• KM1: THE CONQUEST OF DOI SUTHEP, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN TEMPLE

    The perfect start: in the early hours of the morning the run leaves Chiang Mai towards the North and climbs straight up into the forest on a track used by pilgrims. Without transition you pass into rocky terrain which lasts until the almost fairy tale appearance of Wat Palaad, nestling on the bank of a river. A few kilometres further on the course crosses the site of Wat Doi Suthep, one of the most holy temples in Thailand. The view over the valley of Chiang Mai is panoramic and imposing.

  • KM10: FIRST PLUNGE INTO TROPICAL FOREST

    The course runs down the dizzyingly steep staircase from the temple of Doi Suthep, and then, without a break, plunges headlong into its first stretch of jungle. How silent and atmospheric it is! For many it comes as a shock. You have to find your bearings very quickly in these long green tunnels whose very density is impressive. The undulating paths are almost free of obstacles but in many places they are punctuated by fallen branches and tree trunks which you have to step over...

  • KM20: DOI PUI, 1st SUMMIT (1650m)

    As you emerge from the jungle, the run starts to climb again, up to the village of Chiang Khun, the first Hmong village and a refreshment stop. The slope gets progressively harder and becomes so steep that you have to use your hands to help you at some points. When you reach a magnificent line of ridges edged in pine trees, Doi Pui stands out in the distance. If you can see it, your feet can take you there! 17 kilometres later, and with a gain in elevation of 1700 metres, its summit affords a splendid view over the surrounding hills and mountains.

  • KM30: CROSSING THE WILD MAE SA VALLEY

    An unbroken 10-kilometre downhill run takes you straight down to the Mae Sa valley. The valley, which is well-known for its orchids and its elephants, is still wild, despite its proximity to Chiang Mai. After a refreshment stop, the run gradually goes deeper into the jungle. The track becomes narrower, the trees grow closer together, the atmosphere is more humid; everything becomes darker and more indistinct. When the horizon opens up again, you can see the first rice terraces. Now the Karen village of Mae Kha is not far away.

  • KM55: IN KAREN COUNTRY, AMID THE RICE FIELDS

    In a rich green setting and bathed in the sparkling waters of a cascade the village of Mae Kha is a haven where you can get back in touch with your inner self. It will be the village chosen as first stopover for rest and food, a place to get your strength back and to sleep. You quit the village with regret by one of its mountain slopes, gradually leaving its wattle and daub roofs behind you. Thereafter, crossing the terraced rice fields is an obstacle race for tired runners. To run across the strips of grass without falling you have to learn how to keep your balance.

  • KM65: WAT PRABAT SI LOI, A SACRED TEMPLE DEEP IN THE JUNGLE

    The course climbs the very steep right slope of Doi Pha Dam (1350m), through a dense stretch of forest. As you go back down towards the valley, the rooftops of Wat Prabat Si Loi suddenly appear below you, about halfway down. You cannot help but be surprised to come across so exquisite a temple in such a remote location. Yet the serenity and beauty of the site make it the perfect place for meditation. Leaving the temple behind, you take a road, and then a dirt track, to cross the valley of the Pha Daen, with its Karen villages, while all about you the wonders of the region unfurl in unique surroundings.

  • KM80: IN THE MOUNTAINS OF HMONG COUNTRY

    A remarkable, dense bamboo jungle, acting as a natural frontier, divides Karen country from Hmong country. While the former live in the valley, the latter live in the high country. After a slow climb the village of Mong Ngoa, with its bamboo houses nestling against the mountainside, appears on a dirt track at 1300m above sea level. It is a magnificent spot for the end of the second important leg of the course. Surrounded by an ocean of greenery it offers the chance to rest. Here the race will stop for a break, time to get breath back before tackling the final stage.

  • KM100: ALONG THE MAE TAENG RAPIDS

    Night, then day, and the race goes on. The course enters a magical little valley by a dirt track which runs along the bank of the magnificent Mae Taeng River. The river is still high despite the fact that the monsoons are over. All around nature is at her most exuberant. After several kilometres, the course turns to follow a tributary stream and comes out at a magnificent waterfall, which marks the return to the mountains.

  • KM110: LAHU COUNTRY AND THE HIGHEST PEAK

    Now for the final stage of the journey to Doi Chiang Dao! On arrival at the village of Kup Kap you get a distant view over the valley of Chiang Mai and the next peaks to be conquered. Here the bamboo houses are all in the purest traditional Lahu style. Leaving the village and winging your way over the intervening peaks, you can see the bluish crests and ridges of the Doi Chiang Dao chain standing out in silhouette against the sky. At first they seem remote, but each summit conquered brings them closer.

  • KM130: AT THE FOOT OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

    The run is mountainous, the atmosphere is more alpine. After conquering Doi Pha Sam Lian et Doi Pakhia, Doi Luang is coming soon. From the Hmong village of Pakhia at the foothills of the massif there begins a long, slow climb through rocks and tropical forest in a majestic alpine décor. There are 15 kilometres to cross inside this tooth-shaped massif, and a gain of 1500-metre in elevation to negotiate, before reaching the 2150 metre summit.

  • KM145: TO THE LAST DROP

    The conquest of Doi Luang is not yet complete. It is not enough to reach the top; now comes the descent. It is the ultimate test, because the path is steep and full of obstacles. It drops 2000 metres in elevation over a space of a mere 7 kilometres. It is a long hellish descent, but emblematic of the whole Ultra Sauvage experience, which will test you to the limit right up to the very last kilometre. As the jungle thins out, the first houses begin to appear; in the distance the Chiang Mai valley and other mountains surge into view. Once back in civilisation the village of Chiang Dao and the finish are a stone’s throw away. Just a few metres to cross, amid smiling and clapping locals. There at last!

en Français
4-6 December 2015
150K8’800m+8’500m-

Reviving old tribal paths to create the wildest Ultra Trail in Asia

AN ULTRA COURSE

To the last drop

For UTCM to see the light took a year’s research among the hill tribes, hundreds of kilometres covered on foot, walking or running, and a massive amount of work clearing and marking the paths. It makes complete sense for the course to start from Chiang Mai and run on via a network of ancient hill tribe paths until it reaches the highest mountain peak in the country. It will be the first long-distance, cross-country trail ever mapped out in Thailand, a major achievement which will give runners from the world over the chance to experience a remarkable adventure.

For the first time in South-East Asia UTCM, 150 kilometres long and with a gain in elevation of almost 9’000 metres, presents a coherent, obstacle-laden, demanding course as good as the top European Ultra Trails. Mountains and jungle, rice fields and forests, temples and ethnic villages - the trail unfurls its difficulties in a dream context which in itself embodies all the magic of Thailand!

3 high points


You leave Chiang Mai in the sparkling freshness of the morning and climb straight up through the yellow and green patchwork of forest to the sacred site of Wat Doi Suthep, with its unique panorama over the whole Chiang Mai valley. Then you rush helter-skelter down the 300 steps below the temple and plunge into the depths of the jungle...


With 50 kilometres of the course under your belt, you catch sight of the first stilt-houses. Smiles greet you as you enter the village. You wash away the day’s exhaustion in the cool waters of a cascading mountain stream, and as night falls, experience the lifestyle of another era in the warmth of a shared hearth.


After 140 kilometres of pushing yourself to the limit, and having experienced the intense satisfaction of getting to the very top of Doi Chiang Dao, you start back down into the valley on a dizzyingly steep slope which falls away for more than 2’000m descent without a break. Arriving at the end of the run becomes an achievement in itself, an ultimate surpassing of the self.


INFORMATION
+66 090 323 0070
ITRA MEMBER UTMB QUALIFYING RACE 2016 4 POINTS Asia Trail Master
© 2015 THAILAND MOUNTAIN TRAIL. All Rights Reserved.
PRIVACY / TERMS / CREDITS