What Kilian Jornet Packs to Climb Every 14er in the Mountain West in 31 days

welcome to starter pack, a gear-obsessed series that gives wired Readers have a look at how notable personalities live, shop and work.

When it comes to physical abilities, Kilian Jornet is as far above other world-class trail runners and climbers as he is above us. This fall, the Spanish Skyrunner completed its States of Elevation project, which The New York Times called “purposefully absurd”. Their completely self-powered mission linked all 14,000-foot peaks of the Mountain West. He reached 72 summits, walked 629 miles, and cycled an additional 2,568 miles to gain 403,691 feet of elevation, all in 31 days. Was it even more difficult for him? No, uh.

We spoke to Jornet as he returned to Norway from States of Elevation and spent time at home with his wife, world-champion skyrunner Emily Forsberg, and their three children. Forsberg also joined the team at gear company Annormal, which Jornet co-founded with shoe company Camper. The name combines the words “Norway” and “Mallorca” – the two locations where the shoes were designed and tested.

“I try to take a minimalist approach, but as humans, we’re not built to go into extreme environments,” Jornet said over Zoom. “If I go naked, I’ll probably die soon, or if I go running, my feet will hurt a lot if I don’t wear shoes.”

Here are some gear picks that Jornet took with him.

running shoes

ENNormal aims to establish sustainable practices in manufacturing gear. “Probably the most important system is the most complex,” Jornet said. “It’s too expensive to keep things moving… how can we do that [a company] “Is it not based on overconsumption?” The solution was to create incredibly durable running shoes that would only need to be replaced every two to four years. While traveling thousands of miles for States of Elevation, Jornet switched between only two pairs of non-normal shoes. (For reference, the average runner disposes of shoes after 300 to 500 miles.)

The Tomir is a waterproof, winter-ready version of the Kjerag, which is the shoe Jornet took with him. It features stiff, but still lightweight, Vibram lugs and an outsole; An abrasion-resistant upper with asymmetric laces that you can use to relieve pressure on the top of your foot; and a special trail-running midsole. He also brings an unusual trail running jacket ($220) wherever he goes.

Watch

Many fitness trackers link to your phone for navigation capabilities. However, when you’re covering as much ground as Jornet, this isn’t a good idea. “The phone’s battery will drain immediately,” Jornet said. Instead, Jornet uses his Coros Apex 4 ($429) for everything from keeping in touch with people, collecting data on all his runs, navigating with GPS to avoid falling into cracks, and noting how he feels each day.

The Coros Apex 4 is the company’s lightweight mountain watch. It has about 65 hours of battery with GPS tracking – enough for Jornet to walk up and down the mountain – along with several climbing-specific features like dual-frequency GPS and vertical algorithms for climbing. “I’m not obsessed with data, but it helps me analyze every project and every race and stay safe,” Jornet said.

Supplement

Ultrarunners have very specific nutritional requirements, which can be a difficult requirement to meet if you spend a lot of time in remote locations around the world. Jornet has been tracking data on his gut microbiome for almost five years, working with universities and major research institutions to investigate how his microbiota changes when he’s at altitude. “We see different pieces growing and dying,” he said. “And yes, I was carrying bags of poop with me [during States of Elevation],” he laughed.

When he can find it, Jornet nourishes his gut microbiome with Lactobacillus, which has been found to boost sports performance by increasing stamina and reducing pain. You can find Lactobacillus in many unpasteurized fermented foods like yogurt or kimchi. However, when he is traveling, Jornet takes these LiveCap probiotic supplements. Jornet is such a big fan that he notes he never even drinks filtered water in the backcountry. “If you have a good immune system and you have good bacteria in your gut, I’ve never had a problem,” he said. This is not a practice I can support for everyone.

flask

Jornet burned approximately 9,000 calories per day during the States of Elevation. If you’re trying to eat that many calories as a meal, he’ll have to pack several steaks or chickens with him. “If I’m just taking gels or carbs I won’t be able to eat as much,” he said. “it’s too heavy.” To pack on more calories on the go, he adds a dash of olive oil, butter, or coconut oil to his soft Morten beverage flask.

notebook

Finally, Jornet always has a paper notebook with him. He doesn’t have a favorite brand—”I just go to a local bookstore and buy whatever notebook they have,” he said—but he does like to take notes when he’s traveling. Sometimes he makes maps and sketches of the country he is passing through; notes humorous encounters with him; Takes notes on the gear he is using; Or writes down ideas for future ski, running or climbing projects.

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