Kilian Jornet does 23.486m of positive slope in 24h

Kilian Jornet had for this winter a challenge very different from previous years: he wanted to prove himself and check how many meters of altitude was he able to make in a day. This is what he has done this weekend at the Tusten ski resort in Norway. Accompanied by friends and skiers from the local club who have taken turns to keep him company, Jornet has managed to add 23.486m of positive slope.

"I like to put on new challenges to test my body, and I wanted to know how many meters of positive height difference I could make in a day. This year I do not compete in the World Cup of mountain skiing so I have changed my training and I try to put different challenges and keep motivation. I have felt very well throughout the 24h and the sensations have been very good, thanks to all those who have come to accompany me and share this experience with me", Explained Jornet

Jornet started the day at 10 in the morning. After having breakfast, preparing the skis and warming up, Jornet started the clock to start the challenge. The circuit varied: at the beginning it was a 4.4km climb with approximately 550m of positive elevation gain with a descent off the track. The second descent was 3.6km with 428m of unevenness. Once down, put the skins back on, hydrate, eat, and start over.

Jornet has been accompanied by friends and family, who have taken turns throughout the challenge. In addition to the support of the Romsdal ski club, Jornet has had the support of the ski resort, which has enabled him a space for him to carry out his challenge without danger for the other skiers.

In the parking lot next to the Jornet station, he had parked his van, which has served as a base camp for refreshments and brief breaks.

"In the first 12 hours I found myself very well", explained Jornet, who added "I had four hours a bit harder but I was still animated, and I also had a lot of people who came to accompany me and stay motivated. In the last 4h I have felt strong again ".

In total, Jornet has made a total of 195km in 51 climbs with their subsequent changes of skins.

In the end, Jornet stopped the clock in 23.486m after 24h and smiled satisfied, commenting: "It has been very interesting to do this test to see how my body responded". Jornet had taken as reference the mark of Lars Erik, who in May of 2018 registered 20.939m of positive height difference in 24h. However, Jornet added: "For me it was not about breaking a record since the conditions, the unevenness and the material were not the same, but I did use the reference of Lars to inspire me for this personal challenge".

The challenge has been filmed and an audiovisual piece that will be issued in the coming weeks will be created. For more details, you can read the chronicle of Kilian Jornet on his website.

Season 2019 ski mountaineering

Kilian Jornet faces the 2019 ski season with a calendar very different from other years. Thus, will not participate in any test of the World Cup or in World Cups. However, he will participate in two classic team races at the end of the season: the Adamello (7 in April) and the Mezzalama (27 in April), as he explained: "This year I want to face the races in a different way, because I've been competing for many years

I will make few races but I will try to prepare myself well for all of them. The competition is something that motivates me a lot, but I also like to have time to focus on other projects like this one that we have done these days