55 | €64 |
| Three adults | €57 | €78 | €90 |
| Four adults | €66 | €91 | €106 |
| Five adults | €76 | €106 | €125 |
Each child under 12 cost €5 in every section, though the official page doesn't say whether a child has to travel on an adult's pass. Children under 3 aren't allowed on the shuttles at all. Buying two different passes, two UTMB sections for example, earned a 5% discount, and three passes 10%.
Bonami's tip: only buy a shuttle pass for the person crewing outside Vallorcine, or in Vallorcine after the last train, and buy it before 12 July, the 2026 deadline. A single pass for each section they cover is enough: France for Les Contamines and Vallorcine, Italy for Courmayeur, Switzerland for Champex-Lac. Everyone else watches in daylight, by train and gondola.
The shuttles only leave from certain villages and parts of the valley. In 2026, the ones taking people to the race starts left from eight of them: Chamonix, Les Houches, Les Bossons, Argentière, Vallorcine, Le Fayet, Saint-Gervais and Sallanches.
The shuttles to points on the course, Les Contamines, Courmayeur, Champex-Lac and Vallorcine at night, left from central Chamonix, and from Saint-Gervais too for Les Contamines. The exact stops and times for each race are on the official transport page, and where you stay decides what time you set off each morning.
Read more: Where to stay for UTMB: where you'll set off from each morning, area by area
Every time and price on this page is from 2026. Supporter passes were on sale from 9 June to 12 July, with nothing sold on the spot, and the shuttle, train and gondola timetables are republished each spring. Check the dates of the next edition on the race website.
In the valley, two spots can be reached in daylight without a shuttle: Vallorcine by train, then La Flégère by gondola. Each has its own time limit.
Vallorcine by train: watching UTMB at the last crew point
Vallorcine, at km 155.3, is the last place you can crew for your runner, and the only crew point the train goes to. The train also sets its limit: the last train back leaves at 8.10pm.
29 minutes from Les Praz, last train back at 8.10pm
The Mont-Blanc Express, the valley's regular train, runs from Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet to Vallorcine and keeps its normal timetable during race week. In summer 2026 it took 29 minutes from Les Praz to Vallorcine, or 33 from Chamonix station, with trains leaving Les Praz from 7.32am to 9.32pm at weekends and to 8.32pm on weekdays. In the other direction, the first train left Vallorcine at 6.40am and the last at 8.10pm, reaching Chamonix at 8.45pm.
So the 8.32pm and 9.32pm trains still go up, but nothing comes back down after them. If you take one, you stay in Vallorcine until the first morning train, or come back on the France pass shuttle, which ran round the clock over the UTMB weekend.
Between Trient and Vallorcine in 2026, the winner took 1 hour 22 minutes and the last finisher 4 hours, gaps taken from that year's live tracking. Once live tracking shows your runner at Trient, you have time to catch the train up.
Getting back is the tighter part. Going by those 2026 gaps, a runner who passed Trient after about 4pm could reach Vallorcine after the last train down, at 8.10pm. To wait for them, you need the France pass shuttle, which in 2026 was only sold from 9 June to 12 July.
The guest card: free on the train, not on the buses
The guest card, or carte d'hôte, is given to each guest by their accommodation on arrival, for the length of their stay. Everyone needs their own, except children under 4, and it gives free train travel between Servoz and Vallorcine: the whole Chamonix valley, but not the stretch down to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet. It doesn't make the valley's local buses free, although several guides say it does, and it doesn't cover the organisers' shuttles either.
Chalet Bonami is in Les Bois, the hamlet next to Les Praz, between the train station and the Flégère gondola. The station is about 400 m away, a five-minute walk, and the chalet gives everyone a guest card on arrival, so you can take the train to Vallorcine without buying a ticket.
After the last train, the France pass shuttle
After 8.10pm no train comes down from Vallorcine until 6.40am, yet UTMB runners came through all Saturday night. In 2026 the organisers' shuttle ran round the clock between Chamonix and Vallorcine from Saturday 5am to Sunday 12.30pm, on the France pass. In Vallorcine, the Base Camp, the organisers' waiting area for supporters, had toilets and live tracking, but no beds.
Eleven kilometres on, La Flégère is the last place to see your runner before the arch.
La Flégère: the last UTMB spectator spot you can reach by gondola
La Flégère is the best place in the valley to watch the end of UTMB: it's the last checkpoint, 7 km from the finish, and a gondola goes up from Les Praz. The catch is that the gondola only runs in daylight, while runners come through all Saturday night, and you can't crew there.
Seven kilometres from the arch, Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon
La Flégère is the gondola's top station, at around 1,880 m, above Les Praz on the side of the valley that faces Mont Blanc. On the official 2026 profile it sits at km 166.6 of 173.6, a checkpoint with a drinks-only aid station, where runners go through without help from their crew.
In 2026 the leader came through on Saturday at 1.29pm and the last finisher on Sunday at 3.09pm. The cut-off, the time after which a runner is stopped, was 3.45pm on Sunday.
By gondola in daylight, on foot at night
Up to and including Sunday 30 August 2026, the Flégère gondola ran from 8.20am (first ride up) to 6pm (last ride down). From 31 August, the last ride down was at 5pm. That covered Saturday afternoon until 6pm, and Sunday from the morning until the last runners had gone through.
You pay for the gondola, and fares and timetables are on the website of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, which runs the valley's lifts. The 2026 timetable only gives the last ride down, so check the time of the last ride up at the bottom station.
Between Vallorcine and La Flégère, the 2026 live tracking gives 1 hour 35 minutes for the winner and 3 hours 45 minutes for the last finisher. Once live tracking had your runner through Vallorcine, you had at least an hour and a half to get up there in 2026.
The gondola is 550 m from the chalet, a five-minute walk: set off when live tracking shows your runner through Vallorcine.
On Saturday evening and through the night, La Flégère can only be reached on foot, with a head torch. The tourist office rates the climb from Chamonix as difficult: 8 km there and back, 4 hours 10 minutes of walking and nearly 800 m of ascent, a little less from Les Praz. At night, leave it to people used to the mountains.
Watching UTMB as a group of twelve, with children and non-runners
With twelve people, children and friends who don't run, you can't watch UTMB the way a couple would. The group splits the spots between them, and those who aren't by the course need something to do with their day.
Split the spots rather than all go together
One person crews for the runner. If that's only at Vallorcine in daylight, the train is enough; if it's also Les Contamines, Courmayeur or Champex-Lac, they need the shuttle, so a pass bought before 12 July in 2026.
Leaving out the runner and the crew, the other ten split into three groups, each timed by live tracking:
- At Vallorcine, one group takes the train up to cheer at the last crew point, then comes back down by train, on the 8.10pm at the latest, and goes on to the arch via Chamonix station.
- At La Flégère, a second group, children included, takes the gondola from Les Praz once the runner is through Vallorcine, and comes down before 6pm.
- At the arch, in central Chamonix, anyone who'd rather not go up waits, and the other two groups join them there.
If the runner reaches La Flégère at night, it can only be reached on foot, so everyone except the crew meets at the arch.
Groups of ten or more on the same train have to tell the Mont-Blanc Express 48 hours ahead, by email to [email protected]. Otherwise, on busy days, they may not get on.
With young children: La Flégère in daylight and the arch, not the shuttles
Children under 3 are not allowed on UTMB Mobility shuttles, but their family may drive on the closed roads, with a permit collected from the organisers' information point outside the École nationale de ski et d'alpinisme (ENSA) in Chamonix. The train and the gondola have no age rule.
With children, go with the La Flégère group: plan the day around your runner coming through up there in daylight, then go down to wait at the arch. If they come through at night, wait for them at the arch. Allow plenty of time: in 2026 the gap from La Flégère to the arch was 35 minutes for the winner and 2 hours 34 minutes for the last finisher.
Between runners, the Fan Experience and the valley
In central Chamonix, the Fan Experience on Place du Mont-Blanc showed the OCC, the CCC and UTMB live and free of charge from Thursday to Saturday in 2026.
The wait between two sightings of your runner often runs to several hours. For what the rest of the group can do in between, the valley still has its walks, from Lac Blanc to the Grand Balcon trails, its mountain bike routes and the Chamonix golf course. On the Saturday and Sunday, just stay off the trails between the Col des Montets, La Flégère and Chamonix: that's the UTMB route, and you'd be sharing it with the runners.
The essentials for twelve
- Who goes where: one person crewing, then three groups at Vallorcine, La Flégère and the arch (see "Split the spots").
- Shuttle pass: only for anyone going beyond Vallorcine, or waiting there after the 8.10pm train, with one pass per section and per race, bought before 12 July (the 2026 deadline) and never on the spot. Everyone else travels by train and gondola (prices under "UTMB Mobility shuttles").
- Train: ten or more on the same train, tell the Mont-Blanc Express 48 hours ahead.
- Children: no shuttle under 3, €5 per child under 12 on the pass; they go with the La Flégère group in daylight, then on to the arch.
Chalet Bonami is let as a whole, for up to fourteen people, for UTMB week, with a five-night minimum and prices on request. The house has welcomed runners and brands before.
UTMB spectator guide: frequently asked questions
The questions that come up when you're planning a week by the course.
Do you have to pay to watch UTMB?
No, the course, the finish arch and the Fan Experience are all free. What you pay for is transport, starting with the shuttle pass: in 2026, from €26 for one adult on UTMB's France section to €62 for one adult on the TDS. The Flégère gondola is paid for too, while the valley train is free between Servoz and Vallorcine with the guest card.
Can you drive to watch UTMB?
Not to the spots on the course. In 2026, roads and car parks in eight places on the route were closed to cars, in France, Italy and Switzerland. Only people with reduced mobility, families with a child under 3 and the support teams of elite runners got a permit, and everyone else used the organisers' shuttle or, in the valley, the train.
What time do UTMB runners come through La Flégère?
In 2026, from 1.29pm on Saturday for the winner, already in the lead, to 3.09pm on Sunday for the last finisher, with a cut-off at 3.45pm. For a particular runner, check live tracking by name or bib number.
Can you run alongside a UTMB runner?
Only in the marked spectator zones near the aid stations. Anywhere else, each time it's reported costs the runner a 15-minute penalty on UTMB, the CCC and the TDS, and 10 minutes on the OCC, the MCC and the ETC.
Can you watch UTMB with a baby?
Yes, but not by shuttle, as children under 3 aren't allowed on them. Their family may drive on the closed roads instead, with a permit collected from the organisers' information point. There's also the train to Vallorcine, the Flégère gondola in daylight and the arch, on foot.