Someone Just Climbed Mount Everest In Under 26 Hours

Climbing Mount Everest isn’t exactly easy. The world’s greatest mountaineers struggle to reach the peak of the world’s tallest mountain, with many considering the Everest Base Camp to be a huge achievement in itself. So for someone to not only reach the top, but to race the whole way there in under 26 hours, is flat out crazy and amazing.

Meet Kílian Jornet and his world-conquering project, Summits Of My Life. The 29-year-old Spanish ultra-marathon enthusiast is racing up every major peak on the planet. Jornet climbed to the summit in just 26 hours – without assistance of ropes or supplemental oxygen. It’s an 11,429 foot journey that takes most people four days, at least.

[EXPEDITION UPDATE] Kilian Jornet reached the summit of Everest at midnight of 21st to 22nd May (local time) in a single climb without the help of oxygen or fixed ropes. He reached the summit via the north face of the world’s highest mountain (8,848m) following the traditional route. Thank you @sebmontazstudio for all your work! More information ▶️ blog.summitsofmylife.com

A post shared by Kilian Jornet (@kilianjornet) on May 22, 2017 at 12:07am PDT

It’s even more impressive considering he fell ill throughout his journey. “I didn’t feel well and I was making slow progress,” he wrote in a blog post. “I had to stop every few metres and I had cramps and was vomiting. In spite of everything, I felt all right at altitude and decided to continue.”

Thank you Ueli for being a mentor in alpinism and a constant source of inspiration. Every climb with you was a learning to keep improving along with a mountain lover. My thoughts are with Ueli’s family and friends. In loving memory Ueli Steck Gràcies Ueli per ser un referent en l’alpinisme i una font constant d’inspiració. Cada sortida amb tu era un aprenentatge per seguir millorant al costat d’un amant de la muntanya. Tot el suport a la família i amics en aquests moments tan difícils. Gracias Ueli por ser un referente del alpinismo y una fuente constante de inspiración. Cada salida contigo era un aprendizaje para seguir mejorando junto a un amante de la montaña. Todo nuestro apoyo a su familia y amigos en estos momentos tan difíciles. A post shared by Kilian Jornet (@kilianjornet) on Apr 30, 2017 at 12:17pm PDT

By the time he made it back down to Base Camp, he had beaten the world record for the fastest ever ascent up Mt Everest. It’s an amazing feat, though not without its downsides – when you’re racing against the clock you can’t exactly stop to take in the stunning view, overlooking the Himalayas. But when you’re literally running around breaking records, the experience would be incredibly rewarding nonetheless.

Jornet has previously beaten speed climbing records, reaching summits of Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Aconcagua, and The Matterhorn in Tanzania, Argentina and Switzerland respectively. He’s also climbed other mountains throughout Europe and North and South America, and plans to complete the Summits Of My Life project in four years.

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