From Peak to Peak: Kilian Jornet Bags All Colorado Accessible 14ers

The bar for mountain endurance has been hoisted into the stratosphere by Kilian Jornet. The legendary ultrarunner and mountaineer has begun his "States of Elevation" project, a mission to summit every accessible 14,000-foot peak in the contiguous U.S. all while traveling between them exclusively by bike or on foot.

Jornet started the challenge in early September in Colorado, home to over fifty of these giants. He immediately launched into the deep end, beginning with the LA Freeway Traverse, linking Longs Peak to South Arapaho Peak, covering massive mileage and elevation gain without once dropping below 12,000 feet. After sixteen hours of hard terrain, he transitioned to his bike for a 79-kilometer gravel ride, demonstrating his mantra: “Sometimes, the best recovery is to keep moving”.

Within the first few days, he moved almost continuously for 41 hours, covering 259 kilometers on foot and by bike, while ticking off iconic summits like Quandary, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Sherman. A subsequent push involved tackling Holy Cross Peak, followed by a cycle to the Sawatch range to link Colorado’s highest peaks, Mount Massive and Mount Elbert, in a nearly non-stop 20-hour effort that finished in the early morning.

By mid-September, just 13 days into the attempt, Jornet had already logged over 200 hours of continuous activity, surpassed the 1,000-mile mark, and amassed a mind-boggling 200,000 feet of vertical gain. His ability to sustain this level of output on only a few hours of sleep speaks to an elite level of physiological and mental fortitude, something he honed during previous human-powered traverses of the Pyrenees and the Alps.

The "States of Elevation" project is more than just an FKT (Fastest Known Time) pursuit; it’s a commitment to a pure, human-powered exploration of the American West. By relying solely on his own power, Jornet is connecting some of the country's most challenging peaks in a way that truly honors the wild, exposed terrain. As he continues to move through Colorado’s rugged ranges and prepares for the cycling journey to the 14ers in California and Washington, the mountain community watches, completely stoked on this audacious adventure.