We present results of an experimental study aimed at producing a compact Marx generator consisting of three to six stages in series. A continuous plasma column is used to trigger simultaneously each element of the generator. This plasma channel is created by the filamentation of an intense femtosecond laser pulse (200–250 mJ, 700 fs @ 800 nm) from a Ti: Sapphire chirped pulse amplification laser chain. After propagation in air, the weakly converging laser beam undergoes multiple filamentation, leading to the production of a 1–2 m long continuous plasma column of diameter ∼5 mm which connects quasi instantaneously the gap switches of all Marx generator stages.