Kilian Jornet and the 82 summits of the Alps: Analysis of an exploit through the eyes of Martial Carbonnaux

As summer was coming to an end, Kilian Jornet achieved a new feat at the end of August: climbing the 82 peaks over 4,000m in the Alps in 19 days , smashing the previous record. After his feat, we asked Martial Carbonnaux, a member of the Lagoped Family, to comment on the Spanish trail runner's new record from the perspective of a passionate amateur mountaineer who also climbs the 82 peaks over 4,000m in the Alps at his own pace.

There is surely no need to introduce Kilian Jornet, as his reputation precedes him in the mountain world, but allow me to draw a quick portrait of the man who climbed the 82 4000ers in 19 days.

Kilian Jornet is an extremely versatile mountaineer, probably the greatest of all time in ultra-endurance mountain activities. He has dominated the ski mountaineering and trail running scene for the last fifteen years, winning a large number of major races and competitions in these disciplines. Growing up in a mountain hut in the Spanish Pyrenees, the mountains have always been his favourite playground, whether running, climbing or skiing . A multi-disciplinary athlete, he has also set speed records on some of the biggest mountains on the planet, including a double ascent of Everest.

Now based in Norway, Kilian continues to push his limits in mountain sports, while inspiring a global community through his films, books and lectures. His latest feat, "Alpine Connections", consisting of climbing all 82 peaks in the Alps above 4,000 meters in just 19 days, illustrates his extraordinary physical and mental capacity.

Martial Carbonnaux, Lagoped ambassador and member of the Lagoped Family for over three years , shares this passion for the peaks. A great lover of mountains and outdoor sports, Martial has set himself a challenge similar to Jornet's, with a few differences: to climb the 82 peaks of the Alps over 4,000 meters, but over a period of five years. Through this project, he raises funds for the association l'Envol, which organizes medical stays for seriously ill children and their families. This personal challenge allows Martial to live his passion for the mountains and today, to approach Kilian's feat with an informed and admiring eye.

Kilian Jornet's feat, which made mountaineering history by climbing all 82 peaks over 4,000 metres in the Alps, is an exceptional achievement. In just 19 days, he achieved what Italian climbers Franco Nicolini and Diego Giovanni had accomplished in 60 days, dramatically reducing their record. This challenge, called Alpine Connections, began on 13 August 2023 in Switzerland and ended on 1 September. Kilian covered more than 1,200 kilometres on foot and by bike, while climbing 75,344 metres of altitude difference , covering between 25 and 50 kilometres per day at high altitude, with almost 4,000 metres of positive altitude difference per day for almost three weeks.

Of the 82 summits, 40% (32 summits) were achieved in the company of other renowned athletes, such as Mathéo Jacquemoud, Michel Lanne, Emily Harrop and Benjamin Vedrines. Kilian was also followed by a team of four cameramen who documented his feat, and a team of physiologists accompanied him on part of the route to collect physiological data.

A two-person support team provided supplies and transported equipment to key points. The challenge began with the ascent of Piz Bernina (4,049 m) in Switzerland and ended on Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) in France . In between these two summits, Kilian also climbed some of the most famous mountains in the Alps, such as Pointe Dufour (4,634 m), the Matterhorn (4,478 m) and the majestic Mont Blanc (4,808 m).

Beyond the impressive numbers, Kilian describes this event as one of the most demanding of his career , requiring a state of intense concentration for 20 consecutive days. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” he confides, emphasizing that this project is much more than just a sporting achievement. It represents a true mountain odyssey, a tribute to traditional mountaineering, shared with friends, while pushing the limits of self-improvement. What is also remarkable is that he was accompanied, for some of the climbs, by renowned athletes, such as the French Michel Lanne and Mathéo Jacquemoud, themselves known for their exceptional physical condition. But, often, after spending a day together and climbing a few peaks, Kilian continued his quest alone, a sign of the gap between Kilian’s abilities and those of the others.

For Martial Carbonnaux, also involved in the ascent of the 82 summits, but at his own pace, Kilian's feat is not limited to the summits themselves. "82 summits in 19 days, an average of more than four summits per day, it's impressive. But it's especially the distances covered and the daily elevation gains that are stratospheric." Fascinated by Kilian's extraordinary endurance, Martial underlines how this performance exceeds the standards of mountaineering, with distances and efforts that few athletes in the world can sustain , and notes, in this regard, the analysis of Guillaume Millet (professor of Physiology specializing in ultra-endurance) in an article from Outside , Kilian Jornet is one of a kind, capable of being the record holder of Sierre-Zinal, a short trail, of winning the UTMB and of making extremely long efforts like the 3000m Traversée des Pyrénées in 2023, while also being very comfortable on technical parts in mountaineering. “He's a real UFO!” concludes Martial.

Martial does, however, acknowledge that their approach to the mountains shares similarities, but that it is adapted to his own constraints. “Several friends have teased me by comparing my challenge to Kilian’s, but we don’t box in the same category. You could even say that it’s not the same sport! ” he explains. Martial seeks to optimize his mountain stays to maximize the number of summits: “for example, I did 1 or 2 days “à la Kilian” during the Mischabel Traversée with my guide Fred Dégoulet in 2022, but I enjoy taking my time more.”

Careful preparation and risk management are essential elements in an expedition of the magnitude of Kilian Jornet's. Scaling 82 peaks at such a speed requires not only exceptional physical condition, but also the ability to remain lucid in the face of the constant dangers of the mountains . Martial Carbonnaux highlights the scale of the risks encountered by Kilian: "Less than 5 hours of sleep over 19 days, combined with physical and mental fatigue, increases the risk of error or technical fault". Mathéo Jacquemoud, in an analysis of this feat, mentions that the rapid succession of climbs makes route management and vigilance even more critical. Added to this are the specific conditions of late August, when the mountains are at their driest, making crevasses more visible but also increasing the frequency of rockfalls, a major risk factor according to Martial.

Despite his preparation and resilience, Kilian himself admitted to crossing his "red line" during the Aiguille Verte - Droites crossing, a route particularly exposed to frequent rockfalls and landslides, done solo. These kinds of extreme situations highlight the importance of risk management in the mountains. Kilian was often accompanied by other athletes on certain parts of his route , which allowed him to reduce mental stress and fatigue. As Martial points out, "His extraordinary physiology gives him immense physical leeway, but even with that, support remains a key element in managing risks ."

In comparison, Martial takes a different approach to his own climbs. Always accompanied by a guide, like Fred Dégoulet (Piolet d'Or in 2018 for opening a route on Nupste Nup II 7742m), who knows him well and knows whether certain atypical sequences are accessible to Martial, he thus focuses on safety and preparation. "I don't have the technical knowledge to go solo on certain climbs," he admits.

Accompanying a mountaineering expert gives him “the luxury of ‘choosing the slots’” planned months in advance, but sometimes disrupted, a few hours before, by weather windows and other conditions that are not favorable. Together, they make thoughtful decisions to maximize their efficiency while remaining safe. During an ascent in 2024, they had to turn back in Valais due to poor snow conditions, illustrating the importance of knowing when to give up to avoid dangerous situations. “If you are locked into a record-breaking mechanism where only the summit counts, then I think the decision is harder to make,” concludes Martial.

Although he followed sections well known to mountaineers familiar with the 82 peaks of the Alps, Kilian Jornet reimagined some connections to seek what he called “the most logical line.” Carbonnaux points out that Jornet, despite careful planning, had to adapt his plans several times, depending on the weather conditions. It was in the management of “liaisons” that Kilian showed ingenuity, often walking long sections alone to reach refuges , where he would resupply and sleep briefly before setting off again. With an average of less than five hours of sleep per day, he optimized his sequence more efficiently than legends like Ueli Steck or the Italian duo Franco Nicolini and Diego Giovanni, who regularly descended to their base camp in the valley. Kilian Jornet, however, remained at altitude.

His journey across the Mont Blanc massif from 26 to 28 August was particularly impressive. Kilian linked 27 peaks of more than 4,000 metres in three effort sessions ranging from 22 to 29 hours , reaching almost 5,000 metres of altitude difference on the last day. Martial Carbonnaux comments: “Already, when you have the capacity to make efforts of 35 hours at more than 4,000 metres of altitude, it makes everything easier!” Jornet followed the normal routes for the majority of the peaks, except for some more technical liaisons, proving once again his talent as an exceptional mountaineer. However, Martial stresses that this approach differs from his own : “I have more time to discover certain refuges and to spend more convivial moments. I can afford to choose less rapid but more interesting routes from an alpinistic point of view , such as the Kuffner ridge to Mont Maudit or the Biancograt to Piz Bernina.”

Kilian's challenge began with peaks such as Piz Bernina (4,049 m) in Switzerland and ended with Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) in France. Over the course of the stages, he faced difficult weather conditions, linked together technical climbs in Valais, and climbed iconic peaks such as Weisshorn, Mont Blanc, and the Grandes Jorasses. Paul Bonhomme, in an article in Montagne Magazine , acknowledges: “where we could compare is on commitment. On such a long project, it is very strong to have been able to maintain lucidity in such demanding conditions .”

Kilian, despite the lack of specific preparation for this project, was able to rely on an accumulation of experience over twenty years in the mountains with a light style, as well as on his basic preparation for ultra-trail races. According to Martial, it is this expertise in managing long-distance efforts that prepared him to accomplish this feat, perhaps the work of a lifetime for him. " It seems that his fatigue was mainly mental and psychological rather than physical or muscular ," observes Martial, emphasizing that unlike his crossing of the 3000m of the Pyrenees, Kilian lost only one kilo, proof of his almost perfect nutritional management during the three weeks of intense efforts.

For Martial, the challenge lies in reconciling his project with a very busy personal and professional life . As a father of two and working full-time, he recognizes the difficulty of leaving his family to embark on his adventures. However, once everything is planned, the races are studied and the date approaches, the excitement takes over. "I get excited about the idea of ​​spending a few days in the mountains, disconnected, in a place that I generally do not know, for new imperishable memories with a physical and mental challenge at stake ," he shares. For Martial, the call of the mountains, as described by the physicist and mountaineer Etienne Klein and author of the book Psychisme ascensionnel, is irresistible: "more than three months without mountains is too much."

However, Martial's project is much more than just a personal challenge. His solidarity approach, in connection with the L'Envol association, gives it an even deeper dimension. The funds he raises for medical stays for sick children and the visits he devotes to them bring a strong emotional meaning to his climbs. This cause is what motivates Martial to surpass his physical and mental limits, and to transform each of his expeditions into a generous commitment to these children and their families .