Welcome to Starter Pack, a gear-obsessed series that gives WIRED readers a peek into how notable personalities live, shop, and tinker.
When it comes to sheer physical capabilities, Kilian Jornet is as far above other world-class trail runners and mountain climbers as they are above us. This fall, the Spanish skyrunner completed his States of Elevation project, which The New York Times called “objectively absurd.” His completely self-powered mission connected all the 14,000-foot peaks in the Mountain West. He reached 72 summits, covered 629 miles on foot, and biked an additional 2,568 miles while amassing 403,691 feet of elevation gain, all in 31 days. Was it even hard for him? No. Ugh.
We spoke to Jornet after he returned to Norway from States of Elevation, getting to spend time at home with his wife, the world-champion skyrunner Emelie Forsberg, and their three children. Forsberg also joined the team at Nnormal, the gear company that Jornet co-founded with the shoe company Camper. The name combines the words “Norway” and “Mallorca”—the two places where the shoes were designed and tested.
“I try to have a minimalist approach, but as humans, we’re not made to go into extreme environments,” said Jornet over Zoom. “If I go naked, I would probably die pretty soon, or if I go running, my feet will get pretty bruised if I’m not wearing shoes.”
Here are some of the gear picks that Jornet took with him.
The Running Shoes
Nnormal’s aim is to institute sustainable practices into manufacturing gear. “Probably the most important system is the most complicated,” Jornet said. “It’s very costly to be constantly rotating things … how can we have [a company] that’s not based on overconsumption?” The solution was to create incredibly durable running shoes that only have to be swapped out every two to four years. For the thousands of miles that he covered for States of Elevation, Jornet only swapped between two pairs of Nnormal shoes. (For context, the average runner disposes of shoes after 300-500 miles.)
The Tomir is the waterproof, winter-ready version of the Kjerag, which is the shoe that Jornet took with him. It has hardy, but still light, Vibram lugs and an outsole; an abrasion-resistant upper with asymmetrical lacing that you can tinker with to relieve pressure on the top of your foot; and a specialized trail-running midsole. He also brings a Nnormal trail running jacket ($220) everywhere he goes.
The Watch
Many fitness trackers link to your phone for navigation capabilities. However, when you’re covering as much ground as Jornet is, that’s not a great idea. “The phone’s battery will die instantly,” 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 keep from falling into a crevasse, and noting how he feels every day.
The Coros Apex 4 is the company’s lightweight mountain watch. It has about 65 hours of battery with GPS tracking—more than enough for Jornet to run up and down a mountain—with dual-frequency GPS and a number of climbing-specific features, like vertical algorithms for ascents. “I’m not obsessed with data, but it helps me to analyze every project and every race, and to stay safe,” Jornet said.
The Supplements
Ultrarunners have very specific nutritional needs, which can be a difficult requirement to meet if you spend a lot of time in remote locations all over the world. Jornet has been tracking data on his gut microbiome for about five years, working with universities and major research institutions to check on factors like how his microbiota change 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 nurtures his gut microbiome with lactobacillus, which has been found to boost sport performance by increasing endurance and reducing soreness. You can find lactobacillus in many unpasteurized fermented foods, like yogurt or kimchi. However, when he’s traveling, Jornet takes doses of these Lyvecap probiotics. Jornet is such a fan that he noted that he never even drinks filtered water in the backcountry. “If you have a good immune system and good bacteria in your stomach, I have never had problems,” he said. This is not a practice that I can endorse for everyone.
The Flask
Jornet burned about 9,000 calories per day during States of Elevation. If you’re trying to eat that many calories as food, that’s multiple steaks or chickens that he’d have to pack with him. “If I’m just taking gels or carbs, I will not be able to eat that much,” he said. “It’s just too heavy.” To pack in more calories on the go, he adds a couple glugs of olive oil, butter, or coconut oil to his soft Maurten drink flask.
The Notebook
Finally, Jornet always has a paper notebook with him. He doesn’t have a preferred brand—”I just go into a local bookstore and buy whatever notebook is there,” he said—but he does like to take notes as he’s traveling along. Sometimes he draws maps and sketches of the country that he’s passing through; notes down fun encounters that he’s had; takes notes on the gear that he’s using; or jots down ideas for future projects to ski, run, or climb.
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The post What Kilian Jornet Packs to Climb Every 14er in the Mountain West in 31 days appeared first on Wired.
