Back in Khumbu, Kilian Jornet shared his latest adventures in the Himalayas on his social media. The trail running legend had kept his expedition project secret that spring: climbing Everest (8848 m), the highest peak in the world, via the west ridge – a first for him – a historic route first led in 1963 by Tom Hornbein ( who died in May at the age of 92) and Willi Onsoloed.
“After a few hundred meters, a huge layer of snow broke off in the gully and triggered an avalanche that tore me about 50 meters.”
“The ascent was just perfect,” writes the 35-year-old Catalan. Like a big jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces except one: the top. For the four-time UTMB winner and mountaineer, best known for his double ascent of the Top of the World in 2017, without oxygen in less than a week, things continued primarily elsewhere.
“My ascent began with a steep gully that took me to the west ridge of Everest,” he explains. The conditions were terrible then: blue ice under a thick layer of snow. For 1000m I went up 2 steps and down one step! When I got to the west ridge it was very windy so I decided to take refuge under a ledge for three hours to rest and calm down and I took the opportunity to watch the endless line of expeditionaries crossing the traditional routes (Nepalese and …) chose Tibetan) and advanced to the summit. »
When the wind dropped, Jornet reached the foot of the Hornbein Corridor. “I felt very comfortable and the conditions were perfect,” he continues. But after a few hundred meters in the gully, a huge layer of snow (probably formed by strong morning winds) broke loose and triggered an avalanche that carried me about 50 meters. Jornet then hesitated to continue before finally deciding to turn back.
A 30-hour expedition alone and without oxygen on a very vertical route, little used mainly for technical reasons. “I didn’t get to the peak I wanted, but I did everything else,” says Jornet. It was a perfect day. »