Martin KERN, ambassador of the Pays des Écrins
Trail ambassadorMartin Kerne
A true mountain sports enthusiast, we went to meet Martin Kern, trail ambassador of the Pays des Écrins.
Originally from the south, Martin has been coming to the Pays des Écrins since his parents bought a house in Puy Aillaud, about fifteen years ago.
Very attached to the wide open spaces offered by our territory, he likes to tread his sneakers and travel our mountains as soon as possible. He considers the area to be the ideal playground to practice all his activities, in winter ski touring and cross-country skiing and in summer mountaineering and trail running.
“Here, I like the fact that I find myself in nature which is in its raw, natural state. There are great playgrounds! If you like rolling trails, there is plenty to do, but also technical, very technical ridges. There is also a very rich fauna and flora.”
From the North Burn to Briançon: Martin Kern’s ultra-trail odyssey
Martin has been running for 6 years now. It was during a trip to New Zealand, after winning the North Burn (a qualitative race for the great American ultras) that he discovered a real passion for long distance.
After travelling the world, Martin came to spend the year 2019 in the Pays des Écrins to train and enjoy the playground offered by the territory. It was a conclusive year for him, who finished first in the 6000D in La Plagne, 12th in the UTMB (the very famous Tour du Mont Blanc) and who followed up shortly after with a 5th place in the Diagonale Des Fous on Reunion Island.
In addition to his work as an Interim Project Management Engineer, Martin is training this year to break the record for the crossing from Chamonix to Briançon. In all, our ambassador and two of his friends will cover 202 km of the GR5 to connect the two capitals of French mountaineering.