tags:
whitefish |the north face |tgr news |mike foote
Over the weekend, The North Face athlete Mike Foote gave the phrase "suffer fest" new meaning: As reported by Gear Junkie, the Montana-based Foote went to Whitefish and logged a mind-bending 61,200 feet of vertical foot-powered skiing over a 24-hour period ending on Sunday.
Starting at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday, Foote clocked 60 laps–each spanning 1,020 vertical feet–while being assisted by a support team that made sure he always had proper hydration, nutrition and dry skins throughout his attempt. For the sake of reference, his 61,200 feet of vertical is more than the equivalent of what would be covered if you summited Mount Everest from sea level twice in one day.
"I can’t thank everyone enough for their support in my world record attempt," Foote wrote in an Instagram post celebrating his accomplishment. "From my sponsors providing me with the best tools for the job, to my community of friends putting their lives on hold to stand around in the cold for me, to @skiwhitefish for rolling out the red carpet for us, to my coach Scott Johnston (@uphill_athlete) for his guidance in my training, and of course @kt_rogo for her constant companionship through the high and lows of it all. This was a true team effort and this experience would have no value for me if I did it alone. We ALL share in this!"
As Gear Junkie reported, the previous record for the most human powered vertical clocked in one day stood at 60,000 feet and was set by Eckhardt Dolshlag in 2009.