Mathéo Jacquemoud completes Full Alpine Traverse from Vienna to Nice by fair means in 19 days

At 6:00 pm on the 7th of March 2026 French mountain guide Mathéo Jacquemoud set out from Vienna with an ambitious goal: to reach Nice by completing a full, human-powered traverse of the Alps, traveling exclusively on skis and by bike.

This large-scale crossing was driven by a desire to draw his own "personal" line through the Alpine arc, at an intense, phenomenal, even pace that was uniquely his. With staggering figures in elevation gain, distance covered, and days of sometimes extreme effort, he pulled off the feat in under three weeks: crossing nine Alpine mountain ranges across four countries (Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France) while summiting some of the most famous peaks in the Alps. The 35-year-old split the traverse into various stages.

Raid 1: Vienna - Grossglockner (AUS), 7-11 March
After the drive from the Chamonix valley where he lives, Jacquemoud set off at 6:00 pm by bike from Vienna, heading for the base of the Hoher Dachstein (2,995m). He quickly linked up his first summit during the night with his friend and mountain guide Quentin Champagnac, who supported him throughout the logistical side of the project. The very next morning, he was back on the bike, riding towards the Hohe Tauern massif for a ski ascent of the Sonnblick (3,106m).

He then met up with his team at the foot of the Grossglockner (3,798m), the highest mountain in Austria. At his side were Vivian Bruchez, skier and alpinist, and Pierre Idris Mehdi, steep skier, who came to share part of this extraordinary adventure. A few hours later, on the 10th of March, they reached the summit together. A final push remained to reach Sankt Jakob on the Italian border and bring this first Austrian stage to a close. One final ski above the Anterselva valley rounded off this opening chapter.

Raid 2: Dolomites – Bernina (ITA), 11-14 March
On Wednesday the 11th of March, Jacquemoud headed into the Dolomites via a small detour. Joined by Vivian Bruchez and Pierre Idris Mehdi he skied the Piz de Puez couloir, a technical, stunning line that demonstrated exactly why the Dolomites are so legendary. After that unforgettable start, his companions stepped back temporarily, and Jacquemoud pressed on toward Val Gardena, picked up by Noa Barrau and Alex Oberbacher.

On Thursday, 12th of March, he headed to the Sarentino massif and Val Martello, aiming for Cevedale (3,769m). Just 150 meters from the summit, the weather closed in with zero visibility so he turned back. A wise decision that led to a night descent across the northwest glacier down to Santa Caterina.

"I felt strong, so I jumped straight on the bike for a long night ride to reach Livigno. The goal was clear: ski the Bernina range the next day before the storm hit," Jacquemoud recalled.

At dawn on Friday, 13th of March, the team set off on skis toward Passo Bernina. With Vivian, Noa, Pierre Idris and Champi, they reached the summits of Piz Palü Central and Piz Palü Oriental, then enjoyed an epic ski descent from the ridge. Jacquemoud biked back into Italy and was forced to take a rest day on March 14th when a heavy snowstorm hit.

Raid 3: St Moritz - Saas-Fee (CH), 15 - 18 March
From the Bernina, in harsh weather, Jacquemoud headed for Lake Como on March 15th. He took a moment to enjoy skiing fresh powder above the lake while waiting for a break in the clouds. He then pushed on into the Ticino Alps, tackling long traverses before dropping into Valais via the Nufenen Pass. On March 17th, he reached Saas Fee, skiing over the high passes above the Simplon. March 18th was supposed to take him to Zermatt, but a new storm forced a change of plans.

Together with Clément Parisse, a friend and fellow athlete, they attempted the Adler Pass several times before having to turn back to Saas Fee. That evening, Jacquemoud adjusted his plan and pedaled to Zermatt, keeping the traverse moving despite the punishing weather. These days and nights were grueling, with over 1.5 meters of fresh snow in Ticino at 1,500m. The unstable weather and slow progress at high altitude pushed every stage to the limit.

Raid 4: Zermatt - Gran Paradiso (CH-ITA), 19-21 March
On the 19th of March, Jacquemoud set off at 3:40 am for a major stage from Zermatt to Verbier alongside Paul Lenoir and Clément Parisse on the famous Patrouille des Glaciers route. He reached Verbier at 12:30 pm after 9 hours of effort and 4,000 m elevation gain.

Without taking a break, Jacquemoud hopped on his bike to reach Champex-Lac, then completed a final ski section to the station at Le Tour where he met his daughter. He ended the day at the Prarion parking lot, at the foot of Mont Blanc. In a single day — 16 hours of hard work — he linked Zermatt to Chamonix. After a short night in his van, he departed at 6 am for the ascent of Mont Blanc (4,806 m) via the normal route in wintery, windy conditions. At the Tête Rousse refuge, he waited briefly for a lull in the wind. Conditions were tough, the Bosses ridge was covered in ice, but he reached the summit alone at 2:00 pm and began a rapid descent to Chamonix.

At 5 am on the 21st of March, Jacquemoud headed toward the Mer de Glace, climbed the Vallée Blanche to the Col de Toula, and then crossed into Italy. After a ski descent to the Skyway parking lot, he hopped on his bike and arrived at 3:00 pm in the village of Pont at the foot of Grand Paradiso. He immediately resumed skinning, reaching the summit (4,061m) three and a half hours later, before descending. This was Jacquemoud most impressive raid: Zermatt to Chamonix / Mont Blanc and Grand Paradiso in three days… Averaging 16 hours of activity per day... Mont Blanc in winter, no tracks, exposed ice, strong wind, mental fatigue; Grand Paradis with zero visibility, climbed at night ahead of an oncoming storm.

Raid 5: Gran Paradiso - Briançon via the Ecrins (ITA/FRA), 22-24 March
After a short recovery, Jacquemoud set off on skis on Sunday, March 22nd, in a full storm with snow, wind, and zero visibility. He headed for Val d’Isère in a tough day that took nearly 8 hours of effort. On the 23rd of March, he crossed the Vanoise National Park to Valfréjus (Haute Maurienne) before dropping into the Thabor range, completing a long day of ski travel. This stage took him to Serre Chevalier.

On the 24th of March, he took on another long traverse to reach the Dôme des Écrins (4,064m) via Dômes de Monêtier, covering nearly 40km with Noa Barrau and Antoine Socquet. During the descent, he met his father and they shared a few turns, a quiet moment in this intense adventure. He then cycled a short section to the foot of the Col de l’Izoard before skiing into the Queyras, continuing south.

Raid 6: Queyras - Nice (FRA), 25-26 March
After the Ecrins, Jacquemoud reached the Queyras massif on March 25th. He crossed the Ubaye on skis to the Col de l’Arche, pushing south. He reached Isola 2000 on his skis with a headlamp, marking the last night of this extraordinary journey. The next day, he traversed the Mercantour massif under clear skies, reaching the summit of Cime du Gélas. Nice was now within reach. He hopped on his bike for a final symbolic section. Less than two hours later, he reached the Promenade des Anglais on the Mediterranean.

Behind him lay not only the journey from Vienna to Nice across the entire Alps, but also a bold, shared, fast, and visually striking traverse that in many ways has redefined the boundaries of modern alpine adventure.

Statistics
Ski: 715 km / 60,000 m elevation gain / 142 hrs
Bike: 1,474 km / 25,840 m elevation gain / 61 hrs
Total activity time including breaks and ski to bike transitions: 234 hrs
Time spent moving only: 200 hrs
Average sleep per day: 6h10m
Number of ski to bike transitions: 38
Elevation gain: 86,000m, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest almost 10 times, or Mont Blanc 18 times in 20 days