Hohe Winde Trail

The Hohe Winde Trail kicks off the mountain running season in north-western Switzerland at the very start of spring, setting out from Büsserach in the Thierstein district of the canton of Solothurn. It carries on the former Hohe-Winde-Bergmarathon, run for many years by Ramon Gut, Roman Häring and Michael Meier. In 2026 a new organising committee took over, moved the heart of the event to Büsserach and redrew two courses that cross three cantons, Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft and Jura, and thirteen municipalities.

The marathon covers 43.7 km with about 2,077 m of climbing and starts at 9:00 from Kirsgarten school. From 420 m above sea level it climbs via Birgel, Welschgätterli, Trogberg and Rotmättli to the summit of the Hohe Winde at 1,204 m, reached around kilometre 13. A ridge path then leads to the Passwang and the Vogelberg, followed by a long, flowing descent from the Ulmethöchi towards the Nunningerberg. The singletrack over the Hirnichopf, around the Dürrberg, is one of the highlights, before the Meltingerberg, the ridge to the Käsel farm, the Mettenberg and the Lingenberg. The finish lies below the ruins of Thierstein castle.

The half marathon, 23.1 km with 966 m of ascent, starts at 10:30. It heads to Breitenbach and then climbs the wild, narrow Chaltbrunnental valley, crosses the bridge at Meltingen, skirts Zullwil and Nunningen, passes Gilgenberg castle and climbs to the Meltingerberg to join the closing section of the marathon. Shorter but no pushover, it suits runners already used to trails, while the marathon calls for proper training on hills and careful pacing over a long day in the Jura.

The scenery repays the effort. From the Hohe Winde the view stretches over Basel, the Vosges, the Black Forest and, on a clear day, the Alps all the way to the Matterhorn. Both courses mix forest, pasture, ridges, farms and the villages of the Schwarzbubenland, on varied ground where March weather can still bring snow, rain or strong wind.

On the practical side, bib collection opens at 7:30 at Kirsgarten school, which also hosts the race village and the prize-giving. The marathon has cut-offs at 11:45 on the Hohe Winde, 13:30 at the Passwang, 15:15 at the Meltingerberg and 16:30 at the finish; the half must be completed by 15:30. The race is cupless, so bring your own cup. Mandatory kit includes a phone, at least 0.5 litres of water, a survival blanket and an elastic bandage, plus a waterproof jacket and warm layers if the organisers call the bad-weather option, announced at least two days beforehand. Büsserach is reached from Basel on the S3 to Zwingen, then by PostBus to the school stop, about 100 m from the start; parking on site is limited.