Video: New Speed Descent Record Set on Mont Blanc

Last fall, a pair of climbers attempted to set a new speed record for the fastest descent of Mont Blanc back to the church square in Chamonix, by speed flying and mountain biking. After reaching the summit, Nicolas Blanchard and David Bozon set off at a breakneck pace to return to the base of the mountain, hoping to best the 32 minute record that was currently in place. They were able to complete that quest, reaching the square in just over 15 minutes. The video below shows how they did it. Hold on to your seats. It's quite a ride.

Video: Mountain Biking The Tour du Mont Blanc

The Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the best hiking trails in all of Europe, if not the world. At 170 km (105 miles) in length, it circles its namesake mountain, and passes through three countries - France, Italy, and Switzerland – in the process. Typically it takes 7-10 days to walk the entire route, but last summer a team of Belgian mountain bikers rode the entire thing in three days. The video below tells their story, and it is a good one. The 17-minute short film, will leave you wanting to ride and/or walk this route too.

Big thanks to reader Mar Knox for sharing this great video.

Ueli Steck Returns To Action In The Alps

What do you do when you're a world-class climber coming off a disappointing season in the Himalaya where you were caught up in one of the biggest Everest stories in recent memory? If you're Ueli Steck, you look for new challenges in your own backyard. In this case, that means speed-climbing the longest and toughest ridge in the Alps in impressive fashion.

Last week, Ueli set his sights on the Intégrale de Peuterey, a very long and difficult ridge that culminates at the summit of Mont Blanc du Courmayuer. This route features a vertical gain of 4500 meters (14,764 ft) and typically takes about 2-3 days for most climbers to complete. But most climbers aren't Ueli Steck, a man who has made a career out of going light and ver fast in the Alps. This time out he managed to knock of the entire climb – both up and down – in a little over 16 hours.

The ascent began well before dawn on August 12. With his camp located an additional 1000 meters (3280 ft) below the Intégrale de Peuterey, Ueli set off in running shoes traveling as quickly as he could. He covered that first 1000 meters in about an hour and then moved out onto the ridge itself. His pack was filled with only the bare essentials including a light down jacket, 60 meters or rope and assorted other climbing gear. He chewed through the early stages of the ascent in typical fashion – which is to say very fast – and switched over to his climbing shoes as he transitioned off the trail and onto the mixed rock, snow and ice that would be the crux of the challenge.

Traveling solo, Ueli was able to go at his own pace and made great progress, even when he encountered a pair of other climbers making the same ascent. He gave them a wide berth so as to not kick rocks back down upon them as he went by, leaving those climbers to wonder who was the speed demon that just left them in the dust.

The Swiss climber reached the summit of the Mont Blanc du Courmayuer just before 3:00 PM local time. That meant he had gone from his tent to the summit in under 11 hours. He took a few moments o enjoy the accomplishment before starting back down, crossing over to Mont Blanc proper and heading to the Dome de Gouter before descending into the Chamonix valley. By the time he passed the church in the village of Les Houches he had been on the move for just over 16 hours. He arrived back at his tent a short time later and immediately climbed into his sleeping bag for a much deserved nap. It had been a good day to climb in the Alps.

For more details on the climb, read Ueli's account on his website or a translated version here.

Bad Weather Shortens North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

This past weekend the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc took place in the Alps. Over the past decade, the race has earned itself a reputation for being one of the toughest competitions on the planet as runners attempt to circumnavigate around Mont Blanc, passing through France, Italy and Switzerland in the process. The route, which features more than 9600 m (31,496 ft) of climbing, is typically 168km (104 miles) in length, but this year, bad weather caused last minute changes which dropped those distances dramatically. That didn't necessarily make it a much easier race to run however.

On Friday, when the race was scheduled to get underway, UTMB organizers announced that due to wet conditions and cold temperatures they had elected to alter the course. The new route would stay completely within France and was cut down to just 103km (64 miles) and 5790 meters (19,000 ft) of climbing. That didn't seem to dampen the spirits of many of the runners however as thousands of them hit the trail to test their skills. A little more than ten and a half hours later, the first competitor was crossing the finish line.

French runner Francois D'Haene claimed first place in the men's division finishing more than a half-hour in front of second place runner Jonas Buud. American Michael Foote claimed third, finishing at 11 hours, 19 minutes even. On the women's side of the bracket, Brit ultra-legend Lizzy Hawker took first place once again, earning her a record fifth UTMB title. She was an hour and five minutes ahead of second place finisher Francesca Canepa, with third place going to Emma Roca with a time of 13 hours, 23 minutes, 37 seconds. Hawker also managed to finish 16th overall, marking the first time ever that a woman finished in the top 20.

Congratulations to the winners and all the runners of the race. It's a shame the weather reared its guly head once again, but the event still went off well and the top finishers remain tremendous athletes.

Infographic: North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc By The Numbers

Speaking of the North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, I received this inforgraphic that helps to put the event into perspective. The race kicks off later today and will run through the weekend, although the fastest runners will hit the finish line tomorrow. Follow the race live at Ultratrail.tv and on the UTMB Facebook page.

What Gear Do You Take On A 100-Mile Run?

As I mentioned on Wednesday, today marks the start of the 2012 North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in France. Some of the best endurance runners in the world have gathered in Chamonix, where they'll soon set out on a 168km (104 mile) run around Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in western Europe. Now in its tenth year, the race has become one of the biggest and most well know ultra-marathons on the planet.

All told there will be more than 6000 runners, from 73 countries, who will be attempting the UTMB this year. Amongst them will be American Mike Foote, who finished in 11th place in 2011. Mike recently sat down with National Geographic to share his gear list for the race, which was posted on the NG Adventure Blog yesterday. If you ever wondered what an ultra-runner carries with him when he hits the trail, you'll definitely want to give this story a look.

As you can probably tell from the image, Mke actually won't be taking a lot of stuff with him. In addition to his trail running shoes, shorts and a couple of t-shirts, he'll also have a  North Face Featherlite Rain Jacket, a Black Diamond Icon headlamp, hydration bladder, a variety of nutritional options, gloves and a sun visor. All of which he'll carry in a lightweight backpack designed specifically for this race.

The UTMB is known for being a grueling event for the milage alone but the weather tends to be unpredictable and fickle as well. It is not uncommon for the runners to experience scorching heat, howling winds, rain and blizzards all on the same day. Considering the trail wanders up and down the mountain, giving the runners a total of 9600 meters (31,496 ft) of vertical gain, its little wonder that they need to carry extra clothing for the event.

For the first time ever, this year's UTMB is being broadcast live onto the web. To follow the race simply click here.

The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Begins Friday

One of the toughest endurance races on the planet will take place this weekend with the start of the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, which officially gets underway on Friday. The course begins and ends in Chamonix, France and crosses into Switzerland, as it covers 168km (104 miles), of tough mountain terrain, completely circumnavigating around Mont Blanc in the process. Oh, and it also happens to feature 9600 meters (31,496 ft) of ascent too.

This year, for the first time ever, the event will be broadcast live on the web. Considering the coverage kicks off tomorrow and runs for 84 hours straight, that's an impressive feat of endurance as well. The live broadcasts start Thursday, August 30 at 06:00 local time and will continue with 15-minute news briefs through Sunday, September 2.

At the start of the event, more than 6000 runners from 73 countries will take the line. How many of them actually finish remains to be seen. This is one of the largest and most difficult tests of endurance on the planet and isn't for the faint of heart. We'll probably get to witness some of the suffering first hand on these live broadcasts over the next few days.

Good luck to all the runners!



The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® by UltraTrailMontBlanc

Avalanche On Mont Blanc Leaves Nine Dead, Four Missing

Sad news from France today where we've learned that an avalanche on Mont Blanc, perhaps the most well known and iconic European peak, has left nine climbers dead and four missing. It is believed that a climber accidentally started the snow and ice slide while attempting to scale the mountain.

The 4810 meters (15,781 ft) mountain is a popular one with outdoor athletes across Europe. Not only is it a fantastic climb, but it also offers great skiing, mountain biking, hiking and more. Those activities have made Mont Blanc a top destination all year round and thousands attempt to climb it on any given year.

Today's accident resulted in the death of three climbers from the U.K., three from Germany, two from Spain and one from Switzerland. They were caught up in the avalanche high on the mountain when a large sheet of snow broke off from the peak and slammed down the mountain. A number of climbers were able to react quickly enough to get out of the way, but others weren't so lucky. Two climbers were pulled out of the snow by rescue squads, but the SAR operations were hampered by the possibility of further avalanches in the area.

Conditions on the mountain have been particularly unstable thanks to an unusual amount of spring snows and early summer storms as well. Heavy snows and high winds have reportedly creating some massive, yet unsteady, overhangs that hang above some of the more popular summit routes and authorities have been warning climbers about these conditions for some time.

The search for the four missing climbers was called off due to darkness and poor snow conditions. The rescue teams hope to resume the search tomorrow. They believe that there is a chance that the remaining climbers are alive, but they must proceed with caution.

Condolences to the friends and family of those whose lives were lost in this tragic accident.

Kilian Jornet's Climbing Partner Killed On Mont Blanc

Another tragic climbing accident occurred this past weekend in France, where Kilian Jornet was attempting to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif in just two days with partner Stéphane Brosse. The two had already covered a great deal of ground and were on Aiguille d'Argentière when a snow cornice broke, sending Stéphane falling 600 meters (1968 ft) to his death while his friend and a film crew looked on.

The expedition was part of Kilian's Summits of My Life project, which I told you about just a few weeks back. That ambitious four-year adventure is meant to put Kilian, who is one of the top endurance athletes and climbers in the world, on some of the most iconic peaks on the planet. Mont Blanc plays a pivotal role in those plans.

According to the story from Kairn.com, Stéphane was just 41 years old and is survived by his wife and two young children. The couple were expecting their third child soon as well.

Once again, my sincere condolences to friends and family in this very sad time.

Thanks to Louis-Philippe Loncke for sharing the sad news.

Video: Summits of My Life by Kilian Jornet

Kilian Jornet is easily amongst the best endurance athletes in the world. He is a prolific ultra-runner and mountaineer who has set speed records on numerous peaks, including Kilimanjaro and Mt. Olympus, and has even won the Western States 100. All of that was just a tune-up for his next project however as he has now charted a four-year plan to take on some of the most iconic peaks on the planet.

According to Kilian's website SummitsOfMyLife.com, over the next few years he will be attempt to climb Mont Blanc (several times!), Elbrus, the Matterhorn, Aconcagua, Denali and Everest. He'll bring his own unique style to those climbs (read: light and fast) but he insists this isn't about setting records or going fast, but more about delivering a message of values and simplicity.

The journey will be a very personal one and intends to share it through video as well. The trailer for the project can be found below and it looks amazing.

Thanks to Lou-Phi for the tip!

Adventure Journal Lists The Deadliest Mountains On Earth

The Adventure Journal has published an interesting little top ten list today, giving us their picks for the ten deadliest mountains. Their selections range from the Alps to the Himalaya and beyond. In once case, way beyond.

I'm sure the list was created to spur discussion and debate but I can't help but feel some of their choices are a bit controversial. It is hard to argue with K2 and Annapurna making the list, and anyone who follows the mountaineering world will probably expect them to be there. Both are incredibly challenging to climb and have proven extremely deadly over the years. For me personally, they are numbers 1 and 1A.

But AJ doesn't even have either of them listed as the deadliest mountain on the planet. They bestow the top spot on their list to Mont Blanc, which has had an estimated 6000-8000 deaths over the years. That's an incredible stat, which is partly inflated due to the sheer number of people who climb it every year. It is estimated that more than 30,000 attempt the European peak on an annual basis, which puts a lot more climbers on its slopes that most of the other mountains on the list. With that massive number of climbers on its slopes, the relatively few that die each year is quite small, percentage wise, than those on some of the more deadly 8000 meter mountains.

Some of the other selections will likely come as surprises as well. For instance Kilauea in Hawaii is listed as the Most Dangerous Volcano in America and it seems that it earned a spot on the AJ list because it has killed numerous people over the years, mostly through eruptions. Of course, that doesn't diminish the fact that it is indeed a potentially deadly mountain, but that seems to be an altogether different category than those peaks that are being examined for their challenge to climbers.

The last mountain on the list is definitely one that is open for speculation. Coming in at number ten is Mount Olympus on Mars, which is estimated to be roughly 21km (14 miles) in height – perhaps the tallest in the entire solar system. That is of course an astounding size, although it has rather gentle slopes and is believed to not be particularly challenging from a technical standpoint. Of course, anyone who attempted to climb it would have to deal with all kinds of atmospheric challenges, but provided your equipment doesn't fail, it's possible that Olympus isn't even the most challenging peak on Mars. And no matter which ones you climb, provided you could actually get to Mars, you'd still have to deal with those same atmospheric issues.

So, what do you think of the Adventure Journal list? Good? Bad? What should be added in your opinion?