English guides for preparing UTMB, Diagonale des Fous, and Tor des Géants with a practical focus on travel, accommodation, mandatory gear, life bases, and race week.
A practical plan for preparing UTMB without wasting energy during race week: travel, accommodation, mandatory gear, bags, and the key decisions to lock in before Chamonix.
Updated on 21 May 2026
Choose a realistic logistics base in the valley instead of an Instagram-friendly place that is too far away.
Test your UTMB mandatory gear in cold, wet, and night conditions.
The Diagonale des Fous requires expedition-level logistics: long-haul travel, tropical climate, brutal terrain, and a start-to-finish plan for getting around the island.
Updated on 21 May 2026
Treat travel as part of performance, not as a simple transfer to the race.
Organize accommodation and mobility on the island around both the start and the finish, not a single town.
The Tor des Géants demands multi-day logistics: sleep, bags, gear rotation, life bases, accommodation in Courmayeur, and a plan for what happens after the finish.
Updated on 21 May 2026
Build your preparation around a multi-day effort, not just a stretched-out ultra.
Prepare accommodation, life bases, bags, and gear rotation in detail before Courmayeur.