Industry News
This past week ski mountaineer Martina Valmassoi broke the world record for most vertical feet ascended on skis by any female in a 24-hour period. Valmassoi broke this record by climbing 57,890’ feet (17,645m) in just one day. For reference, I don’t think most of us could even ski that much in a day, never mind going the other direction!
The world record took place at Auronzo di Cadore in the famous Dolomite mountains of Italy.
How Is That Possible?
Her strategy was simple––climb a steep run that gave her 2,378’ of vertical each time she skinned up. This allowed just under an hour to climb and ski down each time to add up to the grand total of almost 58,000’ vertical, 3,000’ more than Rea Kobi, who was able to climb 55,042’ vertical in 24-hours just days before Valmassoi broke that record.
But the world record-breaking may not even be the most impressive aspect of Valmassoi’s feat. This is because Valmassoi did not specifically practice or train for this event, nor was she fully aware of the undertaking she was about to attempt. Observers from the event also commented on how impressive her consistency was throughout the entire 24-hours.
- Related: New World Record for “Greatest Vertical Distance Skied Up & Downhill in 24 Hours (Indoors)”
Valmassoi’s accomplishment attests to how quickly skiing as a sport continues to accelerate and evolve as it seems as though we are constantly seeing records being broken throughout the sport. If someone like Valmassoi was to specifically train for an event like this, who knows what a human may be able to accomplish?
Great article
This story deserves more than the details presented here. So much goes into an undertaking like this. Its also worth mentioning that Rea Kolbl broke the old record less than 7 days before Martina at altitude in Aspen CO. Its amazing that two women on two different continents broke the record within a week of one another.