Karl Egloff

Karl Egloff (born March 16, 1981, Ecuador[1]) is a Swiss-Ecuadorian athlete, mountaineer, cyclist and mountain guide, best known for his speed ascents of high mountains, including the Seven Summits.

Karl Egloff
Karl Egloff
Born(1981-03-16)March 16, 1981[1]
Ecuador
NationalitySwiss-Ecuadorian
Occupation(s)Speed climber, mountain guide, cyclist
Websitehttp://www.karlegloff.com//

He was well known in his native Ecuador for a record speed ascent of the volcano Cotopaxi in December 2012, climbing up and down in 1 hour 37 minutes. He came to international attention in August 2014 when he broke the athlete Kilian Jornet's record for a speed ascent of Kilimanjaro, climbing up and down in 6 hours 42 minutes. In February 2015 he also broke Jornet's record on Aconcagua, climbing up and down in 11 hours 52 minutes.

In June 2019 he broke Kilian Jornet's speed record on Denali by a single minute, climbing up and down in 11 hours 44 minutes. A notable feature of this ascent is that while Jornet used skis for his descent, therefore descending much more quickly, Egloff ran and climbed back down again.[2]

Early life and education

Born and raised in Ecuador to a Swiss father and Ecuadorian mother, he climbed mountains from an early age, assisting his father with his mountain guiding business from the age of 15. When he was 17 he moved to Zurich, Switzerland to study for a degree in business administration. While in Switzerland he served in the Swiss Army and tried unsuccessfully to train as a professional footballer.[3]

At the age of 25 he returned to Ecuador and established his own mountain guiding business. He took up mountain biking and raced with the Ecuador national team for two years.[3][4]

Mountaineering

In 2012 he began focusing on guiding and climbing, and began doing speed ascents of mountains.[3]

Speed ascent records
  • 2022. Makalu, Nepal, (8,463m). 17 hours 18 minutes, 8 May 2022.
  • 2021. Cotopaxi, Ecuador, (5,897m). 1 hour 36 minutes, 19 October 2021.
  • 2019. Denali, United States of America, (6,194m). 11 hours 44 minutes, 20 June 2019.[2]
  • 2017. Elbrus, Russia, (5,642m). 4 hours 20 minutes, 7 May 2017.[5][6]
  • 2015. Aconcagua, Argentina, (6,962m). 11 hours 52 minutes, 19 February 2015.[3]
  • 2016. Cerro Plomo, Chile, (5,424m). 5 hours 55 minutes, 6 January 2016.
  • 2016. Huascaran, Peru, (6,655m). 11 hours 0 minutes, 30 June 2016.
  • 2014. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, (5,895m). 6 hours 42 minutes, 13 August 2014.

References
  1. "Karl Egloff". Mammut. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. "Karl Egloff Just Beat Kilian Jornet's Denali Record". Outside Magazine. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  3. "Where in the World Did Karl Egloff Come From?". Outside Online. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  4. "Who is Karl Egloff? – Part one". iancorless.com – Photography, Writing, Talk Ultra Podcast. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  5. "Karl Egloff achieves third world record in speed climbing on the Elbrus mountain". El Universo. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  6. "Achievements - Karl Egloff". KarlEgloff.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
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