Since 2006, the Friends of the UTMB Mont-Blanc Association Environment Commission has worked alongside local stakeholders to maintain and improve trail quality around Mont-Blanc. The mission: protect the environment while ensuring year-round access for hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers and more.

The Commission has spearheaded numerous initiatives, including forming a team of volunteer ‘environment ambassadors’. Composed of students from the University of Savoie Mont-Blanc and trained by Asters – the Haute-Savoie nature conservation agency – this team connects with local stakeholders and works on-site to ensure race activities leave a minimal impact on ecosystems. The Environment Commission also leads significant trail rehabilitation actions to protect biodiversity and improve user safety.

Each year restoration projects are carried out in collaboration with local authorities and environment managers. Here’s a snapshot of achievements from the past four years:

• 2024: Trails created in Bertone (Italy), Hauteluce (France), Col Chavannes (Italy), Cormet de Roselend (France), Lac Verney - Col du Petit Saint Bernard (Savoie), and Les Houches (France).

• 2023: Rehabilitation of the Chemin du Curé (Savoie), the TDS trail in Beaufort, the ETC/YCC trail, the Chemin de l’Anery (Les Contamines-Montjoie). Funded solar panels for the Edoardo Camardella bivouac.

• 2022: Rehabilitation of the YCC and ETC trails (Italy), trail clearing in Vallorcine, and clearing water drains in Bertone (Italy).

• 2021: Bertone trail restoration, water drain installation and clearing, multi-path prevention measures.

Mountain trails face extensive wear over time due to both natural and human factors. Weather is a major cause: droughts followed by heavy rains, freeze-thaw cycles, snowmelt, and spring floods can destabilise terrain, wash away sections of paths, and create hazardous conditions.

Poorly defined trails worsen the problem, encouraging users (including hikers, runners and mountain bikers) to create alternative routes, leading to parallel multi-paths and further damage to surrounding ecosystems.

Trail rehabilitation is crucial to ensure longevity, safety, and environmental preservation of the Mont-Blanc massif.

These projects are carried out in close collaboration with local stakeholders, including municipalities, inter-municipal communities, and environment managers. This collaboration is key to ensuring a consistent, environmentally respectful approach tailored to each site’s unique characteristics.

Pre-project consultations with local authorities and site managers help identify priority needs, assess feasibility, and secure the necessary authorisations. This coordination streamlines resources and unites efforts among all the involved stakeholders. The Environment Commission partners with municipal technical teams and trail representatives, ensuring expert, on-the-ground implementation.

Since 2024, En Passant par la Montagne has contributed to two projects per year involving young people in reintegration programmes and inmates from the Bonneville Detention Centre (France).

• 2024: Five inmates participated in the Les Houches project, supported by three supervisors, the association’s president, and its director. They’ll return in 2025 to complete the project.

• 2024: Five young people on a reintegration programme from Passy and Chamonix, plus two supervisors, worked on the Bertone project. In 2025, a new group of 5-6 young people will join another project.

In 2024, 19 employees from our partner Vibram contributed to a project at Col Chavannes. The brand plans to repeat this in 2025 on a new Italian project.

Examples of Completed Work:

• Clearing water drains

• Installing posts and ropes

• Excavation and trail stabilisation

• Building steps and footbridges

Successfully complete a minimum of six projects from the following list, amounting to eight days of work. Each project will involve approximately 10 people — including from the Environment Commission, EPPM and Vibram — and will engage around 80 participants throughout the year.

• ‘Environment’ runner donations: Each UTMB Mont-Blanc registration includes a €1.5 eco-participation fee, allocated to the Environment Commission.

• Collaborations: Municipalities, inter-municipal communities, environment managers.

• Workforce: Volunteers, associations (EPPM), partners (Vibram).