We’re all obsessed with speed. Fast cars, fast trains, fast bikes. Even when a machine doesn’t amplify it, speed is still thrilling; it’s why we idolize Usain Bolt and why Subway hired Michael Phelps to sling sandwiches on its behalf. Those two men are unique in that they’re also the fastest in their respective sports, which is an essential distinction in the world of speed.
To be the best at anything is a remarkable claim to furnish yourself with, and one that was typically reserved for professional athletes in more mainstream sports. This is changing somewhat, thanks to apps like Strava that blend fitness and social media into a format complete with video game-like leaderboards. Acronyms like KOM (King of the Mountain, which refers to the person with the best time on a segment in Strava) and FKT (Fastest Known Time, which is a self-set record typically timed and proven with a GPS) are broadening their use beyond insider jargon.
Traditional endurance activities like running and cycling cater to this style of record-oriented fitness, but it’s leached into the outdoors too. It’s now common for ultrarunners and ultralight hikers to complete routes that could take days in unbelievably small amounts of time. Last fall François D’Haene completed California’s John Muir Trail in two days, 19 hours, and 26 minutes, and in doing so, set a new record. The trail is 210 miles long, and many hikers typically give themselves three weeks to complete it.
Making speed runs of trails doesn’t always have to involve setting an FKT though, and you don’t have to be a professional athlete to attempt to halve or quarter the time it takes to travel over a familiar distance. There’s a name for this too: it’s called fastpacking. Fastpacking, in the most general sense, is figuring out how to carry less stuff so that you can move faster through the wilderness.
To better understand what exactly fastpacking is, we spoke with Andy Anderson. In addition to being an athlete for Mammut, Anderson is a guide, climbing ranger and avalanche forecaster. “I grew up hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, climbing and running in Tennessee,” he says. “As life has progressed, I’ve gotten more and more into combining those endeavors. I’ve also gotten to be much less of a fan of carrying heavy packs.”
In 2012, Anderson climbed Wyoming’s Grand Teton in two hours, 53 minutes and two seconds; most climbers allot two days for a summit. Anderson also does things like hike from Italy to Switzerland and back the next day; for his bachelor party, he wrangled his friends into doing New Hampshire’s seven-summit Presidential Traverse in a single day.
