Pyrenees
Oct 5–12, 2026 · 7 days
Oct 5–12, 2026
7 days
Up to 12 participants
Trail Running
The challenge
The first morning smells of pine and cold stone. We meet in Espot, a small village tucked into the Pyrenees.…
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The first morning smells of pine and cold stone. We meet in Espot, a small village tucked into the Pyrenees. We eat dinner together. Tomorrow the mountains open up.
I am Dioni Gorla. I live in Innsbruck and train on the steep Nordkette trails most days. I run for Adidas Terrex, and I have stood on podiums at races like Wildstrubel by UTMB and Cappadocia Ultra-Trail. Over seven days you'll join a team and we will run the high Pyrenees together.
We start in Aigüestortes National Park. Sixteen kilometres, over 1,300 metres of climb, past cold lakes and grey granite to the top of Tuc de la Ratera at 2,861 metres. We sleep in mountain refuges, high and quiet. Some days are gentle. Some are not. One day we drop nearly 1,700 metres down to Cerler, a long, wild descent that will test your legs. We rest too. We run easy above Llanos del Hospital, just moving and breathing.
Stay on for the extended days and you get more. We cross Puerto de Sahún into the remote Chistau Valley. We cook and share a barbecue. On the last day we climb through Ordesa and Monte Perdido, a UNESCO landscape of huge limestone walls and glacial bowls. Eighteen kilometres. Sixteen hundred metres up, then back down.
This is hard. That is the point. You will hurt, and you will be glad you came. And then, high on a ridge, you look out and the whole range goes still.
Apply to join
We read every application. Small group — and I want to get the group right. If this sounds like you, apply below.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
Day one starts at Barcelona Airport. From there, we drive to Espot, a small village in the Pyrenees. It's our gateway to the mountains. You'll join a team, check in, and find your feet. We gather for our first dinner together. Then we rest. Outside, the high peaks wait for tomorrow.
Day 2
Day two is our first real day high in the Pyrenees. We start at Estany de Sant Maurici and traverse Aigüestortes National Park. You'll run 16 km, climbing 1,314m up to Tuc de la Ratera at 2,861m. Then we drop down to Refugi de Colomers. Lakes, ridgelines, and granite all around us.
Day 3
Day 3 starts soft. We ease down from Colomers to Banhs de Tredos, 5 km and 570m down. Then we drive to Vielha for lunch. In the afternoon we climb to Refugio Cap de Llauset, 3 km and 330m up. It is remote and wild up there. You sleep high, with the mountains all around.
Day 4
Day 4 is the big drop. From Cap de Llauset we climb to Tuc de Vallibierna or Culebras, gaining 930m. Then comes the long fall to Cerler, nearly 1,700m down over rough alpine ground. About 16km in all. Your legs will burn. We transfer to Benasque for the night, granite still in your eyes.
Day 5
Day 5 is our easy day. We transfer up to Llanos del Hospital for active recovery and light trail running. No pressure, just space to breathe and move. Then a flowing descent back to Benasque, about 13 km, with +180m up and 770m down. We end with a farewell dinner. Tired legs, full hearts, mountains still in your eyes.
Day 6
Today we split. The Core group heads home to Barcelona. But you'll join me for more. We take a mountain track over Puerto de Sahún to the wild Chistau Valley. Twelve kilometres, 600m up, 600m down. We run near Refugio de Marradetas, then taste local Pyrenean food. The night ends round a barbecue, the mountains still in our legs.
Day 7
Our last day on trail. We drive to the Pineta Valley in Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. You'll run 18 km, climbing 1,600m through Estaubé to Refugio de Tucarroya. Up to the Balcón de Pineta for the big view. Then back down. We cook Spanish dishes together. Limestone walls all around, glowing in the last light.
Day 8
Day 8 is goodbye. We share one last breakfast together, then I take you back to Barcelona. The tour ends here. After six days on trail in the Pyrenees, your legs are tired and your head is full. You carry the high country home with you, in your boots and in your bones.