01
The valley floor
km 0–9 · 260 m up · high point 1,310 m
Orvalle to Pra Bas in the first blue light, on farm tracks between the meadows. Run it easy: the day is long.
First lightto last light
- 04:50 · first light, the Long starts
- 21:40 · last light, the finish closes
On Saturday 19 June 2027 the sun gives Orvalle sixteen hours and fifty minutes. That is the race. Every distance starts and finishes inside them, and the only clock that counts is the sky.
58 km over the Kessel ridge
Five parts, one loop. Up through the larch wood and the scree to eleven tops above 2,400 metres, then the long way down to the square you started from.
Download the GPX of the Long
02
The larch wood
km 9–17 · 740 m up · high point 1,890 m
Switchbacks under the larches to the Sella aid station, where the soup has been ready since four.
03
The scree
km 17–25 · 1,100 m up · high point 2,610 m
The Kessel couloir to the col: loose stone, hands on the rock for the last hundred metres. Cut-off at the col 12:30.
Highest point
04
The ridge
km 25–41 · 1,350 m up · Kessel Tor 2,742 m
Eleven tops in sixteen kilometres, never below 2,400 metres. The wind decides your pace here, not your legs.
05
The long descent
km 41–58 · 2,700 m down · finish 1,040 m
Seventeen kilometres down through pasture and wood to the church square, where the long table is already laid.
Three races, one day
Each race starts at its own hour, and every one of them finishes before the light goes.
Starts 04:50First light
Long
58 km · 3,900 m up
The whole loop: valley, wood, scree, the eleven tops of the ridge and the long way down. Finish by last light.
900 places
Starts 09:30Full sun
Half
27 km · 1,700 m up
Up the larch wood and the scree to the col, then back down the old mule track with the ridge in view. Finish by 19:30.
700 places
Starts 17:40Evening light
Vertical
6 km · 1,000 m up
Straight up the fall line from the church to Kessel Hut at 2,140 metres. Dinner at the hut, then the bus down the pass road.
300 places
212 people on the mountain
Six aid stations, two radio posts, a kitchen at 2,100 metres and the sweepers who walk behind the last runner. Most of them have done it for years.
Volunteer in 2027
“We start the soup at three in the morning. By the time the first runner reaches Sella it has been ready for an hour.”
All of it: about 1.4 kg
What you carry
The ridge stays above 2,400 metres for sixteen kilometres. In June it can be 24 °C in Orvalle and 2 °C on Kessel Tor. Everything here is checked at the start and can be checked again at any aid station.
- Waterproof jacketWith a hood and taped seams
- A warm layerLong sleeves, fleece or wool
- Legs coveredTights or trousers down to the knee or below
- Cap and glovesThe ridge can be cold at noon
- One litre of waterBottles or a bladder, full at every aid station
- Your own cupThe aid stations have no cups
- Food for two hoursAid stations are up to 9 km apart
- Emergency blanketAt least 1.4 × 2 metres
- WhistleMost vests have one on the chest strap
- PhoneCharged, with the race office number saved
The finish closes at last light. The long table opens.
Orvalle has 640 people and one main street. On race night it lays a table down the whole of it.
The finish arch stands in front of the church. From seven in the evening 1,900 seats run from the square to the bridge: soup from the school kitchen, bread from both bakers, and the cheers get louder as the light goes, because the last runners in are the ones the whole street has waited for.
Ten longest days
Since 2017 the race has been run nine times and cancelled once. These are the days and the fastest people on the Long.
| Year | The day | Fastest woman | Fastest man | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ClearDry ridge, 19 °C at the col | Ada Lindqvist 8:51 | Mateo Ferraz 8:02 | 1,712 |
| 2025 | FogCloud on the ridge all day | Ada Lindqvist 9:20 | Jonas Veit 8:37 | 1,604 |
| 2024 | SnowFresh snow on the tops until ten | Noor Haddad 9:58 | Pau Riera 9:01 | 1,377 |
| 2023 | ClearCourse record for the Half | Noor Haddad 8:59 | Mateo Ferraz 8:09 | 1,689 |
| 2022 | WindGusts of 70 km/h on Kessel Tor | Ines Morel 9:41 | Jonas Veit 8:44 | 1,421 |
| 2021 | Heat31 °C in the square at four | Ines Morel 9:36 | Tomas Hale 8:52 | 1,298 |
| 2020 | Not runThe crew rebuilt the scree path instead | — | — | — |
| 2019 | StormLong stopped at the col at 14:10 | Lena Ruiz 6:12 | Tomas Hale 5:40 | 1,103 |
| 2018 | FogThe tops in cloud until noon | Lena Ruiz 9:47 | Tomas Hale 8:55 | 744 |
| 2017 | ClearThe first edition, 212 starters | Lena Ruiz 9:41 | Tomas Hale 8:57 | 181 |
Getting a place
Places are drawn by ballot. Everyone who applies in January has the same chance, whatever their time or their country.
- 11–31 JanuaryThe ballot is open. Apply alone or as a group of up to four.
- 8 FebruaryThe draw, in public, in the Orvalle school hall.
- By 1 MarchConfirm your place and pay the fee.
- By 15 AprilBook your trail day in May.
| Race | Places | Fee | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long | 900 | €145 | Timing, six aid stations, the bus from the valley at 03:30, a seat at the long table |
| Half | 700 | €95 | Timing, three aid stations, a seat at the long table |
| Vertical | 300 | €45 | Timing, dinner at Kessel Hut, the bus down the pass road |
There are no medals. Every finisher takes home a stone from the scree path, numbered with their bib.
Oneday
Every place at SOLSTA costs one day of trail work in May.
The race uses 58 km of path that the valley keeps. So every runner gives a day back: resetting steps, clearing the scree path, cutting back the larch wood. Lunch is on us.
- 01Book a dayAny Saturday in May, or two weekday mornings.
- 02Work with the trail crew07:30 to 15:30, tools and gloves provided.
- 03Collect your bibHanded over at the end of the day, by the crew.
Before you apply
The questions the race office hears most, answered once.
Something else? Ask the office
Do I need a qualifying race?
No. We ask Long runners to have finished one mountain race of 40 km or more; you tick a box and we trust you.
Are poles allowed?
Yes, in all three races. Pack them before the scree, where you will want your hands.
What if the weather turns?
The ridge has a lower route along the 2,000 m contour. If the 03:00 forecast shows storms the Long runs it; if a storm arrives during the day, marshals turn runners at the col.
What are the cut-offs?
Long: the col at 12:30, Kessel Tor at 15:40, the finish at 21:40. Half: the col at 14:00, the finish at 19:30. Vertical: Kessel Hut at 20:10.
Can I give my place away?
Once, until 1 May, through the race office. The trail day goes with the place.
How do I get to Orvalle?
Train to the valley town, then the post bus, 40 minutes. On race day extra buses run from 03:30; the village has no parking on Saturday.
Pacers or dogs?
Neither on the course. Supporters can meet you at Pra Bas, at Sella and in the square.
Where do I sleep?
Orvalle has 300 beds. The school gym opens on Friday night: mattress, shower and breakfast at 03:30 for €18.
Race week: the office is open until last light
The race office
Write, call or come by. We answer every message within two working days, and on race week within the hour.
- Address
- Town hall, Example Square 1, Orvalle
- Phone
- +41 27 000 00 00
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 09:00–12:00; race week every day 07:00–21:40