Iris Pessey sets women's FKT on Mont Blanc, 5:02 to summit & 5:34 return to Chamonix

Making the most of excellent conditions on Thursday 18 June, France's Iris Pessey managed to set a new women's Fastest Known Time on Mont Blanc. After setting off from the church at Chamonix at 3:30 am, the 34-year-old ultrarunner raced up the old trail to the old Aiguille du Midi station, then crossed La Jonction and continued past the Grands Moulets hut, Petit Plateau, Grand Plateau, the Vallot hut and then finally the Bosses Ridge towards the top of the highest mountain in the Alps. A mere 5 hours and 2 minutes was all she needed to navigate these 18 km and +3,800 m.

A few minutes later she took off from the 4,807 m summit and flew back down into the valley, tagging the church 32 minutes later, and a mind‑boggling 5 hours and 34 minutes after having set off. Pessey, notably, had raced up Mont Blanc with a tailor‑made rucksack that included all her safety gear, as well as the ultra‑lightweight Ozone paraglider and harness.

This was Pessey's first attempt at a speed ascent and sh has significantly improved on the previous FKT: in 2023 Hillary Gerardi raced to the summit in 5:12 and returned on foot to Chamonix in 7:25, while two years earlier Emelie Forsberg had clocked up a time of 7:53.

As with all Fastest Known Times in the mountains though, the various performances cannot be strictly compared as there are simply far too many variables at play. What is striking however is how much over the last two decades the deployment of paragliders has helped reshape the boundaries of what was previously considered impossible.

 

 

 

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