American Athlete Anna DeMonte Sets New Record Time for Summiting Mont Blanc, France, on Skis

American runner and ski mountaineer Anna DeMonte set a new fastest known time (FKT) for a woman on skis on Mont Blanc, France.

She completed the round trip to the summit and back in seven hours and 29 minutes on June 5, 2024. This was just four minutes slower than the running FKT set by Hillary Gerardi.

Anna De Monte completed the solo ascent while carrying all of her own gear without the use of ropes.

She took the Grand Mullet route to the summit, which required crossing multiple glaciers as well as exposed icy traverses. Once she summited, she skied back down to the valley via Mont Blanc’s north face. The route starts and ends in Chamonix, France.

In a statement on Instagram, she described the conditions as far from optimal.

“We put so much time and focus into training, scouting, acclimatizing, and waiting (all in a new country), and still conditions were far from optimal. […] The preparation was brutal at times, and predicting conditions proved especially challenging. I’m humbled by this mountain and I hope to inspire more women to attempt speed ski efforts on this in the future.”

The tour includes a 3,300-foot trail climb before the first glacier. Afterward, the route crosses the junction of the Bosson and Taconaz glaciers, where she had to traverse massive cracks and seracs. Seracs are towers of ice found in the steeper parts of glaciers.

The conditions during the descent were better. “The downhill was a dream. Some fresh powder on the north face of Mont Blanc followed by super firm and fast conditions all the way down to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet),” said Anna DeMonte in an official statement by her sponsor, SCOTT Sports.

Anna’s partner, Jack Kuenzle, also set a new ski FKT on the same day with a time of four hours and 59 minutes, however, the couple made the ascent separately. Jack Kuenzle’s time is just two minutes slower than Kilian Jornet’s FKT of 4:57 on foot.

• Related: Jack Kuenzle Sets Fastest Known Time Skiing Round-Trip from Chamonix to Mont Blanc, France

Anna De Monte is an American ski mountaineer and multi-sport athlete from Salt Lake City, Utah. She used to be a competitive swimmer and almost qualified for the Olympics before she picked up road and mountain biking and then moved to backcountry skiing.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. Its peak is situated at 15,771 feet. The first ascent was made in 1786. The mountain is located at Italy’s border with France and can be approached from both sides. Mountaineers usually take the Gouter route from Chamonix, France, to the summit and split the ascent over two days.