Jakob Herrmann is a global icon in mountain sports. The athlete born in Vienna in 1987 has had a career studded with medals and records set on Europe’s most challenging ski mountaineering and skyrunning slopes. It makes no difference whether he’s wearing a race suit or short sleeves — Jakob is able to go beyond when it comes to racking up meters of elevation gain, daring to keep pushing where many others would give up and back off. 

Jakob’s winter sports journey began, as is often the case, with downhill skiing. At 14, he then switched to skimo, combining rare talent with a healthy obsession that led him to spend entire days on the ranges near his home, starting early in the morning in temperatures approaching -20 degrees. The great endurance that today makes him one of the top practitioners of skimo touring started with the boundless passion of a boy who tolerated the cold and loved the joy of hard effort. The rest is a story of well-known milestones: joining the Austrian Federation, his first victories in national cups, podiums in the Grande Course classics, and his World Cup debut in 2010. From victory at Mountain Attack in 2020, through the triple bronze medal at the Mezzalama, to the third step of the Pierra Menta podium (conquered twice — first in 2022, with legend and friend Kilian Jornet, then in 2022, together with Mathéo Jacquemoud), he’s had numerous international successes.

Jakob’s placings are many and first-rate, yet it is not those that the Austrian champion is most proud of. The “specialty” that has already enshrined him in the annals of the sport is setting new records — his way, he says, of taking his relationship with the discipline to the next level. Such is the case with the absolute record for vertical meters climbed on skis in 24 hours, set in February 2024: 24,242 m along the slopes of his Radstadt that earned him a new record, surpassing his majesty Kilian Jornet. An event destined to mark a new skimo frontier, though certainly not his own. 

In the immediate future, Jakob plans to set new FKTs (fastest known times) on Mont Blanc or Grossglockner, but in trail running clothes, confirming his performance in races on trails, rocks, and meadows as well.

Jakob Herrmann has no plans to stop. It’s the “fast and light” approach at its finest, seasoned with a smile that demonstrates unlimited curiosity and the enthusiasm of a young boy in taking on a new challenge — the trademarks of someone who does not allow the term “giving up” into his vocabulary. 

Proof of this is the determination with which, at the age of 38, he looks toward new goals despite the double tibia fracture suffered in 2024, which compromised his season and, paradoxically, provided new motivation to return to impress the outdoor world.

But Jakob Herrmann’s impact in the community is not limited to his athletic performance. His lifestyle geared toward minimalism and the recent opening of a mountain hut in Werfenweng, near Salzburg, where he has lived for a number of years, make him a widely respected figure who has found in the mountains his form of expression as a person. Thanks also to a degree in sports and health nutrition and training as a chef, Jakob is always ready to host those who frequent the trails where he grew up, for a quick meal or to get to know his generous unpretentiousness up close.

A well-rounded character that Karpos is excited to support in the personal and athletic challenges that await him in the coming seasons.

Jakob, your humbleness is amazing. Where do you find the right to not feel you have arrived and still take chances after a career like yours?
It’s all about curiosity, feeling that burning spark from day one! Another very important aspect is — of course — to have fun and enjoy every moment out there. 

What FKT projects do you have in store for the coming seasons on the trails?
The Grossglockner mountain ascent and the FKT of Mont Blanc on skis, but also the crossing from the Hoch Tirol (a famous crossing between South Tyrol and Austria).

What is your favorite Karpos product?
The whole Alagna family. Just an irreplaceable kit for my skimo training.