Milly Young sets women's FKT on Matterhorn

Nadir Maguet wasn't the only one racing up and down the Matterhorn last Wednesday. At the same time as the Aosta Valley athlete was trying to lower the men's record, Milly Young was also sprinting along the Lions Ridge. Taking advantage of "beautiful conditions," the Australian completed the route from Cervinia to the summit and back in 5 hours, 17 minutes and 43 seconds. In doing so she beat the previous women's record set by Emelie Forsberg, who on 19 August 2013 had needed 5 hours and 52 minutes for the round trip.

After her hugely impressive climb, she stated "I started from the church just after 11:30am with the intention of summiting later in the day to avoid the crowds on the fixed ropes and technical sections. I passed Nadir Maguet on the descent of his attempt, so it seems this was the day for it!

My partner Rhys MacAllister met me between Rifugio Abruzzi and the Carrel Bivouac. I soloed the entire route but he was there to pace me for the upper section of the mountain.

My time to the summit was ~3h22min (3:21:54 on strava).

Didn't have enough water or carbs from the Carell Bivouac to the finish which made for a tough descent but otherwise the day went pretty smoothly.

I had been on this route once before (9th July 2026) so had a good idea of the route and current conditions. The route finding is not overly complex, however, better knowledge of the mountain would have been helpful to really know when to push and when to hold back, especially on the descent.

Very grateful for Emelie for pioneering this FKT for women 13 years ago and excited to see what more women can do on this mountain!"