Climbing
Industry News
Mountain athlete Kilian Jornet has completed the Colorado leg of his ambitious new project, States of Elevation—a human-powered journey to link the 14,000-foot peaks of the United States by foot and by bike. The project is not about podiums or medals for Jornet; it’s about endurance, resilience, and creativity while testing how far he can go, both physically and mentally. Day after day, he is taking on challenges equal to a Tour de France stage and a marathon, all at altitude, on technical terrain, and with minimal rest. Beyond performance, the effort reflects Jornet’s lifelong connection to wild places and his pursuit of meaning through movement and landscape.
- Related: Kilian Jornet to Summit Every Contiguous U.S. 14er in ‘States of Elevation’ Human-Powered Event
The Colorado chapter, which Jornet finished in mid-September, is easily the most technical and demanding segment of the entire journey. Over 16 consecutive days, he climbed all 56 fourteeners in the state, moving entirely under his own power. In total, he spent 267 hours on the move, covering 1,207 miles (1,943 km) with a staggering 255,900 feet (78,004 m) of climbing, which is nearly the equivalent to ascending Mount Everest nine times. His days averaged out to over 16 hours of movement, which meant running roughly a marathon and biking 46–50 miles (74–80 km) every single day. Each day he gained on average close to 16,000 feet (4,900 m) of elevation.
The effort demanded both speed and technical mastery. Jornet strung together some of Colorado’s most iconic and difficult traverses, including the LA Freeway, the Elks, and Nolan’s 14, along with well-known peaks like Mount Elbert and Pikes Peak. He faced fierce storms, high winds, and temperatures that swung from 15°F on the summits (–9 °C) to 79°F in the valleys (26 °C). Of the 16 days, half brought rain or snow. Despite these obstacles, Jornet pushed forward on an average of just 4.5 hours of sleep per night, relying on discipline, efficiency, and his deep familiarity with mountain environments.
With Colorado complete, Jornet now turns his attention to the rest of the American West, where dozens more 14,000-foot summits await in the Sierra Nevada of California and the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range in Washington. Completing the project all by bike and on foot will demand not just fitness, but careful logistics, creativity, and an ability to adapt to whatever the mountains throw at him. If this first chapter is any indication, States of Elevation may prove to be not only Jornet’s hardest project yet, but also the one that best captures his philosophy that endurance is about more than speed, and summits are only part of the story.
