Last night, Rudi Kristiansen embarked on a unique project: He will climb 8849 meters on roller skis in a single session. If he succeeds, he will be the first person in the world to “Everest” on roller skis.

Rudi Kristiansen from Horten, Norway, will roller ski up and down a hill in Mjøndalen 36 times without stopping. His ambition is to become the first person in the world to “Everest” on roller skis.

To “Everest” is to go up the same hill repeatedly until you have accumulated 8849 meters of altitude gain, equivalent to the height of Mount Everest. This should be completed in a single session. The most common way to Everest is cycling or running, but Kristiansen has ambitions to do it on roller skis. 

See facts about “Everesting” at the bottom of the article.

“Everesting on a bike is a feat, but it’s mostly about the mind. On roller skis, it requires much more physical strength and technique to succeed,” says Jan Kristian Haugnæss to Langrenn.com. 

Haugnæss has completed several Everestings on a bike, is involved in organizing the annual Everesting event in Mjøndalen, and is taking part in this weekend’s event primarily to help his friend on roller skis. They started at 19:00 CET.

“We’ll have one car at the bottom of the hill and one at the top of the hill so that we can access food, clothing, and whatever we need along the way. And then I’ll be cycling a bit with Rudi during the night. Both because it’s lonely before the official Everesting event starts tomorrow, but also for safety reasons,” says Haugnæss. 

The article continues below.

Hoping to get under 24 hours

Going up and down the hill 36 times takes time. In addition, the weather is a factor that will affect the time. Last night, the forecast was for rain and between 12 and 14 degrees. And it’s the rain that matters most for the time. 

“We have estimated that it will take around 18 hours, not including breaks. But with bad weather and wet roads, it could easily take two to three hours longer due to the greater rolling resistance and the fact that you have to take it easier from the top and back to the bottom of the hill,” Haugnæss explains. 

“The main goal is to complete an Everesting on roller skis. As far as we know, it will be the world’s first. If he can do it in less than 24 hours, he thinks it would be extra nice.” 

The hill Kristiansen will use is called Mjøndalen-Hagatjern Opp on Strava. The segment has 253 meters of altitude from bottom to top, spread over 3.5 kilometers. This means that Kristiansen will have to go up and down the hill 36 times to reach the requirement of logging at least 8,849 altitude meters in a single session. 

If he succeeds, the 32-year-old from Horten will become the world’s first person to complete an Everesting on roller skis. In 2021, Eirik Andreas Mortensbakke from Asker attempted to Everest on roller skis but gave up after just over 6,000 meters. 

Not the first extreme roller skiing

Rudi Kristiansen and Jan Kristian Haugnæss met on skis in the 2016-17 season. Since then, they have completed several challenges together, and this summer, they went from Mjøndalen to Trysil on roller skis. 

Also Read – Roller skiing across Norway: New record from Nordkapp to Lindesnes

FACTS ABOUT ‘EVERESTING’                                                                                                     

• The concept of ‘Everesting’ is to climb the same hill repeatedly until you have accumulated 8.849 meters of altitude gain, equivalent to the height of Mount Everest. The most common way to Everest is by cycling or running.
• The total altitude gain must be completed in a single session, but you can take breaks. The total time, including breaks, is the applicable time for the challenge.
• Similar awards have been named after other mountains: Mount Blanc, Kilimanjaro, etc., depending on the altitude gain one accumulates during the session. 
• Hells 500, the Australian organization that established the ‘Everesting’ concept, verifies and keeps statistics on ‘Everestings’ worldwide.