Benjamin Vedrines is setting new records in the old European Alps at a breakneck pace. Long-time partners sometimes join him on these speed projects. This time, Vedrines has climbed and skied down the four faces of Mont Blanc in 21 hours with Nicolas Jean.
With summer just around the corner and warm temperatures already impacting the snow conditions, the pair skied down steep ridges rather than slopes or valleys.
Why so remarkable
In addition to speed and endurance, their project is remarkable because of how late in the season they did it. Perennial snow may top Mont Blanc, but the surrounding valleys draining into France and Italy are already bare. Ski excursions are rare in the Alps by mid-June, and usually done only in high glacial areas, accessible by cable cars.
Needless to say, Vedrines and Jean started from the bottom of Chamonix Valley, at Les Houches, which is located at 1,010m. That is a long way from the 4,806m summit of Mont Blanc.
Traversing a ridge. Photo: Benjamin Vedrines
Vedrines and Jean could only skin up the last 300 vertical meters. They had to carry the skis on their backs almost all the way, which totaled nearly 8,000 vertical meters.
Moreover, in the summer temperatures, the snow conditions change so rapidly, whether skinning up or skiing down. As Nicolas Jean pointed out, they passed from hard-rock snow to total slush.
Dangerous seracs
One hazard was how unstable the seracs were in the heat of the day. The basic rule of summer alpinism says to begin very early, when temperatures are coolest, and stay away from glaciers during the day. But this pair had to spend the entire day among broken glaciers. Vedrines admits they had some scary moments while passing below the water-dripping seracs on Mont Blanc’s East Face — the Himalayan-like Brenva face on the Italian side. He mentions a “close call” but adds no further details. East faces are particularly tricky because they get the sun’s rays beginning in the early morning.
Snowy ridges and fields of broken seracs on the glaciers below. Photo: Benjamin Vedrines
Interestingly, the Brenva face of Mont Blanc saw some ski descents around this time last year, but 2024 featured a rather dry winter followed by loads of spring snow. This created exceptional conditions that lasted until summer. This year, that part of the Alps has had a slightly lower than average amount of snow.
Itinerary and routes
While the climbers have not yet released a complete report, they left from Les Houches at 10:30 pm and reached the fourth and last summit of Mont Blanc at 7:30 pm on the following day.
A steep descent ahead. Photo: Benjamin Vedrines
After the first summit, they skied down the highly technical Peuterey Ridge, combining it with the north face of the Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey, AlpineMag reported. They made their following ski descents down the Brenva spur (NE) and the west face by De Benedetti Peak. Finally, after their last summit of the day at 7:30 pm, the pair descended northwest down the Bosses Ridge (on the peak’s normal route) and the north side of the Dome du Gouter, on their way back to Chamonix.
1:50,000 reference map of Mont Blanc. The climbers have not yet shared the route they followed. Map: Rando Editions
Nicolas Jean admits this was Vedrine’s idea, and the out-of-season proposal was unexpected.
“After [Vedrine’s] Mont Blanc record — 4 hours, 54 minutes from Chamonix to the top and back — he seemed ready to ease off a little,” Jean explained. “[But] when the weather window opened, he asked me to join. I was thrilled, probably because my memory conveniently forgot how wrecked these projects leave me!”
Himalaya next?
Last year, Vedrines and Jean completed some similarly impressive activities in the Ecrins massif, skiing up and down the five faces of Les Agneaux. A week later, they chain-climbed and skied down the Ailefroide, the Pic Sans Nom, and Mont Pelvoux. At that time, Vedrines said he was training to climb K2 — which he did, without oxygen or Sherpa support, in 11 hours — the FKT. He then paraglided from the summit.
In fall, Vedrines, Jean, and their third regular partner, Leo Billon, attempted the north face of Jannu East.
This year, the French pair has not revealed their plans for summer and fall. However, with this kind of training, we can’t wait to see what Vedrines and his friends will do next in the Himalaya.
Nicolas Jean negotiates a rocky pinnacle on Mont Blanc. Photo: Benjamin Vedrines
