We all know that Kilian Jornet is one of the best mountain athletes in the world. As further testament to his exceptional capacity to push his limits, the 34-year-old, who is from Spain but who lives in Norway, set his sights on setting a new vertical kilometer personal record, and his efforts are documented in a new, short SalomonTV film.
By definition, a vertical kilometer route gains a minimum of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in five kilometers (3.1 miles) or fewer. While Jornet’s efforts in this film were solo style in his home country, vertical kilometer races take place in numerous places around the world where there are trails which meet these requirements.
Prior to these efforts, Jornet’s previous vertical kilometer personal best was in September of 2020 with a 29:51 on the clock at the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully race in Switzerland, on a course known as the fastest official vertical kilometer race course in the world.
The film shows Jornet’s first solo attempt on Slogen, a mountain in Norway, where he improved on his best to finish in 29:15, and then later in Vengetind, Norway, where he broke the 29-minute barrier, sometimes on all fours making his way up the steep slope.
See Jornet’s exquisite running up Norway’s breathtaking mountain inclines in this SalomonTV video:
