Haute Route Chamonix - Zermatt, William Boffelli & Mathéo Jacquemoud set new FKT

Italy's William Boffelli and France's Mathéo Jacquemoud have set a new fastest known time on the most famous ski mountaineering traverse in the Alps, the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, stopping the clock after a mere 13 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds. In doing so, the pair not only shattered the 14-hour psychological barrier, but they also beat the previous record by 1 hour and 27 minutes, set in April 2023 by Samuel Equy and Benjamin Védrines, who had clocked 14 hours and 54 minutes.

Boffelli and Jacquemoud set off from the church in Chamonix during the night of April 5th and, at an incomprehensible, blistering pace, covered the 103 km and 8,200 m D+ that separated them from Zermatt — a traverse usually completed in 5 or 6 days by expert ski mountaineers — in under 14 hours.

Boffelli made headline news last June for his Chamonix–Mont Blanc speed ascent: 4 hours and 43 minutes to the summit and back. Meanwhile, just last week, Jacquemoud completed his groundbreaking ski traverse of the Alps from Vienna to Nice in a mere 19 days.

Writing on his Instagram account, Jacquemoud explained "What a day! 13 hours and 27 minutes to complete the Haute Route, Chamonix - Zermatt, this mythical traverse undertaken by thousands of ski mountaineers every spring.

After the Intégrale des Alpes, I was feeling fit, and the idea sprouted to try to go fast and beat the big record set by my friends Samuel Equy and Benjamin Védrines on this beautiful route. The adventure was already shaping up to be great, but when William Boffelli called me this week to say he wanted to go for it too, we naturally decided to set off together.

Being on the same pace throughout the day, we formed a team, a rope team, in the pure spirit of ski mountaineering.

The conditions were nearly perfect for a good time: a mild night, little wind, a good refreeze, friends all along the route :) and strong legs! Even if, unlike the arrival in Nice a few days ago, I feel a bit tired"