02:08
NEED FOR SPEED How fast can they go? 01:56
02:52
Cervinia Church Square to the Matterhorn summit (4,478m) and back “When I was reaching Cervinia, I was very surprised; I really thought it would be extremely diffi cult to be able to beat the record.”
04:57
Chamonix Town Centre to Mont Blanc summit (4,810m) and back Kilian and running partner Matheo Jacquemoud reached the summit in 3:33, but Matheo fell in a crevasse on the descent. Kilian said, "Once Matheo was safely out of the crevasse, I decided to continue on alone."
07:14
Base camp to Kilimanjaro summit (5,895m) and back “After 5,000m it’s tough! Starting at the camp at Arrow Glacier it gets really diffi cult! I just wish for the descent, I just let go and fl y!”
08:42
Courmayeur-Chamonix via the Innominata Ridge, (42km, 3,810m of ascent, D+) “I realised, in surprise, my record time. My goal was to do it in under ten hours but thanks to the good conditions I came across, I was able to descend faster than I had expected.”
38:32
Tahoe Rim Trail speed record (266km) Despite getting lost, Kilian easily beat the previous record of 45:58. “We went a good 2.5 miles off track, and I was absolutely horrifi ed,” said pacer Sean Meissner. “But he didn’t even blink. He just grabbed me by the shoulders, laughed and said, ‘More kilometres, more fun, Sean!’”
Matterhorn North Face solo, Schmid route (ED, 1,100m) “I'd thought about speed solo climbing the three great Alpine north faces for years and had prepared myself specifi cally. The Schmid route was the easiest of the three. But again, I didn't know the line. I took with me a 50m dyneema 5mm rope, two icescrews, three carabiners, a belay plate, a litre to drink, an energy bar and some gels.”
02:21
Grandes Jorasses North Face solo, Colton-McIntyre route (ED1, 1,200m) “I'd never climbed the Colton- MacIntyre before. For me this ascent represented a next step, a new challenge. I was interested in entering unknown terrain and seeing if I could still climb quickly.”
02:47
R On 19 January 2013, Ueli Steck caught the fi rst lift up from the Grands Montets, after a long drive from Bern. He headed over towards the North Face of the Droites and soloed the classic Ginat route in 2.08. Not being acclimatised, this was just for “fun”.
Eiger North Face solo, Heckmair route (ED2, 1,800m) Ueli set the record of 3:54 on this route in 2007, then returned in 2008 to better his time. “The record meant nothing to me – I knew that was not my real best. I had just been faster than the others."
SUMMIT ONLINE ALPINE SPECIAL #01 | SUMMER 2014 | 27 10:30
Shishapangma South Face solo (8,027m) Ueli soloed his fi rst 8,000m peak in 2009: Gasherbrum II (8034m). In 2011, he upped his game to speed solo the next one. “If you climb a route without fi xed ropes or without any gear on it then it’s real.”
16:09
Intégrale de Peuterey solo, the longest ridge traverse in the Alps (TD/ED1 1,000m ascent, 4,500m climb) “The ridge itself was anything but simple. It contained a lot of rock climbing and a diffi cult route. I'd never been on the south side of Mont Blanc. The route is not easy to fi nd, but it is quite climbable without ropes.” Afterwards Ueli thought about calling someone to pick him up, but decided to walk for an hour back to his tent as it was a nice evening.
KILIAN JORNET
UELI STECK
PHOTO: JON GRIFFITH.
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