The Latest Adventure News: July
Photo by Jon Williams
The outdoor and adventure world is buzzing with new records, crazy adventures, and huge events at the moment - it's hard to keep up! If you like trail running, mountain biking, or adventure movies... read on for the latest and greatest!
Fastest Known Times (FKT)
Mont-Blanc
American ultra and mountain runner Hillary Gerardi has set a new women's FKT for an ascent and descent of Mont-Blanc (4,809m) on foot in 7:25:28. The previous record was held by Swedish athlete Emilie Forsberg, who set a time of 7:53:12 in 2018.
Munros
Ultra-runner Jamie Aarons scaled all 282 Scottish Munros - mountains in Scotland higher than 914m - in 31 days 10h and 27m, breaking the previous record by over 12h and setting a new time record. Jamie also ran, cycled, and kayaked between each of the Munros, covering a total of around 1,500km on foot and about the same distance by bike.
Appalachian Trail
Heather Anderson accomplished a new overall FKT of the 402km Pennsylvanian section of the Appalachian Trail in 4 days and 14 hours— shaving nearly a full day off of the previous record set by Gerrit Van Ommering in 2021.
Adventure Movies
In 2022, mountain athlete, Kilian Jornet, won three of four iconic races: Zegama, Hardrock, Sierra Zinal, and UTMB, setting new course records at three of them. Notably, he ran all four races in the same pair of shoes - shoes he helped design in collaboration with Camper. In doing so, Kilian proved that it was possible to create a durable trail running shoe that can tackle a wide range of conditions.
In this new film, Sketching the Future, Kilian gives us a window into his iconic 2022 season, and his thoughtful consideration for the future as co-founder of NNormal, his durable and sustainable trail running shoe brand.
Plus, he shares with us why community is so important, and some of his dreams for what’s next.
Watch first-hand the winning run of another 'Kilian' - this time Kilian Bron - who won the epic Mountain of Hell MTB race.
Mountain of Hell is the creme de la creme of Enduro racing. The start is on top of a 3400m high glacier located above Les 2 Alpes, and when there aren't 700 bike riders on it, the Glacier is usually used as a ski slope.
Reaching dizzying descents more than 60kmh over snow slopes and hard turns in forest, among other exhilarating twists and turns, the Mountain of Hell race reaches new heights and limits.
Sense of Adventure
Photo by Kal Visuals
It hasn't happened yet, but French-born paddler Cyril Derreumaux announced his intention to kayak across the Atlantic, starting in December 2024.
Just last year, Cyril paddled across a section of the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawai’i on an expedition that took him 91 days.
Upon returning from his Pacific paddle, he announced his next expedition – this time across the Atlantic. The roughly 4,828km journey will see Cyril kayak from the Canary Islands to Barbados - a voyage of 2,800 nautical miles, that he expects will take him between 80 to 90 days to complete.
The solo Atlantic crossing won’t be the first of its kind. The journey has been completed by more paddlers than Cyril’s most recent adventure from California to Hawai’i. However, the attempt would place him among an intrepid collection of expedition athletes, including Aleksander Doba who completed three successful Atlantic crossings; Chris Bertish who became the first person to complete the journey on a standup paddleboard; and Richard Kohler who kayaked from South Africa to Brazil.
Regardless of how many athletes have successfully completed the crossing, the feat in itself is impressive.
Digital Outdoor Digest
Article #1 - Originally published in Sidetracked
In this article, FATMAP ambassador, Liv Sansoz, and her crew described how they climbed and flew in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wadi Rum, in Jordan.
To begin with, the team climbed.
“Superb cracks, chimneys, offwidths, a little face climbing on small holds: Wadi Rum has it all,” recounted Liv.
Renowned the world around, Wadi Rum offers very special climbing, where few routes are equipped with much fixed gear. The beauty and variety of the rock are what struck Liv the most. These permanent parts of the landscape come in all textures, colours, and formations in Wadi Rum, making for an unforgettable experience.
Then, it was time to fly.
Zeb, who was part of the expedition, assessed the situation. “The terrain is cramped, but it falls steeply – a good thing – so if we have a little wind to properly inflate the wing we can take off from here and enjoy the descent,” he explained. Ultimately, their flight over the desert and rock formations went smoothly.
On top of excellent outdoor adventures, the hospitality of local Bedouins that the team experienced was unparalleled. Having seen the adventurers fly down to the sand, locals gingerly invited them to share their sweet and strong tea.
A mixture of rich culture and nature, as well as adventure wrapped up an enchanting journey in Jordan.
“Superb cracks, chimneys, offwidths, a little face climbing on small holds: Wadi Rum has it all.”
Article #2 - Originally published in Afar
Mountains, medieval castles, and nature preserves: what does it take to trek across Liechtenstein in three days?
A lot of rain cover, according to Andrew Altschul - the man in question who trekked through all 11 of the country’s municipalities and the author of this article.
Sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland, this small, Alpine principality packs a good punch when it comes to hiking. One of its most recent and more renowned paths is the Liechtenstein Trail, which was officially inaugurated in 2019 to celebrate the nation’s tricentennial.
Even though it ranks as the sixth smallest country in the world and one of the least visited ones, too, Liechtenstein has a lot to offer - at least for the three days it takes to hike the Liechtenstein Trail. The route links segments of the country’s 400km of hiking trails and passes by 147 points of interest, including Gutenberg Castle, ninth-century grain mills, the Matilaberg nature preserve, and more.
Steep uphill sections, sweeping valleys overlooking Switzerland, and history at every bend, the 75-km trail offers hikers an almost-private journey through the tiny country.
Article #3 - Originally published in National Geographic
If you’re on the lookout for historical and remote hiking trails in ideal weather conditions, head to the Greek island of Sifnos. Think: 3,000-year-old hiking trails, taking in captivating Mediterranean beauty and history along the way.
Imagine walking across a maze of footpaths that weaves through wild olive trees and ancient terraced green fields, all while a cerulean sky spans overhead and the shimmering Mediterranean Sea extends until the horizon.
This collection of paths is called the Sifnos Trails. It includes 19 routes that date back to 3,000 BC. For years, they remained in disrepair until the trail-building cooperative, Paths of Greece, decided to restore them starting in 2015. Now, hikers can follow the footsteps of farmers, miners, and soldiers who forged one of the oldest trail networks in the world.
Events Not To Miss
Tor des Géants
Get ready for the Tor des Géants® - the first and only race to combine long distance with the individual style of runners - that covers 330km, over 24,000m of elevation gain, and has a cut-off time of 150 hours.
The race will see competitors run along its spectacular paths at the foot of the highest Four-Thousanders in the Alps and through the Gran Paradiso Natural Park and the Mont Avic Regional Park. All of these particular features help make this such a unique, inimitable race.
When: September 10 - 16
Where: Courmayeur - Valle d'Aosta, Italy
How: Find out more info here
UTMB
The iconic and world-renowned UTMB trail running race in Chamonix is back. Runners will race around the Mont-Blanc through Italy, Switzerland, and France starting August 28.
Every year, over 10,000 athletes meet in Chamonix to participate in one of the event’s eight races, including the UTMB World Series Finals.
When: August 28
Where: Chamonix, France
How: Find out more info here
UCI Mountain Bike World CUP
This year's UCI MTB World Cup in Pal Arinsal in Andorra is bound to bring us some insanely incredible mountain biking action between August 22 and 27. It is guaranteed to be an action-packed weekend.
Three specialities will be battled out over the course of the weekend: cross-country Olympic (XCO), cross-country short-track (XCC) and downhill (DHI). The Andorran leg will mark the ninth stage of this year’s UCI calendar.
When: August 22 - 27
Where: Vallnord Bike Park La Massana, Andorra
How: Find out more info here
Inspiring Results
#1
Rémi Bonnet and Sophia Laukli set new records at this year's Marathon du Mont-Blanc. Rémi beat the course record despite an additional 1km and 70m elevation at Vallorcine this year. Sophia obliterated her competition, finishing almost 12m ahead of her nearest rival.
#2
The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race. It took place on June 24th and 25th, with Courtney Dauwalter setting a new course record in 15:29:33, crushing the former record by 77 minutes and 46 seconds. British athlete, Tom Evans, won the men's race in 14:40:22, improving on his 3rd place finish last year.
#3
In early July, Ashley Paulson broke the Women’s Course Record at the Badwater 135 in 24:09:34, shattering her own record by over 2h in the gruelling 135-mile race in California. On the men's side, Yoshikiko Ishikawa of Japan won Badwater 135 for the second time, running negative splits to finish in 23:08:20.
See you out there!
Team FATMAP