RacesAlps
Eiger Ultra Trail
Demand
4 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
5 out of 5
Whether the ticket is worth it
Grindelwald, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the trip if the mountains match what you want.
The card
We score the Eiger Ultra Trail E101, not the shorter races on the same weekend. Demand is 4: 101 kilometers, on the order of 6,700 meters of climb, a loop from Grindelwald around the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau massif, alpine trail, high traverses, mid-July storms. It is not 5 because it is a 100K, not a 174, and because altitude is Oberland 2,600 meters rather than a San Juan night. It is not a 3 because this density of alpine climbing under that wall is a mountain 100K.
Worth is 5 because the north face is the product. People fly to the Bernese Oberland for this view from a trail, and they should if they wanted this sport. Grindelwald is a train town, Swiss-expensive, easier logistics than a three-country night start. That is in value and logistics, not a reason to score the weekend a 3. Destination, not icon: the icons in the Alps in this catalog are UTMB and Tor. The Eiger is a mountain that does not need a World Series final to be worth the flight. Organization confidence is medium. eigerultratrail.ch is the public face.
The next edition is July 17, 2027. If you wanted the Dolomites, Lavaredo is the other worth-5 100K. If you wanted Chamonix, CCC is the massif 100K. If you wanted the north face in the middle of the day, this is the card. We are not going to launder a Jungfrau postcard into an icon. We are not going to call it regional because Switzerland is a flight from most of the people who read this site. Fly for the wall. Do not fly because the logo is loud. There is not much logo. There is a lot of wall.
Who it is for
Runners who want a 101 km under the Eiger more than they want Chamonix week, and who can handle alpine trail at that density of climb.
Who should skip
Anyone who wanted UTMB for the photograph, or a first Alps 100K on a wide path. The E101 is not a valley stroll.
Elevation
Tap or hover for miles, clock, and aidft
Dark from 21:16 to 05:50 local. The median finisher is in the dark from Grosse Scheidegg onward (5:36am).
Bottom ticks are aid. Longest gap 8.1 mi.
Finisher pace
Not yet sourced.
Where the cutoff bites
Least margin: Grosse Scheidegg, 42 min for the back of the field.
Finishers only. DNFs are missing, so the real back of the field is slower.
Hardest stretch
Hardest stretch: Start to Grosse Scheidegg, 3,243 ft in 5.6 mi.
Segment gains from the course elev profile.
| From | To | Mi | Gain | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Grosse Scheidegg | 5.69 km | 3,243 ft988 m | 127 ft39 m |
| Grosse Scheidegg | Bort | 5.69 km | 660 ft201 m | 1,979 ft603 m |
| Bort | First | 3.15 km | 1,956 ft596 m | 66 ft20 m |
| First | Feld | 4.36.9 km | 947 ft289 m | 944 ft288 m |
| Feld | Faulhorn | 3.15 km | 2,111 ft643 m | 739 ft225 m |
| Faulhorn | Schwand | 8.113 km | 437 ft133 m | 3,881 ft1,183 m |
| Schwand | Burglauenen | 4.47.1 km | 760 ft232 m | 2,501 ft762 m |
| Burglauenen | Wengen | 5.69 km | 2,640 ft805 m | 1,000 ft305 m |
| Wengen | Männlichen | 3.15 km | 2,388 ft728 m | 220 ft67 m |
| Männlichen | Rotstecki | 0.61 km | 0 ft0 m | 74 ft23 m |
| Rotstecki | Lauberhorn | 0.61 km | 19 ft6 m | 96 ft29 m |
| Lauberhorn | Kleine Scheidegg | 5.08 km | 1,325 ft404 m | 1,724 ft525 m |
| Kleine Scheidegg | Eigergletscher | 1.93.1 km | 1,205 ft367 m | 303 ft92 m |
| Eigergletscher | Brandegg | 4.97.9 km | 0 ft0 m | 3,778 ft1,152 m |
| Brandegg | Marmorbruch | 2.54 km | 1,182 ft360 m | 471 ft144 m |
| Marmorbruch | Pfingstegg | 1.32.1 km | 193 ft59 m | 690 ft210 m |
| Pfingstegg | Finish | 3.15 km | 237 ft72 m | 708 ft216 m |
- Start
- 3,393 ft1,034 m
- Finish
- 3,393 ft1,034 m
- Net
- 0 ft0 m
- Longest climb
- 3,038 ft926 m
Start and finish are within 400 ft. Treat net as a loop.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
- Start
- 04:00
- Kit
- Required · Mandatory equipment; partial self-support between refreshment zones.
- Tracker
- Open
- Course file
- Open
Eiger Ultra Trail E101 race page · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 100K scored distance
Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
DNF over the years
DNF 25% in 2026, 27% the year before.
2026
- Starters
- 567
- Finishers
- 425
- DNF
- 25%
- Win
- 11:44:03
- Median
- 20:30:28
2024
- Starters
- 609
- Finishers
- 447
- DNF
- 27%
- Win
- 11:05:32
- Median
- 20:24:57
LiveTrail race stats for starters/finishers/DNF. Median from finish classement times. 2025 E101 omitted: shortened course, not the scored 101 km.
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Where people drop
DNF by last recorded station · 2026. 567 starters.
- Bort6
- First8
- Feld5
- Faulhorn15
- Schwand15
- Burglauene22
- Wengen16
- Mannlichen33
- Rotstecki3
- Kleine Sch4
- Eigerglets5
- Brandegg9
- Pfingstegg1
Most drops: Mannlichen, 33 of 567 in 2026
LiveTrail 2026 stats abandonments (abds)retrieved 2026-09-07
Climate
Typical July at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 71°F (22°C)
- Typical low
- 54°F (12°C)
- Typical precip
- 9.5 in (241 mm) / July
- Days with rain
- 66% of days
- High point
- 8,563 ft (2,610 m)
BewareRain on race weekend in 3 of the last 3 years.
2015–2024 July means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Dimensions
Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.
Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
We score the E101, 101 km. A mountain 100K, not the shorter Eiger weekend races.
On the order of 6,700 m of climb. Dense alpine climbing under the north face.
Alpine trail, technical in places, high traverses. More mountain than a TMB highway.
Mid-July in the Oberland: storms, snow possible high, a valley that can be hot.
High points around 2,600 m. Alpine, not Hardrock-thin.
Grindelwald is a train town. Swiss-expensive, straightforward compared with a three-country loop.
A serious Alps 100K field. Not the global final.
Mature Swiss mountain event, public, practiced. Medium-high from the public record.
Switzerland is the tax. Worth 5 is the north face, not the lodging invoice.
Eiger north face as the backyard. If scenery is a dimension, this is a 5.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 4 out of 5 | We score the E101, 101 km. A mountain 100K, not the shorter Eiger weekend races. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 4 out of 5 | On the order of 6,700 m of climb. Dense alpine climbing under the north face. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 4 out of 5 | Alpine trail, technical in places, high traverses. More mountain than a TMB highway. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 3 out of 5 | Mid-July in the Oberland: storms, snow possible high, a valley that can be hot. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 3 out of 5 | High points around 2,600 m. Alpine, not Hardrock-thin. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 3 out of 5 | Grindelwald is a train town. Swiss-expensive, straightforward compared with a three-country loop. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 3 out of 5 | A serious Alps 100K field. Not the global final. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Mature Swiss mountain event, public, practiced. Medium-high from the public record. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 3 out of 5 | Switzerland is the tax. Worth 5 is the north face, not the lodging invoice. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 5 out of 5 | Eiger north face as the backyard. If scenery is a dimension, this is a 5. |