Jungfrau Triathlon: Jil Schmid climbs Bern's four-thousand-meter peaks by fair means

Jil Schmid was a member of the SAC expedition squad from 2020 to 2022. After successfully climbing the Matterhorn north face this summer together with Franziska Schönbächler, she was looking for a new challenge: the Jungfrau Triathlon project was born.

A report by Jil Schmid

Preparations are in full swing. Every detail is planned and my team, which consists of six people, is also full. Everyone is excited about the adventure. And I'm just happy that the long wait is over and it's starting!

four-thousand-meter peaks from home

I can't say exactly how long I've been preparing for this project, because endurance doesn't come overnight. The fact is that last winter I completed a large endurance block that was actually intended for the PDG. At that time, my summer project had already been maturing for a while. The specific training, i.e. the combination of road cycling and running, began three months earlier.

I grew up in Treiten and on a clear day you can see the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. And since I had already climbed the Mönch from the valley via Nollen when I was 18, I decided to climb another peak of the famous trio, the Jungfrau.

100 kilometers in the saddle

So now I was sitting on the racing bike and had the first 10 kilometers behind me. When I arrived in Bern, Brigitte, my first companion, left me. In the meantime, darkness had fallen. My mother accompanied me on the e-bike through the traffic jungle of Bern.

After about 40 kilometers I was in Rubigen and took a short break to change my water bottle and fill my jersey with new food. From now on Lionel was at the start. We often ride together on the racing bike and we work well together.

The closer we got to Interlaken, the more we struggled with the headwind. I was grateful to be able to ride in Lionel's slipstream to save my legs. My parents were already waiting in Interlaken to give me some food and drink.

Now the last 400 meters of altitude and 23 kilometers lay ahead of us. We arrived in Stechelberg at 23:50 p.m. Up to this point I had covered 1000 meters of altitude and exactly 100 kilometers. This took me five hours, including breaks.

Rope-free over the Rottalgrat

I took half an hour before putting on my backpack and continuing my walk with Mike, a very fit trail runner and mountaineer. In my luggage I had a paraglider, crampons, a harness, carabiners, clothes and food - everything I would need for the next ten hours at least.

My thighs were starting to hurt, but I didn't let that deter me and kept going. I was glad for the conversations with Mike, because it distracted my mind. In the first two hours we covered 1000 meters in altitude and I felt good. For the first time since the start I was confident that things would go well.

We arrived at the Rottalhütte at 4:15 a.m. Behind the hut, the first rock band was finally waiting, which offered a little variety to all the walking. We climbed higher and higher, and finally, after 10 hours of darkness, the day dawned.

At 3600 m above sea level we reached the actual climbing. Flavia and Mike formed a rope team and I went without a rope because I knew the Rottalgrat well and could go at my own pace. I also still felt great.

Challenging start with paraglider

On August 30th at 11:40 a.m. we reached the summit. I was happy, of course, but the project was not yet complete for me, as I still wanted to fly down. We descended 50 meters to take off. Then I unpacked the parachute. I tried to take off four times, but without success. The wind was not consistent enough.

I gave up and as I was packing up my umbrella, thoughts like: "I've come this far and I still can't finish my project came to mind. But that was the risk of this project and you have to accept that now."

My umbrella was already packed back in my backpack and my wind gauge showed no wind. No, that can't be true! With the consent of Flavia and Mike, I made one last attempt. This time it worked.

It didn't take long before I shed a few tears of joy out of relief. And then there was this incredible prospect. I was grateful for all the people who supported me and believed in me during the project.

Then my thoughts went back to Mike and Flavia, who now had to descend another four hours to the Jungfraujoch cable car. I, on the other hand, was able to land in Interlaken after a half-hour flight, where I was greeted by friends and family.

Key data Jungfrau Triathlon

• Rennvelo: From Treiten to Stechelberg. 100 kilometers and 1000 meters of elevation, 5 hours, start 19.00 p.m.
• On foot: Stechelberg-Jungfrau via Rottalgrat, 11 kilometers and 3200 meters of altitude, 11.5 hours, start 00:20
• paraglider: Below Jungfrau (4120m) to Interlaken in 30 minutes, start: 12:50

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Credits: Cover photo Jil Schmid