Kilian Jornet stunned his fans by saying he was leaving French sports equipment maker Salomon for a “new project”, which he will announce in due course. The ultra running star has been with Salomon for 18 years, so the announcement came as a big surprise for most. “I remember it like it was yesterday: in the summer of 2003, a friend of a friend gave me a few pairs of trail running shoes. This guy was Salomon’s marketing director in Spain,” Jornet posted on Instagram. “From that moment on, Salomon became not only a sponsor, but a life partner and the Salomon team – from marketing to product developers – became part of my family.” Jornet is considered one of the best ultra runners of his generation, possibly ever. He has won almost all of the major ultra marathons, such as the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and Hardrock, both multiple times – setting a record in the latter. He has won Western States as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kilian Jornet (@kilianjornet) Jornet has won shorter races too, such as the 31km (19-mile) Sierre-Zinal nine times, setting the course record. He has also claimed “fastest known times” outside races, such as the Bob Graham Round in England. The Spanish runner also has an impressive mountaineering CV, including a no oxygen ascent of Everest and multiple other speed ascents during his “Summits of my life” project. Wow. After 18 years Kilian Jornet will leave @SalomonSports for an undisclosed ‘new project’ beginning in the New Year. As a friend said, the news is like Messi leaving Barcelona 🙈🤷🏻♂️💥 — Ian Corless (@Talkultra) November 30, 2021 All the while, he was donning Salomon gear. Last year, Jornet joked on April Fools day that he was retiring to take up fishing , but this time it is no prank. “Together we dreamed big, from winning trail and skimo races to climbing high mountains,” Jornet wrote. “I was able to make dreams come true that I didn’t even believe possible, and it was in large part thanks to this team. I cannot express the gratitude I have towards Salomon for having accompanied me for more than half of my life.” “It’s been a crazy journey that finishes at the end of 2021. This is not to go to another existing brand but to start a new project that I will tell you about very soon,” he said. “Thank you to everyone at Salomon. Thanks to the product developers who brought my crazy gear ideas to life. Thank you to all the sports marketing managers who supported my projects, and to all who brought it to life with images and content. “Big thanks to Joan, Pau, Gino, Greg, JYC, Félix, Serge, Patrick, Cristelle, Jeremie, Laurent, Joseph, Jean-Marc, Bruno and many others. “I cannot express this whole life journey in one post, so we have put together a series of memories that we will share over the next days, to remind you of these 18 years.”