It’s time for our annual countdown of ExplorersWeb’s most interesting expeditions of the year. From December 21 to December 30, we’ll summarize our favorites and make a case for why we liked them so much. Today, Kilian Jornet’s speed linkup of all 72 of the 14,000-foot peaks in the Lower 48 by human power alone.
This was one of Jornet’s most ambitious projects yet — straightforward in concept but immense in scope. He would climb and connect all those 14’ers by running, hiking, climbing, and cycling. No motorized transport was allowed at any point, echoing the style of his 2024 Alpine Connections project in Europe.
The challenge took place in three states: Colorado, which holds most of the 14,000’ers; California, with a dozen in the Sierra Nevada; and Washington, home to a big volcano in the Cascades — 72 peaks in all.
Jornet’s 14,000’ers excluded a couple of inaccessible ones on private land, such as Culebra Peak and Mount Bross in Colorado. He drew inspiration from the wild landscapes of the American West, community suggestions shared on social media, and input from friends like ultrarunner and iRunFar editor Meghan Hicks. Routes incorporated classic traverses proposed by locals, like Nolan’s 14 in Colorado’s Sawatch Range.
The State of Elevation Project. Photo: Kilian Jornet
The start
Jornet kicked off on September 3, starting with Longs Peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. He confronted some of the most demanding sections at the beginning. His first major effort was the LA Freeway traverse along the Continental Divide, linking Longs Peak to South Arapaho Peak while staying above 12,000 feet for much of the way.
He finished in about 16 hours, despite arriving in the United States with little acclimatization and battling jet lag. Afternoon storms, a common hurdle in Colorado, forced adjustments early on, adding hours to his days of summiting Front Range peaks like Mount Blue Sky (formerly Evans), Bierstadt, Grays, and Torreys.
In the first few days, Jornet notched 13 summits. He covered around 570km and logged nearly 80 hours of activity. He pushed through clusters like the Mosquito Range peaks — Democrat, Lincoln, and Sherman — and made quick ascents, such as on Holy Cross in under four hours for the round trip.
With minimal rest, fatigue built quickly. He often slept for just a few hours a night in campgrounds or along the trail. One supposed “rest” day involved an 87km bike ride over Independence Pass to the next range.
Ramping up
As September progressed, the intensity ramped up. Jornet tackled the notorious Elks Traverse southwest of Aspen, linking seven technical 14,000’ers, including Capitol Peak, Snowmass, the Maroon Bells, Pyramid, and Castle, over an 80km route. This took three nonstop days and ended at 2 am on September 9. During that whole time, he managed only a little sleep amid storms and high exposure.
Soon after, he completed Nolan’s 14, a 161km line across 14 peaks in the Sawatch, including standouts like Mount Massive and Mount Elbert (the highest in the Rockies). He ran much of this solo into the night, joining runner Sage Canaday for the final three. He finished at dawn on September 11, after about 47 hours of continuous movement, buoyed — if you can call it that — by just a 30-minute nap.
Kilian Jornet in full flow. Photo: Nick Danielson
Pushing through Colorado’s peaks
Wildfires forced reroutes, and changing weather brought rain, storms, and cold. One particularly grueling day included a 160km bike ride in pouring rain to Pikes Peak, followed by a fast ascent and descent in under four hours.
By midway through the Colorado section, Jornet had summited 33 of the state’s 58 accessible 14,000’ers, leaving 25 to go. He often climbed multiple peaks in a single push, sometimes five in 14 hours, interspersed with 75-80km of daily biking on gravel roads and passes.
After 16 relentless days in Colorado, Jornet wrapped up the last of the state’s 58 peaks above 14,000 feet. In that stretch alone, he covered 1,942km, with 78,004m of elevation gain, roughly the height of nine Everests.
About half the distance was on foot or climbing, the rest cycling. He averaged 16.5 hours of activity per day, running marathon distances and biking long hauls, while dealing with altitude, bad weather, and wildfires. Tired but determined, he then pedaled south and west through dry, hot deserts toward California’s Sierra Nevada.
Kilian Jornet in California’s Sierra Nevada. Photo: Nick Danielson
From Sierra to the Cascades
Jornet covered this California stage efficiently and soon knocked off the state’s 12 14,000’ers, including the highest in the lower 48, Mount Whitney. At one point, he cycled 626km in under 30 hours. From there, he continued north, summiting Mount Shasta on September 30 amid snow and brutal winds that dropped the windchill to -20°C.
With Shasta as his 71st peak, only Mount Rainier and its subsidiary, Liberty Cap, remained. Jornet biked a staggering 788km in just three days across Oregon into Washington, pushing through cumulative fatigue. His biometric data showed his average sleep dipped below five hours nightly, his heart rate variability dropped sharply, and his resting heart rate climbed.
Kilian Jornet in Colorado. Photo: Nick Danielson
72 united by human power
On October 4, 31 days after starting at Longs Peak, Jornet reached Mount Rainier’s summit. Facing subzero temperatures, glacial ice, and technical climbing, this final ascent marked the completion of all 72 accessible 14,000’ers. In total, he had traveled over 5,000km by foot and bike, averaging more than 160km per day. The journey spanned extreme contrasts, from desert heat above 38°C to freezing Cascade winds.
Throughout, Jornet shared that the project was as much about the “quiet miles” and “shared ridges” between the summits as the peaks themselves. He valued the process, the wild spaces, and the community input that shaped his routes. This endeavor stood as a historic linking of America’s high peaks, building on Jornet’s legacy of pushing human limits in the mountains.
A sun-baked Kilian Jornet, three weeks into his project. Photo: Nick Danielson
