Kilian Jornet Crushes 82 Peaks All Over 4,000-meters in Just 19 Days

Kilian Jornet climbed the 82 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps in 19 days, destroying the previous record set by Ueli Steck.

Kilian Jornet / Kilian Jornet/ Facebook

Ultra Ultra-Athlete

Kilian Jornet is a Spanish professional ultra-trail runner and ski mountaineer – but that doesn’t adequately describe Kilian Jornet. He is extreme. He loves the outdoors, especially the mountains. He is competitive, and he is a winner. He respects nature, and strives to protect and preserve it. He is a ultra-trail runner, ski mountaineer, and the holder of numerous world records. Jornet, 36, has won some of the most prestigious ultramarathons, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc several times, Grand Raid, Western States 100 and Hardrock.

In 2017, Jornet completed the Summits of My Life project with a double ascent of Mt. Everest, alone, without fixed ropes or supplemental oxygen. The project also included iconic mountains including Cervino, Aconcagua, Denali and Mont Blanc. The five-year project was the basis for his book Summits of My Life: Daring Adventures on the World's Greatest Peaks, and four films: A Fine Line, Dejame Vivr, Langtang and Path to Everest.

Jornet holds the fastest known time speed record for the ascent and descent of major mountains including the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, and holds the 24-hour uphill skiing record after notching 78,274 feet of vertical. The list of Jornet’s achievements appears endless - these represent just a few. At his core, Jornet is an ultra-athlete capable of astonishing feats. Most recently, Kilian set the world record for climbing all 82 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps by accomplishing the feat in just 19 days. His record shattered the previous mark of 62 days set by Ueli Steck of Switzerland in 2015.

“I consider myself a 360º mountain athlete because I like the versatility to be able to be in the mountains every day. I like running, racing in either ski mountaineering or trail running, crossings, climbing summits, and chaining peaks.” With this latest accomplishment, Jornet became the King of ‘Chaining Peaks’.

82 Peaks – 19 Days

Climbing 82 4,000-meter (13,123 ft.) peaks in record-time requires precision logistics. Jornet divided the project into sixteen stages, and traveled to each segment under his own power – combining mountaineering with trail running and cycling. His relentless schedule resulted in covering 750 miles, 267 hours of exhausting activity, 247,192 feet of elevation gain in 19 days. Angela Benavides covered the record-breaking climb in her article for ExplorersWeb -Kilian Jornet Completes the 82 Alpine 4,000’ers in a Record 19 Days. “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,” Jornet wrote on social media. “It’s difficult to process all my emotions just now, but this is a journey that I will never forget.”

Killian Jornet / Photo: @nickmdanielson

The Mont Blanc Massif

Jornet started his journey, the Alpine Connections Project, in the Swiss Engandine valley, where he climbed Piz Bernina (13,281 feet), and then traversed the Bernese Oberland before moving on to the challenging Valais region. He finished the project by summiting Dôme (13,468 feet) and Barre des Écrins (13,458 feet). On one notable day of climbing, Jornet knocked out 16 peaks including Mont Blanc (15,774 feet), and the Grandes Jorasses (13,806 feet). (The 2024 Mont Blanc Trail Ultra)

Following the Mont Blanc Massif collection, Jornet cycled to Aosta Valley to climb the Grand Paradiso, and then ran 21 km back into France, and continued to the Ecrins area for the last peak of the project - the Barre des Ecrins and its shoulder, the Dome de Neige. From here, Jornet returned to base camp on September 1st, and celebrated with his support crew over pizza. “It’s time to rest for a bit now!” concluded Jornet in his statement. “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,” Jornet wrote on social media.