On Sunday, September 1, 2024, Kilian Jornet completed mountaineering all 82 of the 4,000-meter peaks within the Ecu Alps. And he did all of it beneath his personal energy, which means that when he completed operating and mountaineering a top, or set of peaks, he traveled by way of motorcycle to the following one.
The path, which he referred to as Alpine Connections, used to be 1,207 kilometers (750 miles) lengthy and had 75,344 meters (247,000 ft) of elevation acquire. It took him 19 days, and just about 268 hours of shifting time with 87% of the time spent on his ft and the remaining on his motorcycle. The Spaniard, who lives in Norway, mentioned on his Instagram, “This used to be, with none doubt, essentially the most difficult factor I’ve ever carried out in my existence, mentally, bodily, and technically, but additionally possibly essentially the most gorgeous.”
Kilian Jornet operating at the first degree of Alpine Connections. Picture: Nick Madelson
That’s announcing so much for somebody who has reputedly received each and every giant path race on the planet, together with UTMB 4 instances, the Hardrock 100 5 instances, and the Zegama-Marathon 11 instances. And that’s announcing not anything of the various non-race extremely adventures that he’s undertaken world wide.
For this 16-stage traverse of the Alps, he began at Piz Bernina and completed on Dôme and Barre des Écrins. He traveled kind of east to west, mountaineering peaks and driving his motorcycle between them alongside the best way. Getting up the prime peaks of the Alps comes to now not simplest path operating and scrambling, but additionally hiking, and Jornet’s purpose used to be to hyperlink up as lots of the peaks by means of ridges and vintage traces as conceivable. Jornet used to be joined by way of many pals for more than a few peaks and supported by way of a small workforce who assisted with the logistics.
The times had been stuffed to the brim with motion of a few kind, with a number of pushes over 24 hours, and Jornet simplest took one entire relaxation day 11 days into the venture.
Jornet mountaineering a top within the Valais house of Switzerland all over Level 8 of the venture. Picture: Nick Madelson
Whilst Jornet began the venture pointing out that he sought after to check out to summit as lots of the 4,000-meter peaks as conceivable, it used to be transparent that if prerequisites allowed, he would try all of them. Beginning the venture simply 3 days after a dramatic win at Sierre-Zinal, he headed up Piz Bernina within the Swiss Engadine valley at the jap fringe of the variability. After operating and mountaineering 29 kilometers with 2,573 meters of elevation acquire, he were given on his motorcycle and pedaled 210 kilometers with 4,000 meters of elevation acquire to the bottom of his subsequent top. Day after today, even with dangerous climate, he summited Lauteraarhorn (4,042 meters), Schreckhorn (4,078 meters), and Finsteraarhorn (4,274 meters) within the Bernese Alps house.
And that used to be simply the primary two days. On the finish of the 3rd day, after posting a video of him solo and scrambling within the fog on a precarious-looking ridge, he wrote, “It used to be a difficult day, however that’s a part of what makes those mountains so particular — they retain you to your ft and make you respect each and every step.”
Jornet tackling Mont Blanc all over Level 14. Picture: Noa Barrau
Each day, top after top, he finished vintage alpine traverses in a single push that the majority teams take days or per week to do. He summited Mont Blanc, Europe’s best possible top, all over Level 14 of the venture, a 30-hour push the place he ticked off 16 peaks within the house. From there, it used to be only a few extra much less tough peaks over the path of 2 days prior to he completed and used to be greeted by way of his workforce with a well-earned pizza.
In a while, he wrote, “It’s tough to procedure all my feelings simply now, however this can be a adventure that I will be able to by no means omit.”
Kilian Jornet on easy methods to summitting Grand Combin all over Level 10 of Alpine Connections. Picture: Nick Danielson