States of Elevation: Colorado Unfiltered

One state, 16 days, 56 summits: a journey stitched together by legendary routes, iconic peaks, and a vibrant local community showing up all along the way.

From that first push on the LA Freeway to the final scramble out of Chicago Basin, the opening two weeks of the States of Elevation project became a celebration of Colorado’s wildest terrain and most storied lines.

Kilian threaded together classic traverses such as LA Freeway, the Elks, Nolan’s, the Crestone Group, and stood atop summits like Elbert, Massive, Pikes Peak, and the Maroon Bells, relying on pure determination to link them all by bike after long, demanding days in the mountains.

Along the way, old friends and new partners joined Kilian, sharing their knowledge and passion for the mountains.

This is the story behind the numbers: the weather, the decisions, the quiet miles between famous routes. The first two weeks of a project that set out to touch every 14,000‑foot summit in the lower 48, and didn’t stop until the line was complete.

Filmed by: Nick Danielson, Kilian Jornet
Photographs: Nick Danielson, Andy Cochrane
Edited by: Claudia Lederer
With help from: Thomas Bannelier