On Sunday, November 3, the 24-year-old from Norway will climb 8.849 vertical meters on roller skis, equivalent to Mount Everest’s height above sea level.

“It started, in a way, with a running project in September that broke down halfway,” the former biathlete tells ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com. At the beginning of September, Kevin Ramsfjell was set to run from Paris to Rome in 16 days without stopping, a total of 1.350 kilometers. That’s the equivalent of 32 consecutive marathons, with two marathons per day. It went smoothly – until about halfway to Rome. Then, it abruptly stopped.

Also Read: Running from Paris to Rome: 32 marathons in a row

“I got injured after 750km and had to stop when I suddenly couldn’t put pressure on my right leg. It turned out to be severe shin splints, which would have led to a stress fracture if I had continued. I wanted to keep running, but it was simply impossible,” Ramsfjell says.

But just a couple of weeks later, he felt fully recovered, and at the beginning of October, the former biathlete started thinking up new projects. On Sunday, November 3, he will climb 8.849 vertical meters on roller skis.

“What’s a bit extra unique about this project is that I haven’t trained for it at all. I’m just relying on my old skiing skills,” says Ramsfjell, who ended his biathlon career almost three years ago.

The project, a so-called “Everesting,” will be completed on the treadmill at Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen’s Møllefabrikken (Treadmill Factory) in Lillehammer, Norway.

We thought you’d retired the roller skis for good after the record stunt from North Cape to Lindesnes in 2022. What tempted you to bring them out for this project?

“Well, I did say that Norway, lengthwise, was the finale of my ski career. And I actually haven’t roller-skied a single time since that trip across Norway in 2022. I’ve only done three or four ski trips on snow since then. But now an opportunity came up, and the idea of Everesting followed,” says Ramsfjell and continues:

“It’s something I’ve done on a treadmill before, but on foot. Back then, it took me 10 hours to reach the height of Mount Everest. I set the incline to 15 percent at 6 kilometers per hour. That totals 60 kilometers until I reach 8.849 meters. As far as I know, no one has done this on a roller ski treadmill before, so I see it as a golden opportunity to be the first and also to push the boundaries of roller skiing.”

Also Read – Roller skiing across Norway: Kevin Ramsfjell talks about the record

Everesting on roller skis has, however, been done outdoors. After 36 rounds up and down a 3.5-kilometer hill in Mjøndalen in the fall of 2023, Rudi Kristiansen became the first person in the world to complete Everesting on roller skis. He took a total of 24 hours to reach 8.849 vertical meters.

Read More: Could be the first ever to “Everest” on roller skis

What do you think will be the biggest challenge with this?

“I can feel that my upper body strength is very weak and that my hips aren’t used to skiing anymore. My hands also don’t have the calluses they used to. So, the biggest challenge will probably be sore hips, ‘frog skin’ from warm ski boots, and worn-out arches after 12 hours. Mentally, I’m used to it – I know it’ll be ‘boring’ to do this on an indoor treadmill. But it’s just one day’s work.”

FACTS: WHAT IS EVERESTING?

• The concept of “Everesting” is to repeatedly climb the same hill until you have accumulated 8.849 vertical meters, equivalent to the height of Mount Everest. The most common ways to do it are cycling or running.
• The vertical meters must be completed in a single session, but breaks are allowed. The total time, including breaks, counts as the official time for the project.
• Similar distinctions named after other mountains, such as Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro, have emerged depending on the number of vertical meters accumulated during the session.
• Hells 500, the Australian organization, created the Everesting concept and verifies and tracks Everesting attempts worldwide.