Stores
Stories / October 2023
A NNormal Adventure in the Pyrenees
Rediscovering the Pyrenees
177 three-thousanders and more than 480km in 8 days with Kilian Jornet
The beauty of the Pyrenees has been etched in Kilian Jornet's mind since he was a child. He would walk with his family through the forests and peaks that were just a few kilometres from his home. But little did he know that a few years later he would walk through them again and chain 177 three-thousanders in just 8 days, in an adventure he describes as one of the hardest of his life.
Reaching the summit of Vignemale, climbing Monte Perdido up the Escupidera route, reaching the top of Aneto or climbing Pica d'Estats are significant goals for many people. They were for Kilian Jornet too a few years ago. That’s why he had long been dreaming of returning to the peaks where he grew up, enjoying the Pyrenees as he did when he was a child.
“I wanted to compete in some races this year but couldn’t because of an injury. After I recovered, I had the idea of chaining all the three-thousanders in the Pyrenees. I didn’t know if the challenge was possible or if it would be crazy, but after seeking and listening to advice from people who know the Pyrenean routes really well, I decided to go for it.”
Kilian Jornet
On October 2, Kilian Jornet began a new adventure at the foot of Frondella peak in Sallent de Gállego (Huesca). There he started what would become a personal project involving returning to his roots and, once again, self-improvement.
During this journey through some of the most iconic peaks in the Pyrenean mountain range, he managed to chain more than 40 peaks in a single day, walk 39 hours straight and travel by bike to link sections together. Despite the accumulated exhaustion, the reward of reaching each summit was worth it.
During this adventure the athlete again scaled the most emblematic peaks in the Pyrenees: Balaitus, Garmo Negro, Vignemale, Cilindro, Monte Perdido, Pic Long, Pic de Posets, Punta de Lliterola, Aneto, Sayó, Montcalm and Pica d'Estats, among many other summits that Kilian Jornet has reached in the last 8 days.
“It was an incredible adventure and one of the hardest things I have ever done.”
Kilian Jornet
Kilian Jornet’s route across the Pyrenees
Kilian Jornet’s three-thousanders: the figures
8 Days
Adventure
177 Peaks
+3000m
43.000m
Elevation gain
156:23:00
Hours of activity
485.65 km
Distance
22h
Hours of sleep
Kilian Jornet's adventure in the Pyrenees was not just a learning experience for him, but also for all of us who followed him and were made aware of the vulnerability, beauty and value of nature. Respecting it and listening to it is essential to be able to give back even a small part of what it gives us. So, we will continue to do everything within our power.
Your Path, No Trace.
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