Samuel Equy and Mathéo Jacquemoud Set New Mont Blanc FKT
In 2026, it seems that the bar of what the human body is capable of just seems to keep going up.
Specifically, the world of FKTs (fastest known times) for mountain athletes hasn’t reached an impasse; rather, it’s progressing.
Amongst these objectives is one of Chamonix’s crown jewels of ski mountaineering, Mont Blanc, which has seen record times year after year.
As of April 25, 2026, ski mountaineers Samuel Equy and Mathéo Jacquemoud officially hold the title of FKT from the route’s starting point at a church in Chamonix to the mountain’s summit and back, after completing it in 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 24 seconds. The pair broke the previous FKT set by William Boffelli in May of 2025 by nearly 2 minutes. Boffelli set his record just a week after Benjamin Vedrines had broken the previous FKT.
The route covers approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) and 3,700m (9,800 ft.) of elevation, ending in a sprint finish back to the church. Equy and Jacquemoud are both highly experienced ski mountaineers and have both set previous records in ski mountaineering and alpinism. The pair has also spent extensive time skiing together in the alpine.
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At the end of March, Jacquemoud completed the Inetgral des Alps route, which travels from Vienna, Germany to Nice, France via cycling and skiing. The route took him 20 days, during which he crossed four countries and 19 mountain passes, including peaks such as Mont Blanc.
Then, just three weeks ago, Jacquemoud set out with Boffelli to break the speed record on the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, which was previously held by Equy and Vedrines. Jacquemoud and Boffelli broke the previous record of 14 hours, 54 minutes, and 54 seconds by more than an hour, setting a new mark of 13 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds.
Following the two feats, Jacquemoud wasn’t sure he had the Mont Blanc speed record in him as well. However, the idea of doing it alongside Equy convinced him.
“The Junction was really tricky this year, very ragged, with a large breach line cutting the area in half. Had to be willing to lose some time to move forward cleanly… Sam was in front of the whole ride he was really impressive. At one point, I even wondered if I would manage to stay in time. But I knew I was very well acclimated and that I would surely come back to the top. Sam reached Mont Blanc in 3:41 and I followed in 3:42. After a big descent, I filled the gap with Sam to end up together in Chamonix,” said Jacquemond’s post about the record.
Prior to Vedrines’ record time in May of 2025, the speed record on Mont Blanc had remained unbroken since Kilian Jornet set it in 2013. The women’s FKT on Mont Blanc is currently held by Èlise Poncet, who completed the route in 6 hours and 54 minutes in the spring of 2025.
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