Tour des Stations/Marmotte Valais

Tour des Stations/Marmotte Valais is a mountain granfondo series in Switzerland’s Valais region, designed for riders prioritizing climbing over flat-road speed. It features three distances: the 50 km Mediofondo with over 2,200 m of elevation gain, the 130 km Look Marmotte Granfondo Valais with over 4,500 m, and the 220 km Ultrafondo with over 7,400 m. The event stands apart in Swiss amateur cycling by timing riders from start to finish, similar to many French and Italian sportives. The Valais routes present a specific challenge: the Ultrafondo offers almost no flat sections, and numerous descents are steep and technical, limiting recovery even between climbs. The Granfondo includes eight major ascents, typically shorter than the classic Marmotte Alps climbs but often on narrow roads with irregular gradients. Performance data highlights its difficulty: only a few Ultrafondo participants completed the course in under nine hours, while half of all finishers took longer than eleven and a half hours. A past landslide necessitated a late Granfondo route adjustment, with timing commencing after the initial descent from Crans-Montana and the timed portion shortened by approximately 21 km.