Chamonix, France – May 24, 2025 — French alpinist Benjamin Vedrines has set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) for a round-trip ascent and descent of Mont Blanc on skis, completing the feat in just 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 41 seconds.
Starting and finishing at the iconic church in Chamonix, Vedrines reached the 4,810-meter summit and returned on May 24, outperforming all previous ski records on the route.
This achievement places him ahead of the previous best ski time, which had stood since 2003. It also brings him within three minutes of the fastest on-foot time recorded by renowned Spanish trail runner Kilian Jornet in 2013, who completed the round-trip in 4 hours, 57 minutes, and 40 seconds.
The current FKT benchmarks for Mont Blanc are:
On Foot
- Men: Kilian Jornet – July 11, 2013 – 4:57:40
- Women: Hillary Gerard – June 17, 2023 – 7:25:28
On Skis
- Men: Benjamin Vedrines – May 24, 2025 – 4:54:41
- Women: Elise Poncet – May 16, 2025 – 6:54:47
A Skier’s Perspective
In a recent social media post, Vedrines reflected on the challenge and shared insights into the technical differences between skiing and running the route.
“I really wanted to do this route on skis because it’s more my discipline,” he wrote. “There is something beautiful about skiing down from 4,810 meters, pushing yourself to the limit. And it’s all muscle—no need for a paraglider.”
Vedrines explained that while skiing involves more gear and additional transitions—such as switching from skis to trail shoes for the final 1,200 meters of climbing—it offers significant advantages on the descent. In contrast, running allows for a lighter and more efficient ascent but is slower and more technical on the way down.
He noted that perfect conditions are rare for either method, which keeps the gap between the ski and running records relatively narrow. For instance, a 2003 ski record by Pierre Gignoux and Stephane Brosse was just five minutes slower than Pierre-André Gobet’s 1990 on-foot time of 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Vedrines’ new mark now places the ski and run times closer than ever, a difference of only three minutes between his effort and Jornet’s.