French skyrunning champion and paragliding athlete Iris Pessey has set a new women’s Fastest Known Time (FKT) ascent on Mont Blanc. The SCOTT Sports athlete completed the feat by running from Chamonix church to the summit of Mont Blanc and paragliding back down.
Pessey covered approximately 16km and 3,800m of vertical gain to the summit, which stands at 4,810m. She completed the ascent in 5 hours and 2 minutes, shaving 10 minutes off the previous record.
The total route, including the paraglider descent, was completed in 5 hours and 34 minutes. According to SCOTT, Iris Pessey is the first woman to combine the foot ascent with a paragliding descent on the peak.
The project relied on a support team that included her guide Matthieu Meynadier, alongside snowboarder Marion Haerty, with backing from SCOTT. During the ascent, Pessey used lightweight equipment from Scott, including apparel and a footwear prototype based on the Supertrac RC 3.
Iris Pessey, Scott Running Athlete, said “At the finish, I wasn’t thinking about the record time. I mostly felt relief and gratitude towards all the people who helped me build this project. Because deep down, this journey was never an individual story – it has always been a shared adventure.”
Later this month, on June 26, 2026, Pessey will compete in the 90km du Mont Blanc, marking her first entry into long-distance racing.
A short film documenting the Mont Blanc challenge by Glace Noire films is scheduled for release in the coming weeks.
