Catalan runner Kilian Jornet has climbed his way to a new speed record on Aconcagua. He made a round-trip of the technically easy peak in 12 hours and 49 minutes.
On Dec. 23, Jornet set the record on the highest peak outside of Asia at 6,9,62 metres in less than 13 hours, a trip that often takes multiple days. He acclimatized by climbing the peak on Dec. 15 and sorted out the details of the route. No old record exists, but some speculate the fastest times have been around 15 hours, no one has claimed faster than 13 hours.
After one failed attempt, he left from the park gate at Horicones and ran over 30 kilometres and climbed nearly 4,000 metres to reach the summit. The round-trip was 59.8 kilometres.
Jornet said after, “I am so happy for achieving this new challenge. It was hard, especially after 6,500 m where I suffered from altitude. In the end, it’s the joy that we remember.”
In the past, Jornet has been criticized by some for his “skyrunning” techniques. In September 2013, he attempted to “skyrun” up the alpine climb Frendo Spur on The Midi above Chamonix with an inexperienced alpinist, Emily Forsberg. They had to be rescued after skyrunning into snow and ice and off route unprepared.