Anna DeMonte Sets First Women's Ski FKT on Mont Blanc
14 juin 2024
An adventure addict, SCOTT athlete Anna DeMonte’s energy is contagious. Her excitement and lust for adventure is palpable through the knowing glint in her eyes and you can almost hear her brain working over the latest idea for the next big mission. Hailing from Utah, USA, Anna has honed her skills as a multisport athlete, racing mountain bikes, climbing and ultra running in summer and ticking off big backcountry ski missions in the winter months.
This Spring, Anna and her partner Jack Kuenzle ventured over to the French Alps, choosing Chamonix as their base, where Mont Blanc famously dominates the skyline.
And soon, the allure of the highest mountain in Europe became too much to bear.
To Anna, the mission was clear: to become the fastest woman to summit Mont Blanc on skis and set the fastest known time (FKT).
On June 5th, Anna and her partner Jack Kuenzle both successfully set individual ski records for a complete round trip of Mont Blanc.
Anna set the ski FKT at 7:29. Just 4 minutes slower than Hilary Gerardi’s 2023 FKT set on Mont Blanc, but done only running.
Fully self-supported, the pair carried all their equipment, including water and nutrition, for the whole route. They each travelled alone, starting separately, neither using ropes on the route.
Anna shares how it all went down.
How it started.
“We arrived in Europe in February, bought a van in London, and since then have split our time between Cervinia and Chamonix. When we first got to Chamonix, the steeper ski lines caught my attention, while Jack was focused on the Mont Blanc FKT from the start. After spending most of February and March around L'Aiguille d'Argentière, skiing lines like Glacier du Milieu, I set my sights on the north face of Aiguille du Midi for the spring. However, the summit of Mont Blanc loomed over Chamonix, inspiring me with the history of speed attempts on this mountain—especially the chance for women to make their mark in these stories...”
Photo: PDF by Ben Tibbets.
”The ascent route I selected was the Grand Mulets route (38c), and the descent on skis was done via the North face of Mont Blanc (38e).”
The Mont Blanc FKT – The History.
Setting a fastest known time (FKT) on Mont Blanc is a storied challenge in the Alps. The current men's running record, an impressive 4 hours and 57 minutes, was set by Kilian Jornet in 2013. In the realm of ski mountaineering, Pierre Gignoux and world champion Stéphane Brosse made history in 2003 with a remarkable time of 5 hours and 15 minutes. Earlier, in 1990, Pierre-André Gobet achieved an outstanding finish in 5 hours and 10 minutes.
“While the men's times are impressive, I felt a strong passion to continue to build the history on this mountain for women. Last year, Hillary Gerardi set a new women's FKT on this mountain with a time of 7h 25m on foot. As a skier, I was passionate about setting a strong time in the style of carrying all of my own gear (crampons, skis, harness, axe, etc), as well as traveling alone. This is the style that Pierre Gignoux and Stephane Brosse did back in 2003, carrying their gear from church to church round trip, and I am proud to have followed in exactly this style for my own attempt!”
Preparation.
“Preparation was no easy feat. As newbies in Chamonix, we had to get familiar with the route and the mountain conditions with very little beta! We spent ages scouting the route and coming up with our own strategies for speed. Kilian Jornet gave us some great tips, and the staff at Grand Mulets Refuge and Refuge Cosmiques were super helpful too. The deep snowpack up high was definitely a plus, but the spring weather was terrible, making it hard to find a good day to race.
Putting a track in was another challenge. It was our first time in France, and we didn’t know many people to help us out. The weather was against us too – so humid and warm that the snow stayed slushy and slow overnight. Plus, the upper part of Mont Blanc was icier than usual this year. So, all in all, some things were in our favor, but others made it really tough.”
FKT Day – How it unfolded.
“The 5th of June turned out to be colder, windier, and cloudier than expected – classic! Surprisingly though, that worked in our favor below 2800m; the mountain refroze overnight, making our journey across the Bossons Glacier both fast and safe. But once we safely navigated the crevasse-filled junction, there was a new challenge – the snow was way firmer than we’d hoped. Bulletproof ice all the way to Refuge Vallot made skinning up a real struggle. Both of us were tempted to bail at some point because of how slow it was going!
Thankfully, the final climb up the Arete des Bosses was smooth sailing, and the ice was manageable without needing a rope as solo travelers. I started at 4:45am and finally reached the summit at 10:34am, nearly six hours later. The downhill was a dream. Some fresh powder on the north face of Mont Blanc followed by super firm and fast conditions all the way down to 2000m.”
“Under ideal conditions, this record could go even faster.”
“The potential speed of this challenge continues to intrigue me! Back in 2013, when Matheo set the record, Pierre Gignoux mentioned that under ideal conditions, the record could be even faster. Jack and I are both on the same page with this belief. It’s worth noting that Matheo, Pierre, and Stephane—three titans of French ski mountaineering—also struggled to find optimal conditions for their record attempts. Running might offer more consistent conditions, but skiing has a higher ceiling for potential. The perfect conditions might only align once every couple of years, and predicting that elusive day is nearly impossible, but that’s part of the sport right?!”
“Regardless of conditions and challenges, this objective was one of the most exciting undertakings I have ever tried. The months of preparation, the skills required to summit from April through June were constantly changing and it pushed both Jack and I technically, physically, and mentally. The puzzle pieces that put together the final attempt on June 5th are certainly what is the most memorable, and we are both happy with our performances, but certainly feel like we will be back in the future for another go!”
What’s next?
“Throughout the winter while we’ve been in Cervinia, my eyes have gazed at the Matterhorn, and conditions permitting, this would definitely be a next goal of mine. That, along with the Spaghetti tour and Gran Paradiso are a few things that come to mind as far as next steps. And, before anything, my personal hope is to find some remaining snow and enjoy a few bigger ski lines before the shift to running shoes takes over completely!”
Anna and Jack completed their FKTs using a combination of in-line and prototype skis and running shoes from SCOTT.
Athlètes
