Field Journal

Photography: NNormal / David Ariño

On October 10th, 2023, Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet descended from Pica d’Estats, having successfully linked 177 Pyrenean peaks more than 3,000m in height – all in only eight days. ‘Rediscovering peaks that I had forgotten was a spectacular experience and, on the other hand, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.’

Kilian Jornet grew up in a mountain shelter high in the Pyrenees. At the age of 13 he climbed the 3,000m peaks of this range, but soon moved on to other mountain challenges and now lives with his family in Norway. Known for breaking speed records on mountains all around the world, he can count a double ascent of Everest amongst his achievements. However, he had long dreamt of returning to the Pyrenees. The summits of Vignemale, Monte Perdido, and Aneto – to mention only a few – were important to him when he was growing up, so he began to plan an ambitious new challenge in these mountains.
This year, an injury prevented Kilian from racing, but after recovery he began to consider new projects. ‘I thought of linking the peaks higher than 3,000m in the Pyrenees,’ he said. ‘But I wasn’t sure if it would be a feasible challenge or pure madness. After consulting and seeking advice from people very familiar with the Pyrenees routes, I decided to do it.’

On Monday, October 2nd, Kilian began his adventure at the base of Frondella. The plan: to attempt a traverse of 177 peaks above 3,000m. The human-powered adventure, which involved a section of cycling to connect different sections, linked more than 40 peaks in just one out of the eight days. At one point he also walked for 39 consecutive hours.

Kilian noted that although he had already climbed these peaks many years before, he retained little memory of them, making it a visually intense experience. ‘Moving along these ridges has been a pleasure, and I enjoyed the routes very much.’ He revisited some of the most charismatic mountains of the Pyrenees: Balaïtous, Garmo Negro, Vignemale, Cilindro, Mont Perdut, Pic Long, Pic de Posets, Punta de Lliterola, Aneto, Sayó, Montcalm, Pica d’Estats, and many more.

Early on the morning of October 10th, Kilian concluded his journey on the summit of Pica d’Estats – highest point of Catalonia, in the Alt Pirineu Natural Park. In total, his adventure involved 485.65km of distance, 43,000m of elevation gain, and 155 hours of physical activity.