The fourth edition of the Masters Skyrunning World Championships will represent a thrilling challenge for passionate over-forties skyrunners looking for adventure. France will host the championships on July 4, 2026, at the Skyrun du Grand Mont, part of the ASICS Pierra Menta Été.

The Pierra Menta is a legendary ski-mountaineering race dating back 40 years. Ten years ago, the summer edition was launched in the same format with athletes racing in pairs. Last year, the Skyrun du Grand Mont was introduced for single athletes – an immediate success paving the way for hosting the 2026 Masters Skyrunning World Championships.

Featuring the SKY discipline, the course is 28 km long with 2,600m vertical climb reaching 2,680m altitude, starting and finishing in Arêches, Savoie.

It was an intense weekend of challenges for both athletes and organisers with severe weather on Friday but celebrating with “Less cloud. More sky” at Sunday’s finals of the 2025 Masters Skyrunning World Championships.

The third edition of the Masters was held at the Balkaniada SkyRace® in Karlovo, Bulgaria, on October 3-5, 2025, featuring, for the first time, all three skyrunning disciplines – VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA. The over-forty athletes were split into four age categories for every discipline: over 40, over 45, over 50, and over 55.

Seventy-five medals and world titles were at stake in the Open Championships, where official teams from 23 countries participated. An incredible 17 countries took home medals attesting to the ever-increasing competitiveness of countries relatively new to skyrunning.