“It is without a doubt the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life.” The Spanish mountaineer and trail runner Kilian Jornet completed, on Sunday 1Ahem In September, his “Alpine Connection” project, which consisted of climbing the 82 peaks of more than 4,000 metres in the Alps without using any other means of transport than walking and cycling, which he achieved in nineteen days.
At the same time, he broke the record for the duration of reaching the “4,000” in the Alps, which had been held since 2008 by Italian guides Diego Giovannini and Franco Nicolini, who needed… sixty-two days.
His quest began on 13 August in Switzerland with the ascent of Piz Bernina, the easternmost “4000” peak in the Alpine arc, and ended with the ascent of the dome and the Barre des Ecrins in France. This gigantic journey of 1,207 kilometres with more than 75,000 metres of positive gradient, undertaken with various companions but also alone, required more than 268 hours of effort, which left him an average of 5 hours and 17 minutes of rest per day.
“It’s hard to process all my emotions right now, but it’s a journey I’ll never forget.”wrote on Instagram. The Catalan, a leading figure in trail running, won by 10my Once Sierre-Zinal, the oldest mountain race, completed its project on 10 August, while Chamonix was the site of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), which he has won four times. A fervent environmental activist, he implicitly called last year for a boycott of the most important event on the world calendar, in particular because of the collaboration concluded with the car manufacturer Dacia.
“The places where we practice our activities are changing dramatically due to climate change and pollution. (…). The role of elite athletes, federations and organisers of major events goes beyond our own activities and the future consequences are also our responsibility.he wrote then.
After winning most of the major trail races between 2008 and 2012, Kilian Jornet embarked on the “Summits of my life” project, which led him to break the speed records on the ascent of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn the following year. While continuing to practice mountain running, he has since increased the number of ascents and fast traverses on sometimes very technical routes, such as the Puiserey ridge on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, or the north face of the Grandes Jorasses. In October, he only needed eight days to cross his native Pyrenees, topping 177 peaks over 3,000 metres.
