Rémi Bonnet - Trail Runner Profile
Rémi Bonnet is a Swiss mountain runner and ski mountaineer who holds the vertical kilometre world record of 27:21, set at the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully in October 2025. He won the Golden Trail World Series in 2022 and 2023 and is a multiple ISMF ski-mountaineering world champion.
Rémi Bonnet quick facts
- Nationality: Switzerland
- UTMB Index: 951 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
- ITRA score: 956 (as of 27 August 2026, ITRA profile)
- Key results: VK world record: 27:21 (KV Fully, 2025); Golden Trail titles: 2022 and 2023; Winter sport: ISMF world champion 2021 and 2023
UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.
Country: Switzerland · Team: Salomon · Specialities: Vertical, Sky & mountain, Ski mountaineering
Right now: Vertical kilometre world-record holder; won the 2026 Marathon du Mont-Blanc 42km.
Key facts
- VK world record: 27:21 (KV Fully, 2025)
- Golden Trail titles: 2022 and 2023
- Winter sport: ISMF world champion 2021 and 2023
The vertical kilometre record
On 18 October 2025 Bonnet climbed 1,000 vertical metres on the 1.92km Kilomètre Vertical de Fully course in 27 minutes 21 seconds. The previous mark of 28:53 had stood for eight years and was widely treated as close to the physiological ceiling; he took 1:32 off it.
Two sports, one engine
Bonnet is a ski mountaineer first for half the year, with ISMF world titles in 2021 and 2023 and a European title in 2024, and ranked number one in the ISMF World Cup. That winter racing load is why his climbing power in summer is in a category of its own. His 2015 Skyrunner World Series vertical kilometre title came before most of the current field had turned professional.
On the Golden Trail circuit
He won the Golden Trail World Series in 2022 and again in 2023, the second title built on wins at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, a course record at the Pikes Peak Ascent and a win at Mammoth Trail Fest, finishing the season 78 points clear. In 2026 he won the 42km Marathon du Mont-Blanc again.
How Rémi runs
Bonnet is a climber first and a runner second. His power-to-weight on sustained steep gradients is the highest in the sport, and when a course points upwards he moves with a short, very fast cadence at an intensity few athletes can hold for long; his 27:21 vertical kilometre record is half an hour of exactly that.
That engine comes from ski mountaineering. For much of the year he races and trains on skis, with world titles in 2021 and 2023, which means months of high-intensity uphill work at altitude with far less impact than running. When he moves to the trails, the climbing capacity is already in place and the running sharpens it.
His races are usually decided on the way up. He descends competently, and has improved enough to win full mountain marathons such as the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, but downhill is not where he creates his margin. He tends to break the field on the main climb and then protect the gap.
Where Rémi is strongest
Uphill-only events and mountain courses dominated by one or two long, steep climbs. His 27:21 world record at the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully, his Pikes Peak Ascent win and his Marathon du Mont-Blanc titles all come on courses where sustained climbing decides the result.
He is less dominant on fast, runnable or very technical downhill courses where pure running speed or descending skill matter more, and he has not raced beyond about 50km. His range runs from vertical kilometres to mountain marathons, and within that range nobody climbs faster.
The edge. Ski-mountaineering crossover. Months of high-intensity climbing every year, with far less running impact than his rivals.
What you can learn from Rémi
1. Treat uphill work as real training
Bonnet's sport is built on sustained climbing. Steep hill repeats, uphill treadmill sessions at a high incline and vertical kilometre efforts are legitimate high-intensity workouts, not filler. One focused climbing session a week, such as 4 to 6 repeats of 5 to 8 minutes hard uphill with an easy walk down, builds the strength-endurance every mountain race demands.
2. Use a low-impact sport to build your engine
Ski mountaineering gives him huge volumes of climbing without the pounding of running. In winter, ski touring, cross-country skiing, uphill hiking or cycling can do the same for you, building aerobic fitness while giving your joints and tendons a break from running impact.
3. Learn to hike steep ground fast
On the steepest pitches even Bonnet hikes. Practise a fast, purposeful power-hike with your hands pushing on your thighs, and compare it with running on the same slope. Laboratory research on steep slopes suggests that for most people walking becomes more economical than running somewhere around a 25 to 30 percent grade, and at lower speeds even earlier.
4. Play to your strengths when you race
He wins by making the race hard where he is strongest. Know whether you are a climber, a descender or a runner on the flats, choose races that suit you, and plan to push where you have an advantage while simply limiting losses elsewhere.
Selected results
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kilomètre Vertical de Fully | World record (27:21 for 1,000m of gain) |
| 2023 | Golden Trail World Series | 1st overall (second consecutive title) |
| 2023 | Pikes Peak Ascent | 1st (course record) |
| 2026 | Marathon du Mont-Blanc 42km | 1st |
| 2023 | ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Championships | World champion (also 2021) |
A selection, not a complete race history.
Official profiles
Compare yourself with Rémi
- ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
- Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.
Frequently asked questions
What is the vertical kilometre world record?
27 minutes 21 seconds, set by Rémi Bonnet at the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully in Switzerland on 18 October 2025, beating a mark that had stood for eight years by 1:32.
Has Rémi Bonnet won the Golden Trail World Series?
Yes, twice, in 2022 and 2023. His 2023 season included wins at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, the Pikes Peak Ascent and Mammoth Trail Fest.
Is Rémi Bonnet a runner or a ski mountaineer?
Both, at world-championship level. He races the ISMF ski-mountaineering circuit in winter, with world titles in 2021 and 2023, and mountain running in summer.
Runners with a similar profile
- Kilian Jornet (Spain): The most decorated mountain runner in the sport's history, and still the reference point for every distance from vertical kilometre to 100 miles.
- Judith Wyder (Switzerland): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco): Back-to-back Golden Trail World Series champion and the first African man to win the circuit.
- Grayson Murphy (United States): A two-time world mountain running champion who crossed over from steeplechase and marathon trials to become one of America's most decorated uphill racers.
Sources and verification
Checked against the following sources on 2026-08-27:
- Red Bull: Bonnet smashes the vertical kilometre world record
- RUN247: Bonnet and Laukli secure 2023 Golden Trail titles
- ITRA runner profile
- UTMB Index: Rémi Bonnet race history
- Minetti et al. (2002), Energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes
- Trail Runner: When should you walk uphill?
Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/remi-bonnet
Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.