Mont Blanc Mandala: first and foremost a mountain adventure
There are races around Mont Blanc.
And then there are adventures. Real ones. The kind where you have no course markings, no official timing, no inflatable arch.
Just a GPS track. Your pack. Your legs. Your will.
The Mont Blanc Mandala by Raidlight, dreamed up by Bruno Poirier (also the organizer of the mythical Great Himal Race), invites you to draw your own circle around the roof of Europe.
151 km. 7,400 m D+. Two support points. One rule: return to Chamonix.
Halfway between a committed ultra-trail and a personal pilgrimage, the Mandala doesn’t impose a route… it invites you to draw your own.
A radical, stripped-back, almost spiritual challenge.
An unmarked ultra-trail: an alternative to the UTMB born in 2020
Born in 2020, in the midst of the health crisis and in the shadow of a canceled UTMB, the Mont Blanc Mandala is a simple answer to a profound question:
What if we went back to basics?
Bruno Poirier, a runner and craftsman of great crossings like the Great Himal Race, decided that day to do his own UTMB. Not virtual. Not on a screen.
A real loop, in one go, with two support points and a GPS track.
Twenty-five followed him. A tradition was born.
“Mont Blanc is the center. Runners draw their own circle. Everyone traces their Mandala.”
Since then, each edition attracts runners in search of meaning. No finisher T-shirt, no medal. But a finish line in Chamonix… and a circle closed.
Asimina’s experience at the Mont Blanc Mandala: an improvised adventure
In 2025, Asimina, Raidlight ambassador, hadn’t planned to take part.
She was in the Alps to prepare for the Tor des Glaciers.
But when she heard about this unmarked race, she didn’t hesitate.
“I saw there were no markings… and I said yes straight away. These are exactly the races I look for. The ones where you have to be present with every step.”
It was her first ultra in several months, after an injury. And yet, her account is of rare intensity.
“During the race, everything fades. What you carry in your head or in your heart… up there, only clarity remains. A freshness in the soul.”
Navigating in the wild, with yourself
The Mandala is a race without tape. No sign. No arrow.
You move forward with your GPS track. You manage your sleep, your water, your nutrition.
“You have to have everything with you. Not only in your pack, but in your soul. If you don’t support your own being, no one will do it for you.”
Fortunately, Asimina can count on her Raidlight pack, perfectly fitted:
“Comfortable, snug, without compression. Not to forget my poles, always there. Real support for the body and the mind.”
A minimalist format, maximum intensity
The start is at 4 a.m., in front of the church in Chamonix.
Goal: avoid “no visual interest” zones in daylight, and save the most beautiful passes for the morning light.
The official route follows the 2003 UTMB itinerary, with two major differences:
- the passage via Col des Four
- the climb to Col de Balme, to finish with a view of Chamonix.
Between the two, everyone is free to add their own variants (Col du Tricot, Fenêtre d’Arpette, etc.), raising the challenge up to 156 km and over 10,000 m D+.
“We don’t promise ease,” Bruno sums up. “But we offer a truth. Effort, silence, autonomy.”
Mont Blanc Mandala 2025: shared emotion
8 starters. 18 finishers.
A handful of abandoned attempts… but also powerful stories.
And for Asimna: A Mont Blanc Mandala that surely boosted her confidence before her big challenge of 2025: the Tor des Glaciers.
Why do the Mont Blanc Mandala?
Because you’re looking for another way to run.
Because you want less noise, more truth.
It’s a race that leaves a mark on you, not only in your legs but in your memory. And that’s why Raidlight supports this off-the-beaten-path race.
Next edition: 10–11 July 2026
Distance: 151 km (or more, depending on your mandala)
Elevation gain: 7,400 to 10,900 m D+
Click here for more information about the Mont Blanc Mandala.
