William Boffelli: Meeting deep in the Sichuan Mountains
An brief encounter in West-China and a portrait of one of Italy’s most versatile mountain athletes.
I first met William Boffelli in a park in Chengdu, three days before we headed into the higher mountains of Sichuan Province. He looked weary, weighed down by jet lag and the unfamiliar chaos of a megacity. Chengdu was not the type of place where William seemed at ease. Interested, curious, but also overwhelmed. He wasn’t loud or attention-seeking. In fact, at first glance you could almost miss him in the crowd.
William is not someone who seeks the spotlight. He does not need it. His performances on mountain trails and in high-alpine environments have placed him in the absolute world elite of both trail running and ski mountaineering.
From Valley Races to Mountain Records
William hails from Roncobello in Italy’s Val Brembana and now lives in Courmayeur, where he works as an engineer and glaciologist while training and racing at the highest level. His athletic CV is a mix of technical trail victories, sky races and high-mountain fast-and-light performances.
In 2025 alone, William turned heads with remarkable achievements:
He set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) on Mont Blanc, completing the round trip from Chamonix to the summit and back in 4 hours, 43 minutes and 24 seconds, beating the previous mark by more than eleven minutes and redefining what is possible in fast alpine racing.
He dominated at the Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme, winning the 28 km, 3175 m course in 3:25:06, a performance that underscored his efficiency and endurance on steep, technical terrain.
At the Grigne Skymarathon, he again set the pace, claiming victory with a best time of 4:52:50 over a demanding 42 km route with 3600 m of elevation gain.
These results put William in a special category of mountain runners who bridge the gap between trail, skyrunning and ski mountaineering, proving speed and skill over vastly different mountain disciplines.
Exploring the Sichuan Mountains in China together
Three days after our first meeting in Chengdu, we found ourselves together on the slopes over 5,000 meters above sea level, climbing what is locally known as the “Big Sister” of the Mt. Siguniang massif. This was where I saw William in his element.
I’ve met runners who talk loudly about their goals and ambitions. William is not one of them. He rarely speaks about himself, and that is partly why he leaves such a strong impression. His results speak for him, but so does his presence. During our time in the Sichuan high country, William ran a UTMS race — and won it with a new course record — effortlessly imposing his pace on a challenging and technical trail.
But what stood out even more than his victory was his behaviour before and after the race.
While other runners were focused on tapering, resting, and conserving energy, William would lace up his shoes and disappear into the surrounding ridges, exploring the terrain he loves most. The youth of the mountains, the narrow ridgelines, the thinning air — these are the places where he feels at home.
It would have made sense for him to rest. Instead, he wandered the ridges at high altitude. It was just who he is: curious, calm, and always drawn to the mountains.
William Boffelli’s journey is remarkable not just for his results, but for his approach to the mountains. He is a rare blend of trail runner, mountaineer and explorer — someone you might overlook in a crowd, but whose presence on a mountainside you never forget.
