French mountaineer sets new Mont Blanc speed climb record

Paris: Rising French mountaineering star Benjamin Vedrines broke the record for the fastest ascent and descent of western Europe’s highest mountain Mont Blanc, beating a mark that had stood for over a decade, his team said Sunday.

Vedrines’ effort on Saturday to reach the 4,809 (15,777 feet) metre peak from Chamonix and then return to the resort was three minutes faster than that set by the Spanish ultra-running icon Kilian Jornet in 2013.

Having set out just before 9:00 am, Vedrines, 32, a specialist in rapid alpine-style ascents, completed the round trip from the church in Chamonix at 1,043 meters (3,422 feet) to the summit of Mont Blanc in a whirlwind 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 41 seconds.

“I really didn’t believe it at first. It’s a record that fascinated me, but I never thought I was capable of it, I really lacked the confidence to attempt it,” the climber said in a statement sent to AFP.

Jornet ran to the summit while Vedrines, who also holds the record for a speed ascent of K2 in Pakistan, mixed trail-running and skiing.

“Bravo, what a show. The artist,” Jornet, currently preparing for the prestigious US Western States race in June, wrote in tribute on social media.