Élise Poncet Sets Staggering New Record on Mont Blanc

Poncet considered the idea of a Mont Blanc speed attempt around two years ago when Gerardi suggested that they race up and down the peak together. But Poncet had another conflicting obligation at the time, so instead, she helped Gerardi prepare and, ultimately, was inspired to attempt her own FKT.

Poncet is best known as a successful trail runner and member of the French national mountain running team. But for the past ten years or so, she’s also pursued mountaineering as another high-altitude side hustle. In pursuing an FKT on Mont Blanc, she could leverage her complete suite of skills as an endurance athlete and alpinist.

“It was really a way to mix these two things,” she said.

And thanks to the previous record holder, DeMonte, there was a ski-specific women’s time to beat. “She did a great job on this,” Poncet said of DeMonte’s FKT. “It was more interesting for me that I had a mark.”

DeMonte, in 2024, initially aimed to beat Gerardi’s overall women’s FKT, but came up a few minutes short. However, as the first woman to officially document a speed skiing attempt of Mont Blanc, she set a new benchmark that others could aim for, like Poncet.

“It's never fun when your record gets broken,” said DeMonte in a phone call with POWDER. “But really, I'm happy because it means other elite women are going for this, and to me that shows progression in the sport.”

In a display of mountain camaraderie, DeMonte and Poncet exchanged voice messages about the intricacies of the route up Mont Blanc ahead of Poncet’s bid.

The FKT route that the pair separately followed on the mountain, known as the Grand Mulets, isn’t considered highly technical from a mountaineering perspective, but it is dangerous and involves traveling under towers of glacial ice, which can fall at any moment. DeMonte called it a “big puzzle” that’s “very hard to get right.” On a mountain like Mont Blanc, bad weather and shifting snow conditions can easily prevent an FKT.

Similar to the men who’ve set records on Mont Blanc, DeMonte carried her skis the entire way, rather than stashing them at the snow line for a quick transition. Poncet said she had considered optimizing her FKT attempt using the stashed gear approach, but decided to carry her gear like DeMonte to make their respective efforts comparable, adding a layer of difficulty.

The apparent distinction between the two bids is that DeMonte, unlike Poncet, traveled almost entirely unaccompanied, aside from being followed by a photographer for about ten minutes. In contrast, throughout her attempt, Poncet was joined by a crew of friends who helped point out the route and provide moral support.

Fastestknowtime.com, a mostly volunteer-run website that chronicles speed efforts in the mountains, considers three types of styles: “unsupported,” “self-supported,” and “supported.” Despite their differences, DeMonte and Poncet’s FKTs fall into the latter category because they both received support (DeMonte relied on food and water caches). 

“It was a team project more than just my project,” Poncet said. 

For Poncet, a seasoned competitor in traditional racing settings, it was her first-ever FKT, which presented a new challenge. During a race, she said, you can take the lead or follow someone else. But when you’re aiming to set a new FKT on the flanks of a formidable peak, the pace, no matter who’s around, is up to you.