Kilian Jornet climbs all 82 4,000-metre Alpine peaks in JUST 19 DAYS and calls it “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done”

Kilian Jornet has just completed an epic Alpine feat that he called “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life”.

The ultrarunning GOAT, who also holds legendary status in ski mountaineering and climbing, started the attempt just days after winning Sierre-Zinal (for the 10th time) in breathtaking fashion.

What did the challenge involve?

Staying in the area after Sierre-Zinal, the aim was to climb as many of the 4,000-metre summits in the Alps as possible, travelling between them solely by human power, with the project called ‘Alpine Connections’.

He used a combination of trail running, mountaineering, climbing, and cycling – all things dear to him – and what unfolded was remarkable.

Posting on his Instagram page, he said: “19 days after getting started on Piz Bernina, my dream of climbing all 82 4,000 meter peaks of the Alps using only human power to link them together came true on Dôme and Barre des Écrins, the westernmost of them all, with Mathéo Jacquemoud and Benjamin Védrines.

“This was, without any doubt, the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life, mentally, physically, and technically, but also maybe the most beautiful.

“It’s difficult to process all my emotions just now, but this is a journey that I will never forget.

“It’s time to rest for a bit now!”

Previous record smashed out of sight

Just to try and give some context to what Jornet has achieved in 19 days, according to the Fastest Known Time website the current ratified record is 62 days.

That entry reads: “World-renowned Swiss alpinist Ueli Steck climbed all 82 peaks over 4000m in the European Alps over 62 days in the summer of 2015. The project was entirely self-powered, using a bicycle to travel between the peaks and sometimes paragliding off the summits.” 

It will soon need a rewrite!