Grindelwald, Switzerland · Trail
Official site ↗Eiger Ultra Trail
A 101-kilometer mountain ultra above Grindelwald, Switzerland, passing beneath the north face of the Eiger with 6,700 meters of climbing, run alongside a 51 km Panorama Trail and a four-day team race across the UNESCO Jungfrau-Aletsch region.
Distances
E250
- Distance
- 261 km (162 mi)
- Vert gain
- 18,000 m (59,100 ft)
- Start
- 8:00 AM GMT+2
- Cutoff
- 95 hr
Starts Wednesday at 8 a.m. from Grindelwald on a 95-hour limit. Unlike the E101 and E51, its places go first come, first served rather than by lottery. · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-90:00)
E101
- Distance
- 101 km (63 mi)
- Vert gain
- 6,700 m (22,000 ft)
- Start
- Jul 17, 4:00 AM GMT+2
- Cutoff
- 25 hr
Starts Saturday at 4 a.m. from Grindelwald. · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-22:00)
E51
- Distance
- 51 km (32 mi)
- Vert gain
- 3,100 m (10,200 ft)
- Start
- Jul 17, 7:15 AM GMT+2
- Cutoff
- 13 hr
Starts Saturday at 7:15 a.m. from Grindelwald.
| Distance | Vert gain | Start | Cutoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 261 km (162 mi) | 18,000 m (59,100 ft) | 8:00 AM GMT+2 | 95 hr | Starts Wednesday at 8 a.m. from Grindelwald on a 95-hour limit. Unlike the E101 and E51, its places go first come, first served rather than by lottery. · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-90:00) |
| 101 km (63 mi) | 6,700 m (22,000 ft) | Jul 174:00 AM GMT+2 | 25 hr | Starts Saturday at 4 a.m. from Grindelwald. · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-22:00) |
| 51 km (32 mi) | 3,100 m (10,200 ft) | Jul 177:15 AM GMT+2 | 13 hr | Starts Saturday at 7:15 a.m. from Grindelwald. |
Course records: Caroline Chaverot 12:45:41 (E101, 2015) · Shen Jiasheng 10:44:38 (E101, 2022) · Rosanna Buchauer 5:43:46 (E51, 2022) · Petter Engdahl 4:48:23 (E51, 2023)
About
The Eiger Ultra Trail runs through the Bernese Oberland above Grindelwald, in the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO region. Its flagship E101 covers 101 kilometers with 6,700 meters of vertical gain, linking Grosse Scheidegg, First, the Faulhorn, Schynige Platte, Wengen, and Männlichen before traversing the base of the Eiger north face.
Part of the UTMB World Series, the event also holds the shorter E51, E35, and E16 races and the long E250, drawing an international field to the Bernese Alps. The E101 (branded E101 by UTMB) awards three Running Stones and counts as a Western States 100 qualifier for finishers under 22 hours.
Course
The E101 climbs and descends 6,700 meters over 101 kilometers, with a 04:00 start in Grindelwald and a 25-hour limit. The route links Grosse Scheidegg, First, the Faulhorn, Schynige Platte, Wengen, and Männlichen, then passes beneath the Eiger north face before the finish. Alpine weather can force reroutes: thunderstorms shortened the 2025 course. The E51 Panorama Trail covers 51 kilometers with 3,100 meters of climbing on a 13-hour limit, starting in Grindelwald in two blocks, at 07:15 and 07:45, which the race allocates by UTMB Index three weeks out. The E250 covers 261 kilometers with 18,000 meters of climbing from Grindelwald on a 95-hour limit, starting on the Wednesday.
How to register
Entry is through UTMB, which awards Running Stones toward the UTMB World Series Finals lottery. The race uses two procedures and says so plainly: "E101, E51 and E35 starting places are allocated by lottery. E250, E16 and Trail Surprise starting places are allocated on a first come, first served basis." Lottery pre-registration is free and runs for one week in late September, with results in MyUTMB accounts and no email notification; a runner who misses the draw twice in a row gets a guaranteed place the following year. At least 30 per cent of E101, E51 and E35 places are held for Swiss runners, and each nation gets two guaranteed places per distance.