BURSTSpanish endurance athlete Kilian Jornet, 37, has completed a 31-day challenge to climb all 72 peaks over 14,000 feet in the continental United States, relying solely on his own power. He did have a support crew that helped along the way. Starting at Long’s Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 3, he covered 3,198 miles and gained 403,638 feet of elevation. Jornet cycled and ran to connect the summits across Colorado, California, and Washington, without planes, trains, or automobiles. “I will seek the best way to link the summits — not just to reach them, but to trace the most meaningful lines that connect them across the boundless West Coast of the US,” he wrote for States of Elevation.
Jornet said that his one-month push was not about the numbers, which averaged 100 miles daily, but about experiencing the landscapes between peaks. “The point was the country between them: the quiet miles, the shared ridges, the storms that make you small, and the simple goal to get there under his own power, running and riding the spaces in between,” he said. After Colorado’s 56 14ers, he cycled 850 miles through Utah, Arizona, and Nevada to reach California’s Sierra Nevadas.
Jornet holds speed records on peaks like Everest, Denali, and Kilimanjaro, and has won multiple mountain racing titles. Last year, he summited all 4,000-metre peaks in the Alps in 19 days, which involved more technical terrain than his U.S. objective, though the latter was longer and taller. In California, Jornet climbed Norman’s 13, his favourite segment, and White Mountain before biking to Mount Shasta, where he faced “top three craziest winds I’ve ever had on a mountain,” with temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit.
He continued cycling through Oregon to Washington, summiting Rainier on Oct. 4, completing States of Elevation. “Back at the trailhead, after 31 days of effort, came the small ceremony that follows a long road: poles down, silence settling, pizza in hand, and … pickle juice shots,” he wrote on Instagram, marking the end of his objective.
The post Kilian Jornet Climbs 72 U.S. Peaks in 31 Days – all Over 14,000 Feet Tall appeared first on Gripped Magazine.