Last weekend Jakob Herrmann, Austrian ski mountaineer and Suunto ambassador broke the 24-hour skimo world record. He ascended 24.242 meters (79.534ft) in 24 hours in Radstadt, Austria. To put that into perspective, Jakob’s average hourly ascent was over 1.000 meters, and the total ascent was more than equal to six laps up to Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps, from the valley floor in Chamonix.
The previous 24-hour world record was 23.486 meters set by Kilian Jornet. Jakob not only broke the record but was also the first person ever to climb over the 24.000-meter mark.
Jakob skied all together 34 laps up and down a ski slope that has 713 meters of ascent. A single lap was 2,55 km and in total he skied more than 170 kilometers. During one of his descents, he hit a max speed of 108 km/h!
We caught up with Jakob shortly after his record-breaking ski. Read on to learn more!
Suunto: When did you set the 24-hour record as your target?
Jakob: I just love to spend time on my skis for hours! It has always been a dream for me to go on touring skis for 24 hours to see how many meters in altitude I can manage. I just want to know what limits I can reach and how far beyond them I can go.
Did you do some specific training for it?
In November and December, I did a lot of long and easy sessions on my skis followed by short and hard interval sessions to get the speed and strength. In the last two weeks before my 24h I only did short, easy sessions and some short, but hard ones and one race to get used to the suffering!
Have you tried a personal 24h challenge before?
No, but I did one session with 10.000m of ascent in 9h30m in the middle of December. I felt super strong although I did it self-supported. I think with more long sessions my head and muscles would have gotten tired and the pace would have gone down. So, I did more split sessions with 5.000m+ in the morning and a second session in the evening.
How did you pace yourself?
For 90% I listened to my feelings. When I felt strong, I went faster and when I felt tired, I went a bit slower! My supporters always gave me the lap times. In addition, I observed the vertical speed per hour on my Suunto Race.
How did your pace change through the 24 hours?
I did the first loops very fast – my first uphill was in 30’. The first 10 loops were all between 30-36’. After that, I was between 37-40’. My slowest uphill was 42’ on the 24th loop when I had my lowest point. The hardest part for me was the early morning when I felt the freezing cold temperatures of around -8 degrees, especially during the downhills.
In the end, I was able to push again, and the last 7 loops were all between 38-40’. The average was 38’20”. So, I think the secret to my success was that I was able to keep the pace constant.
Did you have some surprises on the way?
I didn’t have any negative surprises – only positive ones! I was surprised that so many friends joined me on my way and so many people followed me on-site or in the live stream.
Did you have anyone keeping you company?
Yes! I was only 7 hours in total alone: 4 hours during the night and 3 hours during the day. I am super happy I had so many friends on my side, but I enjoyed also the loops when I was alone!
When did you realize that you would make it?
From the beginning… No joke! I had a strong day, and after some laps, I knew, that I could do it. After 18h I was 100% sure that I would make a new record, but I wasn’t sure if it would be more than 24.000m. After 21h I was sure I’d do the extra lap to climb more than 24.000 meters.
Which Suunto did you use?
I had the Suunto Race – and it worked perfectly. The battery lasted unbelievably well; I had more than 40% of the battery left in the end even though I had the GPS on the best settings, the light was always on and I used the SuuntoPlus Loop sport app.
What was your nutrition strategy?
100 grams of carbs per hour. I always had 300ml of Maurten Drink Mix320 with me. Every loop I had a Maurten gel and every 4th loop I ate a Moonvalley bar and no gel. After the 8th and 16th loops, I had warm salted potatoes and a warm soup on the top.
For the last 6 loops, I stopped with Maurten Drink Mix320 and Moonvalley bars and changed to Red Bull, water, and Pringles!
Did you have a big crew supporting you?
I had two supporters in the valley and two on the top. Philipp [Reiter] was everywhere taking pictures and pushing me! Also, my parents were nearly 24 hours on my side to give me a good feeling!
How do you feel now, one day after the enormous effort?
I feel super good. My energy and legs are strong – only my feet are swollen, and I have some blisters. I am surprised… but I think my nutrition strategy was really good. I never felt completely out of energy.
Check out Jakob’s record-breaking activity in Strava
Follow Jakob’s adventures on Instagram
All images by Philipp Reiter / The Adventure Bakery