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Denali is one of those mountains whose sheer size is almost incomprehensible. The 20,310-foot peak normally takes most climbers roughly two weeks to complete, but a select few of the world’s best like to test their skills and endurance in an attempt to bring that time down. Like, a lot. On Thursday, Ecuadorian-Swiss alpinist Karl Egloff set a new speed record at a scorching 11 hours and 44 minutes, beating Kilian Jornet’s 2014 record.
Egloff shattered the standing record from basecamp to summit, ascending in seven hours and 40 minutes via the West Buttress. This beat Jornet’s time on the route by over two hours. Unlike Jornet, who skied back down, Egloff ran down, and still beat the record. In 2018, American alpinist Colin Haley set a summit speed record by climbing the highly technical Cassin Ridge in eight hours and seven minutes.
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Egloff is currently attempting to set speed records on the Seven Summits (most of which are or were held by Jornet). Over recent years, the two have shared a supportive friendship.
