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Benjamin Vedrines Completes Non-Stop Alpine Challenge

Adventure athlete Benjamin Vedrines has successfully completed an ambitious alpine project, climbing the famed North Faces of the Grandes Jorasses, Matterhorn, and Eiger in a single week without the use of motorized transportation between the peaks.

In this endeavor, Vedrines collaborated with his long-time friend Leo Billon for the climbs, but chose to travel between the mountains primarily by bicycle. Billon opted to drive between the locations, as he is currently engaged in a strength-based training regimen that did not align with a long-distance endurance effort.

Spur-of-the-Moment Decision

Though Vedrines had been contemplating this project for some time, he made the final decision to proceed within just a day.

From April 6 to April 11, Vedrines engaged in a mix of skiing, paragliding, running, and cycling across Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland and Zermatt regions, as well as the Chamonix Valley in France.

At the peaks, they tackled three iconic climbing routes: the Heckmair on the Eiger, the Schmid on the Matterhorn, and the Colton-McIntyre on the Grandes Jorasses. Vedrines remarked that they climbed at a “relaxed pace, without pressure,” although their speed was impressive.

For instance, they completed the Heckmair route in just 4 hours and 10 minutes, a route that originally took Anderl Heckmair and his team three days to open in 1938. The climb of the Matterhorn took 5 hours and 40 minutes, while the Grandes Jorasses climb lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes.

“The bonds of the rope team are powerful, and this project proved that once again,” noted Vedrines, emphasizing the strength of their partnership throughout the climbs.

Detailed Itinerary

The adventure began on April 6 in Grindelwald. The next day, Vedrines skied up the Eigergletscher to the North Face of the Eiger, successfully ascended the face with Billon, and then paraglided from the summit while still equipped with his skis, landing on the Aletsch Glacier.

On April 8, Vedrines trekked and cycled from Fiesch to Zermatt, reaching the Hörnli Hut, the traditional starting point for Mount Matterhorn ascents. He and Billon commenced the Matterhorn climb on April 9.

After conquering the Matterhorn, Vedrines skied back down to Zermatt, cycled to Visp, and on the same day, rode into Chamonix Valley in France. The following day, he ascended the Grandes Jorasses, concluding the challenge by paragliding back to Chamonix.

Commitment to Ethical Expeditions

Vedrines’ undertaking was governed by rigorous principles of self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and multi-disciplinary skills, reflecting the ethos of renowned alpinists like Kilian Jornet, who is known for his comprehensive traverses of the Alps’ 4,000-meter peaks.

Last year, Vedrines made headlines when he summited K2 in just 11 hours without supplemental oxygen or support. He descended by paragliding from the summit and subsequently returned to Camp 2 to retrieve his tent. Last autumn, he attempted the challenging north face of Jannu East.

Source
explorersweb.com