30 kilometers, 4,400 meters of elevation gain, and 18 peaks over 4,000 meters – the so-called Spaghetti Tour is legendary and is considered one of the most beautiful summit tours in the Alps. An impressive 18 four-thousand-meter peaks line this route, including the highest peak in Switzerland, the Dufourspitze (4,634 m). The classic route starts at the Monte Rosa Hut in Zermatt, runs along the border of Italy and Switzerland, and ends at the Klein Matterhorn cable car station.

Experienced mountaineers usually take between three and five days to complete the technical route with its numerous climbing sections. DYNAFIT athlete Andy Steindl (35) conquered the route solo in an incredible 7 hours, 45 minutes, and 44 seconds. This astonishing achievement beats the previous "Fastest Known Time" of 9 hours and 18 minutes by over 1.5 hours.

The Spaghetti Tour gets its name from the Italian huts that offer accommodation and food to climbers along the way. However, Andy had no time for stops. He set himself a limit of 9 hours to tackle 18 four-thousanders and break the record set by French mountaineer Benjamin Védrines in 2021.

The record attempt started on July 19, 2024, at 2:45 a.m.: From the Monte Rosa Hut (2,882 m), Andy tackled the first peak, Nordend (4,608 m). With perfect weather and snow conditions, the Swiss extreme mountaineer checked off one four-thousander after another, finally reaching his last goal, the Klein Matterhorn (3,817 m) in Zermatt, at 10:31 a.m. An amazing new record that significantly pushes the boundaries of time.

Back in 2015, Andy Steindl, together with Swiss extreme mountaineer Ueli Steck, set a best time on the Spaghetti Tour. They conquered the 18 peaks of the Spaghetti Round in 14 hours and 35 minutes. This time was only beaten five years later by the Bernese alpinists Adrian Zurbrügg and Nicolas Hojac. Benjamin Védrines' record of 9 hours and 18 minutes in 2021 set the bar significantly higher and served as both a challenge and motivation for Andy. In 2022, the DYNAFIT athlete attempted a record with Martin Anthamatten, but their rope team missed the new best time by just 10 minutes, finishing in 9 hours and 28 minutes. Andy was all the happier after his latest record.

Andy Steindl was born at the foot of the Matterhorn. At 14, he stood on the summit of the Matterhorn for the first time with his mother and father, a mountain guide. His passion for the Alps was ignited, along with his drive for height and speed. Until the winter of 2018, the certified mountain and ski guide was a member of the Swiss national ski mountaineering team. Since 2019, the 35-year-old has been regularly taking on new projects in high alpine terrain as an official DYNAFIT athlete, truly living up to the motto #SPEEDUP.

Andy Steindl has proven his knack for record times not only on the Spaghetti Round. In 2019, he set the speed record on Mont Blanc. Together with Italian Francois Cazzanelli, Steindl climbed and descended the highest peak in the Alps via the Peuteray Integral Ridge in record time. The two mountain guides needed just 15 hours and 55 minutes for the 4,300 meters of elevation gain and 45 kilometers over the longest ridge in the Alps. One of the Swiss climber's greatest achievements is the record on the Matterhorn – his home mountain, which he has climbed 128 times: On August 27, 2018, Steindl ran from the church square in Zermatt to the Matterhorn and back, covering nearly 3,000 meters of elevation gain and 22.8 kilometers in less than four hours (3:59:52). He also set another record on the Matterhorn: On September 12, 2018, he and Francois Cazzanelli climbed all four ridges in one day in just 16 hours and 4 minutes.

#SPEEDUP