Red Bull X-Alps

The Red Bull X-Alps is a paragliding race in which athletes must hike or fly 1,200 km across the Alps. It first launched in 2003 and has since taken place every other year. Around 30 athletes take part and must navigate their way via a predetermined set of turn points that vary with each race. Every kilometer must be covered either on foot or by paraglider. Teams consist of one athlete and one official supporter, whose role it is to provide technical advice, mental and nutritional support.

The route traditionally covers the Alpine regions of Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France before ending in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. The 2017 route featured Slovenia as well.[1]

Athletes didn't fly into Monaco due to airspace restrictions, and the term "Monaco" has been used solely for marketing purposes. That is one reason why in the tenth edition (2021) the route has been changed to not include Monaco but rather return to Austria.[2]

The exact route is normally unveiled in the spring before the race start.

So far the race has only been won by Swiss nationals, and by Christian Maurer since 2009.[3]

History

The concept for the Red Bull X-Alps was developed by Austrian pilot Hannes Arch who saw a TV documentary in which German pilot Toni Bender crossed the Alps from North to South by paraglider, carrying all his equipment, sleeping rough and hiking parts of the way.

"I thought it would be cool to base a paragliding competition on this format and developed a basic concept for it - and the idea was born! Together with Red Bull, we have developed it over the years to be the Red Bull X-Alps it is today - the toughest and most extreme endurance and outdoor race in the world. Its simplicity is what makes it most appealing. We start in Salzburg and whoever arrives in Monaco first wins. That's it. It's about body and soul, not about hundreds of rules and regulations," Arch has said.[4]

When conditions are good, athletes use paragliders to fly, and when they are not they must run or hike, carrying their paraglider and other mandatory equipment. The use of tunnels and all other forms of transport are not permitted.

The first edition led from Austria's Dachstein Glacier to Monaco via Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, Mont Blanc and Mont Gros in France. Seventeen athletes and their support teams covered a distance of 800 kilometers as the crow flies.

Over the years the route and the turn points have changed. From 2009 the race started off in the Austrian city of Salzburg. At 1,031 kilometers, the 2013 course was the longest in the history of the race and athletes had to pass 10 turn points: Gaisberg, Dachstein, and Wildkogel in Austria; Zugspitze in Germany; Ortler/Sulden in Italy; Interlaken, Matterhorn in Switzerland; Mont Blanc, Saint Hilaire, and Peille in France.

New to the 2015 race was the Powertraveller Prologue, a one-day hike and paragliding contest in the Salzburgerland region. Starting and finishing in Fuschl am See, athletes are required to hike or fly a 38 km course around two turn points, the Zwölferhorn and Schafberg peaks. It was won by Paul Guschlbauer in 2h 21m. In 2017, the prologue will return to Fuschl am See as the Leatherman Prologue on June 29.

The 2015 race started July 5 and ended July 17. It was won for the fourth time in a row by the Swiss athlete Christian Maurer who reached the finish, a landing float in Monaco bay, on July 14. His official time, which stops at the final turn point of Peille above Monaco, was 8d 4h 37m.

Thanks to GPS-Live Tracking, all athletes can be followed in real time on the official website throughout the race. The exact position of the athletes is monitored via data loggers and GSM cell phones. The athletes also carry a camera with them at all times. Stills and videos are used in the athletes’ online diaries, which are kept up to date by their supporters.

Rules

The first athlete to reach Monaco wins the race, which ends 48 hours later but not before a set finish time as defined by organizers. Thereafter, the race will officially end and athletes will be requested to stop racing. Pilots who have not reached the final destination within this time will be ranked according to the distance left to the final destination.

Since the 2011 edition, athletes are forced to have a mandatory rest between 23:00 and 04:00 and stay within a radius of 250m of their resting position for safety reasons. In 2013, the mandatory break was extended by 1.5 hours, from 22:30 to 05:00. If an athlete was still moving in that time, he would be subjected to a minimum penalty of 24 hours. Athletes with penalty times had to prolong their next rest for the duration of their penalty time. Failure to comply with this rule led to disqualification.

New in 2013 was the so-called Night Pass, which allowed athletes to hike through the night. To use they had to inform organizers of their intention by 12:00 local time the day they wished to use. The idea behind the Night Pass was to allow athletes a chance to advance their position by tactical means once during the race. They may be able to hike to a key point where they can extend their lead or pass teams in front.

Since 2013, prototypes are banned from the competition and all equipment, including paragliders, harnesses, and helmets must comply with EN or LTF certifications.[5]

X-Alps 2003

Route

The first course took the athletes from the Dachstein Glacier in Austria to Monaco. It was defined by two turn points, all of which had to be taken within a radius of 100 meters. Over the years the route and the turn points have changed.

#Turnpoint
1  Switzerlandpass over Verbier
2 FranceMont Gros

Teams and results

Of the 17 competitors who started the race on July 14, 2003, on the Dachstein, only three made it to Monaco. All others completed between 30% and 90% of the course.

Rank Team Athlete Time Distance covered
1SUISwitzerland Kaspar Henny11 Days and 22:55:30 Hours
2FRAFrance David Dagault12 Days and 03:20 Hours
3GER1Germany Stefan Bocks12 Days and 08 Hours
4GER2Germany Thomas Friedrich672 km
5SUI2Switzerland Urs Lötscher668 km
6SLOSlovenia Uros Rozic657 km
7CANCanada Will Gadd656 km
8GER3Germany Holger Herfurth648 km
9ROMRomania Toma Coconea618 km
10AUT2Austria Walter Holzmüller554 km
11TURTurkey Buhara Arif Kemal525 km
12POLPoland Krzysztof Ziolkowski522 km
13ITAItaly Andy Frötscher511 km
14AUT1Austria Gerhard Gassner486 km
15MEXMexico Carlos Carsolio462 km
16BULBulgaria Slavi Vasilev357 km
17GBRUnited Kingdom Jon Shaw263 km

X-Alps 2005

Route

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

#Turnpoint
1 GermanyZugspitze
2 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
3 FranceMont Gros

Teams and results

17 athletes, two of which were women, competed in the second Red Bull X-Alps, starting on August 1, 2005. Four teams reached the final destination while three teams had to withdraw from the race due to injury. All others completed between 25% and 88% of the distance.

Rank Team Athlete Supporter Time
1SUI3Switzerland Alex HoferSwitzerland Heinz Haunschild12 Days and 01:20 Hours
2SUI2Switzerland Urs LötscherSwitzerland Andreas Wild+ 1 Day, 1 Hour
3SUI1Switzerland Kaspar Henny (defending champion)Switzerland Elio Baffioni
4AUT1Austria Helmut EichholzerSwitzerland Elisabeth Rauchenberger
5GER1Germany Stefan BocksGermany Hansi Keim
5GER2Germany Michael GebertGermany Florian Schellheimer
7AUSAustralia Benn KovcoAustralia Bryan Anderson
8AUT2Austria Christian AmonGermany Lars Pongsretired
9ESPSpain David Castillejo MartinezSpain Magdalena Alcañiz Soriano
10GBRUnited Kingdom Aidan ToaseUnited Kingdom Jan Toase
11GREGreece Dimitris BourazanisGreece Marina Zannararetired
12IRLRepublic of Ireland Niki HamiltonAustria Petra Knorretired
13ITAItaly Andy FrötscherItaly Florian Ploner
14MEXMexico Santiago BaezaSpain Christian Fernandez del Valle
15ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Cornel Doru Calutiu
16TURTurkey Semih SayirTurkey Osman Grukan
17USAUnited States Kari CastleUnited States Craig Goddard

X-Alps 2007

Route

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaDachstein
2 ItalyMarmolada
3  SwitzerlandEiger
4 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
5 FranceMont Gros

Teams and results

30 teams started on July 23, 2007, for the third edition of the Red Bull X-Alps. 12 teams had to withdraw. Five teams made it to the final destination in Monaco.

Rank Team Athlete Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1SUI1Switzerland Alex Hofer (defending champion)Switzerland Sandro Schnegg14 Days and 1 Hour
2ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Razvan Levarda+ 04:35 Hours
3SUI3Switzerland Martin MüllerSwitzerland Fabian Zuberer+ 1 Day and 00:15 Hours
4SUI2Switzerland Urs LötscherSwitzerland Nicole Willi+ 1 Day and 05:50 Hours
5JPNJapan Kaoru OgisawaJapan Masaru Saso+ 1 Day and 22:54 Hours
6GBR1United Kingdom Aidan ToaseUnited Kingdom Bhavna Patel102 km
7ESPSpain Ramon MorillasSpain Oscar Atillo124 km
8GBR2United Kingdom Ulric JessopUnited Kingdom Ruth Jessop130 km
9USA2United States Honza RejmanekUnited States David Hanning142 km
10ITA2Italy Leone PascaleItaly Roberto Maggi152 km
11CZECzech Republic Jan SkrabalekCzech Republic Jaroslav Jindra159 km
12FRA2France Julien WirtzFrance Adrien Vicier185 km
13USA1United States Nate ScalesUnited States Nick Greece186 km
14 GER2 Germany Peter Rummel Germany Martin Walleitner 246 km
AUT1 Austria Christian Reinegger Austria Wolfgang Wimmer 246 km
ITA1 Italy Andy Frötscher Italy Michael Pezzi 246 km
17AUSAustralia Lloyd PenicuikAustralia John Binyon283 km
18RUSRussia Dmitry GusevRussia Viktor Yanchenko325 km
19SLOSlovenia Simon CopiSlovenia Marina Istenic351 km, retired
20BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Eduouard Crespeigneretired after 437 km
21VENVenezuela Raul PensoVenezuela Eduardo Fuhrmeisterretired after 414 km
22AUT2Austria Gerald AmesederAustria Thomas Weingartnerretired after 402 km
23SVKSlovakia Peter VrabecSlovakia Frantisek Pavlousekretired after 357 km
24FRA1France Vincent SprüngliFrance Jerome Maupointretired after 318 km
25POLPoland Krzysztof ZiolkowskiPoland Grazyna Cader-Ziolkowskaretired after 239 km
26GER1Germany Michael GebertGermany Christian Maierretired after 208 km
27CANCanada Max FanderlCanada Jeff Bellisretired after 165 km
28COLColombia Hugo Jimenezretired after 140 km
29GREGreece Dimitris BourazanisGreece Manos Kiriakakisretired after 127 km
30TURTurkey Yurdaer EtikeTurkey Erdem Tucretired after 23 km

Martin Müller was the fastest athlete, however, he was penalized with 36 hours due to an airspace violation in Sion, Switzerland. Müller was taken over by Alex Hofer and Toma Coconea at Mt Gros and only placed third. Winner Alex Hofer traveled 900 km (61% of the distance) in the air and walked 588 km (39%). In comparison, Coconea flew 24% of the distance and walked the other 76% (1,021 km).

X-Alps 2009

Route

For the first time the race started from the Mozartplatz in the center of the city of Salzburg, the end goal however remained the same. The number of turnpoints was increased to seven.

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 GermanyWatzmann
3 AustriaGroßglockner
4 ItalyMarmolada
5  SwitzerlandMatterhorn
6 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
7 FranceMont Gros

Teams and results

The fourth edition was the first one to start from a new starting point. On July 19, 2009, 30 teams started from the Mozartplatz in the Austrian city of Salzburg. Only two teams made it all the way to the final destination in Monaco while 12 teams had to withdraw, were disqualified or taken out of the race.

Rank Team Athlete Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1SUI1Switzerland Chrigel MaurerSwitzerland Thomas Theurillat9 Days and 23:54 Hours
2SUI2Switzerland Alex Hofer (defending champion)Austria Nicole Schlotterer+ 1 Day, 09:24 Hours
3USAUnited States Honza RejmanekUnited States David Hanning139 km
4GBR1United Kingdom Aidan ToaseUnited Kingdom Charlie Merrett164 km
5RUSRussia Evgeny GryaznovRussia Dmitry Gusev193 km
6GERGermany Michael GebertGermany Florian Schellheimer203 km
7FINFinland Jouni MakkonenFinland Toni Leskelä230 km
8HUNHungary Pal TakatsAustria Mauritz Volkmer231 km
9ESPSpain Ramon MorillasSpain Juan Morillas237 km
10BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Maxime van Dyck238 km
11FRA2France Julien WirtzFrance Adrien Vicier245 km
12ITA2Italy Andy FrötscherGermany Raphael Murphy Graetz288 km
13JPN1Japan Kaoru OgisawaJapan Masaru Saso297 km
CANCanada Max FanderlCanada Penny Powers297 km
15GBR2United Kingdom Tom PayneUnited Kingdom Alex Raymont321 km
CZECzech Republic Jan SkrabalekCzech Republic David Bzirsky321 km
17POLPoland Filip JaglaPoland Piotr Goc423 km
18SVKSlovakia Peter VrabecSlovakia Tomas Bernat457 km
19AUT1Austria Helmut EichholzerAustria Andreas Neubacherdisqualified for flying into forbidden zone
20ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Vasile Trifan
Daniel Pisica
disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
21VENVenezuela Raul PensoVenezuela Ismael Pensodisqualified for flying into forbidden zone
22SUI2Switzerland Martin MüllerSwitzerland Fabien Zuberereliminated (injury)
23FRA1France Vincent SprüngliFrance David Bibier Cocatrixeliminated (injury)
24NEDNetherlands Ronny GeijsenNetherlands Hugo Robbeneliminated (injury)
25RSASouth Africa Pierre CarterSouth Africa James Braideliminated (injury)
26ITA1Italy Leone Antonio PascaleItaly Maurizio Dalla Valleeliminated (injury)
27AUT2Austria Christian AmonAustria Manuel Gollereliminated (injury)
28JPN2Japan Masayuki MatsubaraJapan Tetsuo Kogaieliminated
29AUSAustralia Lloyd PenicuikAustralia Lewis Notteliminated
30SLOSlovenia Primoz SusaSlovenia Igor Erzeneliminated

Chrigel Maurer was the fastest athlete and the first to reach Monaco from the air (he landed at Roquebrune Beach and ran to the last turnpoint on Mont Gros from where he flew to the final destination). Defending champion Alex Hofer arrived one day later. The winner traveled 72% (999 km) of the overall distance (1,379 km) in the air and walked the other 28% (380 km).

X-Alps 2011

Route

Mozartplatz, Salzburg, Austria, to Monaco.

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 AustriaDachstein
3 AustriaGroßglockner
4 ItalyDrei Zinnen
5  SwitzerlandPiz Palü
6  SwitzerlandMatterhorn
7 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
8 FranceMont Gros

Teams and results

As in 2009, the 2011 race started from the Mozartplatz in Salzburg. The 30 athletes who had been nominated by the race committee took off on July 17, 2011. Only two teams made it all the way to the final destination.

Rank Team Athlete Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1SUI1Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion)Switzerland Thomas Theurillat11 Days and 04:52 Hours (24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone)
2ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Daniel Pisica13 Days and 03 Hours
3AUT4Austria Paul GuschlbauerGermany Sara Gudelius9 km
4SUI3Switzerland Martin MüllerSwitzerland Boris Aellen73 km
5GBR2United Kingdom Jon ChambersUnited Kingdom Richard Chambers113 km
6GERGermany Michael GebertGermany Florian Schellheimer172 km
7NEDNetherlands Ferdinand van SchelvenNetherlands Anton Brous173 km
8FRA3France Clement LatourFrance Sylvain Dhonneur174 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
9FINFinland Jouni MakkonenFinland Toni Leskelä176 km
10USAUnited States Honza RejmanekUnited States Dave Hanning181 km
11BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Gatien de Dorlodot183 km
12RUSRussia Evgeny GryaznovRussia Anton Poliakov241 km
13AUT1Austria Helmut EichholzerAustria Wolfgang Ehgarter246 km
14CANCanada Max FanderlCanada Penny Powers305 km
ITAItaly Andy FrötscherItaly Robert Mur305 km
16BRABrazil Richard PethigalBrazil Dioclecio R. Filho327 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
17POLPoland Pawel FaronPoland Piotr Goc350 km
18ESPSpain Oriol FernandezSpain Armand Rubiella389 km
19GBR1United Kingdom Steve NashUnited Kingdom Richard Bungay385 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
20CZECzech Republic Jan SkrabalekCzech Republic Karel Vrbensky478 km, eliminated
21RSASouth Africa Pierre CarterSouth Africa James Braid516 km, eliminated
22ARGArgentina Martin Romero GarayzabalArgentina Martin Utrera573 km, eliminated (injury)
23JPN2Japan Masayuki MatsubaraJapan Shinichi Nagashima620 km, eliminated
24FRA1France Vincent SprüngliFrance Jerome Maupoint631 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; retired (technical failure)
25AUT3Austria Mike KüngAustria Eduard Kumaropulos677 km, eliminated (illness)
26PORPortugal Nuno VirgilioPortugal Samuel Lopes683 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; eliminated
27JPN1Japan Kaoru OgisawaJapan Masaru Saso739 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
28AUT2Austria Christian AmonAustria Mario Schmaranzer755 km, eliminated (injury)
29FRA2France Philippe BarnierFrance Herve Garcia757 km, eliminated
30NORNorway Ivar SandståNorway Øystein Dagestad786 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; eliminated

Defending champion Chrigel Maurer was the first to arrive in Monaco after 11 days, 4h and 52min after covering a total distance of 1,807 km, 1,321 km of which he covered by paraglider and 486 km on the ground.

X-Alps 2013

Route

Mozartplatz, Salzburg, Austria, to Monaco.

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 AustriaDachstein
3 AustriaWildkogel
4 GermanyZugspitze
5 ItalyOrtler/Sulden
6  SwitzerlandInterlaken
7  SwitzerlandMatterhorn
8 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
9 FranceSaint Hilaire
10 FrancePeille

Teams and results

31 athletes took off from the Mozartplatz in Salzburg on July 7, 2013. A record number of ten teams made it all the way to Monaco.

Rank Team Athlete Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1SUI1Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion)Switzerland Thomas Theurillat6 Days and 23:40 Hours
2FRA1France Clement LatourFrance Philippe Barnier
Bruno Deloustal
8 Days and 16 Hours
3FRA2France Antoine GirardFrance Nelson de Freyman
Yves Bernard
8 Days and 16:30 Hours
4GBRUnited Kingdom Jon ChambersUnited Kingdom Richard Chambers
Tom Payne
9 Days and 05:12 Hours
5ITA2Italy Peter GebhardItaly Heidi Insam
Gerald Demetz
9 Days and 07:40 Hours
6NEDNetherlands Ferdinand van SchelvenNetherlands Anton Brous10 Days and 09:27 Hours
7ITA1Italy Aaron DurogatiCzech Republic Renata Kuhnova
Ondrej Prochazka
10 Days and 10:28 Hours
8SUI2Switzerland Martin MüllerSwitzerland Stephane Voeffray
Julien Andrey
10 Days and 21:43 Hours
9AUT1Austria Paul GuschlbauerGermany Sara Gudelius
Axel Gudelius
11 Days and 05:47 Hours
10ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Daniel Pisica
Adrian Miclea
11 Days and 11:22 Hours
11USA1United States Honza RejmanekUnited States Luis Rosenkjer
Jesse Williams
101 km
12FRA3France Victor SebeFrance Vincent Tourangin
Hugues Baschet
113 km
13BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Cedric de Bruyn
Sebastien Granville
153 km
14RUSRussia Evgeny GryaznovBelarus Tatsiana Spirydonava
Russia Valeriy Maznev
154 km
15POLPoland Pawel FaronPoland Piotr Goc
Witold Wladyka
154 km
16JPN1Japan Kaoru OgisawaJapan Fumio Miki
Hideo Inaba
168 km
17ITA3Italy Andy FrötscherItaly Robert Mur
Germany Michael Schneider
182 km
18JPN2Japan Shoichiro TadanoJapan Masaru Saso
Naohisa Okada
184 km
19CZECzech Republic Michal KrystaCzech Republic Standa Mayer
Jan Skrabalek
229 km
20GER3Germany Max MittmannSwitzerland Matthias Christen
Roger Christen
261 km
21AUT2Austria Mike KüngAustria Eduard Kumaropulos
Germany Renate Schatzl
379 km
22VENVenezuela Raul PensoItaly Dario di Gioia
United States Gabriela Guzman
385 km, 48-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; 24-hour penalty for needing to be rescued by a mountain guide in rough terrain
23CANCanada Max FanderlCanada Penny Powers
Germany Mik Broschart
411 km
24GER2Germany Lars BudackGermany Jonathan Möller
Wenzel Piel
428 km
25KORSouth Korea Pil Pyo HongSouth Korea Kim Min Soo
Ryu Yun Jae
430 km
26RSASouth Africa Pierre CarterSouth Africa James Braid553 km
27ESPSpain Iñigo GabiriaSpain Iñigo Arizaga
Xabier Amorrortu
588 km
28USA2United States Stephan HaaseUnited States David Hanning
Brad Sander
523 km, retired (injury)
29AUT3Austria Thomas HofbauerAustria Christian Grohs
Vera Polaschegg
773 km, eliminated
30NPLNepal Babu SunuwarGermany Charles Kirsten
Andreas Kastler
853 km, eliminated
31ARGArgentina Claudio HeidelSpain Jordi Tosas
Carlos Fernández Carrasco
877 km, eliminated

At 1,031 km, the route was almost 200 km longer than in 2011. Chrigel Maurer was the first to arrive in Monaco, winning for the third time in a row. He made it in a record time of 6 days, 23h and 40min. He traveled a total distance of 2,556 km, 2,288 km of which he covered by paraglider and 268 km on the ground.

X-Alps 2015

Route

The route was announced on March 19, 2015.[6] It follows an arc of Europe's highest mountains, starting in Salzburg, Austria and finishing in Monaco. The 2015 route has ten turnpoints and a straight-line distance of 1,038 km and is more challenging tactically than the 2013 race due to it having less obvious flight paths.

New to the 2015 edition was the Powertraveller Prologue, a one-day hike and paragliding race around the mountains of Fuschl am See. The first three athletes to finish the Prologue were each rewarded with a five-minute headstart in the Red Bull X-Alps race start on July 5 and an additional Led Lenser Nightpass to journey through the night, which is normally a mandatory rest period. First was Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) 2h21m, second was Stanislav Mayer (CZE) in 2h22m, third was Gavin McClurg (USA2) 2h24m.

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 AustriaDachstein
3 GermanyAschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand)
4 AustriaLermoos
5 ItalyBrenta, Cima Tosa
6  SwitzerlandSt. Moritz - Corvatsch
7  SwitzerlandMatterhorn
8 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
9 FranceAnnecy
10 FrancePeille

Teams and results

On December 29, 2014 the first 31 teams were revealed. Two more wildcard teams were added to the starters field on January 8, 2015. The race was won for the fourth time in a row by the Swiss athlete Christian Maurer in 8d 4h 37m, flying an Advance Omega paraglider.

Legend
Wildcard Team
Rank Team Athlete Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1SUI1Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion)Switzerland Thomas Theurillat8 Days and 4 hours
2GER3Germany Sebastian HuberGermany Martin Walleitner8 Days and 22 hours
3AUT1Austria Paul GuschlbauerAustria Werner Strittl9 Days and 4 hours
4FRA2France Antoine GirardFrance Demelin Mathieu9 Days and 5 hours
5FRA4France Gaspard PetiotFrance Laurent Pezet9 Days and 5 hours
6ITAItaly Aaron DurogatiCzech Republic Ondrej Prochazka9 Days and 6 hours
7NEDNetherlands Ferdinand van SchelvenNetherlands Anton Brous9 Days and 22 hours
8USA2United States Gavin McClurgAustralia Bruce Marks10 Days and 4 hours
9GER4Germany Manuel NübelGermany Christian Schineis10 Days and 17 hours
10NZLNew Zealand Nick NeynensNew Zealand Louis Tapper10 Days and 18 hours
11FRA3France Nelson de FreymanFrance Thomas Punty11 Days and 2 hours
12CZECzech Republic Stanislav MayerCzech Republic Petr Kostrhun11 Days and 8 hours
13SUI4Switzerland Peter von BergenSwitzerland Philippe Arn11 Days and 12 hours
14KORSouth Korea Chi-Kyong HaSouth Korea Yun Jae Rju11 Days and 15 hours
15USA1United States Honza RejmanekUnited States Jesse Williams11 Days and 17 hours
16POLPoland Pawel FaronPoland Piotr Goc11 Days and 20 hours
17SWESweden Erik RehnfeldtSweden Peter Back11 Days and 21 hours
18SUI3Switzerland Michael WitschiSwitzerland Yael Margelisch11 Days and 22 hours
19AUT3Austria Stephan GruberAustria Claus Eberharter11 Days and 6 hours, 48-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
20USA4United States Dave TurnerSwitzerland Krischa Berlinger140 km, did not finish
21GBRUnited Kingdom Steve NashUnited Kingdom Richard Bungay178 km, did not finish
22AUT2Austria Gerald GoldAustria Othmar Heinisch302 km, did not finish
23USA3United States Dawn WestrumPoland Jaroslaw Wieczorek375 km, eliminated
24BELBelgium Thomas de DorlodotBelgium Sebastien Granville499 km, withdrew due to injury
25AUT4Austria Pascal PurinAustria Florian Ebenbichler531 km, withdrew due to injury
26ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Daniel Pisica555 km, withdrew due to injury
27RSASouth Africa Stephan KrugerBulgaria Konstantin Filipov575 km, eliminated
28GER1Germany Michael GebertGermany Tobias Böck575 km, withdrew
29ESPSpain Ivan ColásSpain Íñigo Arizaga611 km, withdrew due to injury
30COLColombia Alex VillaColombia Stefan Hodeck635 km, eliminated
31SUI2Switzerland Samuel VurpillotSwitzerland Martin Müller755 km, eliminated
32GER2Germany Yvonne DatheGermany Thomas Ide840 km, eliminated
33FRA1France Clément LatourFrance Barnier PhilippeDid Not StartDNS

X-Alps 2017

Route

The route was announced on March 29, 2017.[1] With seven turnpoints and a straight-line distance of 1,138 km, it was the longest route so far.

In 2017, the Prologue returned as the Leatherman Prologue race on June 29. The one-day hiking race which saw no paragliding due to bad weather took place around the mountains of Fuschl am See. The athletes started in Fuschl and reached the Zwölferhorn before returning to Fuschl as fast as possible. The first three athletes to finish the Prologue race were rewarded with a head start on day two of the main race and an additional Ledlenser Nightpass to journey through the night, which is normally a mandatory rest period.[7]

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 SloveniaTriglav
3 GermanyAschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand)
4 AustriaLermoos
5 ItalyMonte Baldo
6  SwitzerlandMatterhorn
7 FrancePeille

Teams and results

The competing athletes were announced on November 2, 2016 via social media.[8] Two more wildcard teams were added to the field on January 2, 2017.[9] In 2017, 31 teams took part in Red Bull X-Alps; 12 rookies, as well as reigning champion Chrigel Maurer and legend Toma Coconea, who has taken part in every edition so far.[10]

Rank[11] Team Athlete Wing Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer Skywalk X-Alps3 Switzerland Tobias Dimmler 10 days and 23 hours
2 FRA4 France Benoit Outters Sup'Air Wild France Damien Lacaze 11 days and 1 hour
3 AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Skywalk X-Alps3 Austria Werner Strittl 5 km from goal
4 NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven Skywalk X-Alps3 Netherlands Nicole Vincent Piazza 49 km from goal
5 AUT4 Austria Simon Oberrauner Skywalk X-Alps3 Austria Christoph Wolf 51 km from goal
6 AUT3 Austria Pascal Purin Ozone Z-Alps Austria Gabriele Müller 86 km from goal
7 HUN Hungary Pal Takats Ozone Austria Ferdinand Vogel 89 km from goal
8 GER1 Germany Sebastian Huber Advance Omega X-Alps Germany Martin Walleitner 95 km from goal
9 NZL New Zealand Nick Neynens Ozone Z-Alps New Zealand Ben Neynens 130 km from goal
10 CZE Czech Republic Stanislav Mayer GIN GTO2 Czech Republic Jiří Dlask 172 km from goal
11 ROU Romania Toma Coconea Advance Omega X-Alps2 Romania Adrian Miclea 271 km from goal
12 FRA3 France Nelson de Freyman Advance Omega X-Alps2 France Damien Pierre 275 km from goal
13 ITA2 Italy Tobias Grossrubatscher Ozone LM6 Italy Lukas Hitthaler 275 from goal
14 USA1 United States Gavin McClurg Niviuk Klimber Australia Bruce Marks 308 km from goal
15 CAN Canada Richard Brezina Skywalk Poison X-Alps France Julien Maatouk 319 km from goal
16 POL Poland Michal Gierlach Sup'air Wild Poland Dominika Kasieczko 378 km from goal
17 RUS Russia Evgenii Griaznov Poland Stanislaw Radzikowski 457 km from goal
18 USA2 United States Jesse Williams Skywalk X-Alps Czech Republic Pavel Cibulka 474 km from goal
19 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Supair Wild Belgium Sebastien Granville 510 km from goal
20 GER2 Germany Manuel Nübel Skywalk Poison X-Alps Germany Christian Schineis Withdrew 209 km from goal
21 FRA2 France Gaspard Petiot France Laurent Peseta Withdrew 383 km from goal
22 USA3 United States Mitch Riley Thomas Alfred Eliminated 530 km from goal
23 SUI2 Switzerland Krischa Berlinger Canada Benjamin Jordan Withdrew 551 km from goal
24 ESP Spain Jose Ignacio Arevalo Guede Spain Francisco Javier Delgado Cid Eliminated 745 km from goal
25 AUS Australia Che Golus Australia Oliver Delprado Withdrew 773 km from goal
26 ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati Italy Matteo Vettorel Withdrew 776 km from goal
27 RSA South Africa Duncan Kotze South Africa Johan De Bruijn Eliminated 832 km from goal
28 ARG Argentina Claudio Heidel Schemberger Argentina Jorge Zimmerman Eliminated 967 km from goal
29 AUT2 Austria Stephan Gruber Austria Florian Eder Withdrew 984 km from goal
30 FRA1 France Antoine Girard France Laurent Fischer Withdrew 1048 km from goal
31 MEX Mexico David Liano Gonzalez Mexico Alejandro Gonzalez Medina Eliminated 1059 km from goal

X-Alps 2019

Route

The 2019 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Monaco.[12]

#Turnpoint
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 AustriaWagrain-Kleinarl
3 GermanyAschau-Chiemsee
4 ItalyKronplatz
5 AustriaLermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
6  SwitzerlandDavos
7  SwitzerlandTitlis
8  SwitzerlandEiger
9 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
10 FranceSaint-Hilaire du Touvet
11 ItalyMonte Viso
12 FranceCheval Blanc
13 FrancePeille

Teams and results

A total of 32 athletes started the 2019 race.[13]

Rank Team Athlete Wing Profession Supporter Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 3 22,8 Paraglider Competition Pilot, Coach, Speaker Andy Schäublin 9 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes
2 FRA4 France Maxime Pinot Zeolite S Paragliding instructor / Test Pilot Jérémie Lager 9 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes
3 AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Skywalk X-Alps4 S Athlete Werner Strittl 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes
3 FRA1 France Benoit Outters Supair Wild 21 Fireman Stéphane Garin 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes
5 GER1 Germany Manuel Nübel Skywalk X-Alps4 Tandempilot / Selfemployed Christian Schineis 10 days, 11 hours, 26 minutes
6 AUT2 Austria Simon Oberrauner Skywalk X-Alps4 Solo&Tandempilot Simon Volker 10 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes
7 FRA2 France Gaspard Petiot Zeolite S teacher university Lyon1 Laurent Pezet 10 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes
8 SUI2 Switzerland Patrick von Känel ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 3 22,8 Testpilot by ADVANCE Paragliders Sepp Inniger 10 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes
9 ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati Omega Xalps 3 21,8 paragliding pilot Elisabeth Egger 10 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes
10 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Supair Wild 23 Pro paragliding pilot / adventurer Diego Lacroix 10 days, 22 hours, 33 minutes
11 ROU Romania Toma Coconea Advance Omega X-Alps 3 Fly Instructor Adrian Miclea 78.1 km
12 USA1 United States Gavin McClurg Zeolite S Paragliding pilot/ Athlete, CEO Offshore Odysseys Ben Abruzzo 206 km
13 ITA2 Italy Tobias Grossrubatscher Skywalk X-Alps4 timberman Karl Heufler 212.7 km
14 GER2 Germany Markus Anders Skywalk X-Alps4 R&D Harness Skywalk, Coaching, Hike & Fly Athlete Kilian Hallweger 215.8 km
15 NZL1 New Zealand Nick Neynens Ozone Zeolite MS Meteorologist Ben Neynens 263.3 km
16 MEX Mexico Eduardo Garza Skywalk X-Alps4 XS Mechanical & Electrical Engineer Bianca Heinrich 265.4 km
17 RUS Russia Evgenii Griaznov SupAir Wild 23 teacher Andrei Mashak 270.3 km
18 SVK Slovakia Juraj Koren Gin Puma 20,5 Student/tandem/team pilot of Airdesign Jakub Beňo 290.1 km
19 SUI3 Switzerland Adrian Keller Skywalk X-Alps4 XS Bicycle Mechanic Dina Sägesser 350.5 km
20 USA3 United States Cody Mittanck Zeolite MS Ecologist/GIS Consultant Huntley Brockie 399 km
21 DNK Denmark Thomas Juel Christensen Zeolite MS Project Manager Hans Kristjan Gudmundsson 423.8 km
22 TUR Turkey Baris Celik Skywalk X-Alps4 Tandem pilot Metin Kavuncu 449.1 km
23 USA2 United States Willi Cannell Niviuk Klimber P 19,24 wilderness river guide Rob Curran 471.4 km
24 HRV Croatia Marko Hrgetic Triple Seven Qlite MS Paragliding Instructor Adrien Colombié 478.3 km
25 JPN Japan Kaoru Ogisawa PHI Maestro light 18.0 paragliding pilot Fumio Miki 500.9 km
26 AUT3 Austria Helmut Schrempf Supair Wild 23 Paragliding Teacher, SIV Trainer Marcus Winkler 503.4 km
OUT KOR South Korea Chikyong Ha Gingliders Puma 20,5 Paragliding instructor,test pilot Younjae Ryu 530 km
DNF FRA3 France Antoine Girard Zeolite MS Teacher (computer science) Martin Beaujouan 554 km
OUT NZL2 New Zealand Kinga Masztalerz Supair Wild 21 Coaching other pilots and growing tropical waterlilies Chris Wright 580 km
OUT COL Colombia Alex Villa Supair Wild 21 Events Productions Lucho Jimenez 743 km
OUT POL Poland Dominika Kasieczko Zeolite S paragliding guide pilot, architect Kuba Poburka 870 km
OUT LBN Lebanon Rodolphe Akl Alpina 3 MS Major in ranger special forces; in charge of the mountain troops Alexandre Scelsi 990 km

X-Alps 2021

The 10th edition of the race started on 20 June 2021, at 11:30 AM from the Mozartplatz in the center of the city of Salzburg.[14]

Route

The 2021 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Zell am See.[2]

#TurnpointLocation
1 AustriaGaisberg
2 AustriaWagrain-Kleinarl
3 AustriaKitzbühel
4 GermanyAchental (Chiemgau)
5 AustriaLermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
6  SwitzerlandSäntis
7  SwitzerlandFiesch
8 FranceDent d’Oche
9 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
10 Italy/  SwitzerlandPiz Palü
11 ItalyKronplatz
12 AustriaSchmittenhöhe

Teams

A total of 29 athletes competed in the 2021 race.[15]

Team Athlete Supporter Comment
AUT1Austria Paul GuschlbauerAustria Werner Strittlsixth start
AUT2Austria Simon OberraunerAustria Simon Volkerthird start
AUT3Austria Thomas FriedrichAustria Arno Flitschfirst start
BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Thibault Vogleteighth start
FRA1France Maxime PinotFrance Jérémie Lagersecond start
FRA2France Benoît OuttersFrance Tom Remithird start
FRA3France Théo de BlicFrance Jules Croibierfirst start
FRA4France Laurie Genovese France Alexis Reverchonfirst start
FRA5France Damien LacazeFrance Stéphane Garinfirst start
GBRUnited Kingdom Steve BramfittNetherlands Matthijs Groeneveldfirst start
GER1Germany Manuel NübelGermany Sascha Rentelfourth start
GER2Germany Markus AndersAustria Daniel Oberauersecond start
GER3Germany Michael LacherGermany Matthias Krausfirst start
ITA1Italy Aaron DurogatiAustria Elisabeth Eggerfifth start
ITA2Italy Tobias GrossrubatscherItaly Simon Grossrubatscherthird start
ITA3Italy Nicola DoniniItaly Fiorenzo Grazianofirst start
JPN1Japan Kaoru OgisawaItaly Davide Cardonafifth start
JPN2Japan Ken OgumaJapan Tetsuo Kogaifirst start
MEXMexico Eduardo GarzaUnited States Bianca Heinrichsecond start
NEDNetherlands Ferdinand van SchelvenNetherlands Nicole van Schelvenfifth start
NZL1New Zealand Nick NeynensNew Zealand Nicola McLarenfourth start
POLPoland Michal GierlachPoland Maciej Zietarasecond start
ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Adrian Pochiutenth start
RUSRussia Andrei MashakUkraine Andrey Bukinfirst start
SUI1Switzerland Chrigel MaurerSwitzerland Thomas Theurillatseventh start
SUI2Switzerland Patrick von KänelSwitzerland Andy Jäggisecond start
SUI4Switzerland Yael Margelisch Switzerland Joël Bruchezfirst start
USA1United States Gavin McClurgUnited States Reavis Sutphin-Grayfourth start
USA2United States Cody MittanckUnited States Robert Brockiesecond start

Results[16]

Rank Team Athlete Finish Time Distance to Goal (as the crow flies)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Christian Maurer 8 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes, 28 seconds
2 SUI2 Switzerland Patrick von Känel 9 days, 2 hours, 7 minutes, 30 seconds
3 AUT2 Austria Simon Oberrauner 9 days, 2 hours, 18 minutes, 25 seconds
4 FRA1 France Maxime Pinot 9 days, 3 hours, 1 minute, 14 seconds
5 FRA2 France Benoît Outters 10 days, 9 hours, 12 minutes, 12 seconds
6 GER1 Germany Manuel Nübel 39.1 km
7 AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer 43.5 km
8 ITA2 Italy Tobias Grossrubatscher 65.6 km
9 POL Poland Michal Gierlach 88.1 km
10 NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven 93.4 km
11 FRA5 France Damien Lacaze 99.3 km
12 ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati 108.1 km
13 ROM Romania Toma Coconea 218.3 km
14 MEX Mexico Eduardo Garza 252.7 km
15 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot 280.3 km
16 GBR United Kingdom Steve Bramfitt 330.5 km
17 USA1 United States Gavin McClurg 393.9 km
18 SUI4 Switzerland Yael Margelisch 412 km
19 GER3 Germany Michael Lacher 429.3 km
20 JPN1 Japan Kaoru Ogisawa 512.9 km
DNF GER2 Germany Markus Anders 467.8 km
OUT FRA3 France Théo de Blic 544.7 km
OUT FRA4 France Laurie Genovese 595.2 km
DNF AUT3 Austria Thomas Friedrich 731.5 km
DNF USA2 United States Cody Mittanck 733.8 km
OUT ITA3 Italy Nicola Donini 739 km
DNF JPN2 Japan Ken Oguma 926.1 km
OUT NZL1 New Zealand Nick Neynens 1071.6 km
OUT RUS Russia Andrei Mashak 1132.9 km

X-Alps 2023

The 11th edition of the race will start on 11 June 2023.[17]

Route

The 2023 route will start in Kitzbühel, Austria and end in Zell am See.[2]

#TurnpointLocation
1 AustriaHahnenkamm
2 AustriaWagrain-Kleinarl
3 GermanyAchental (Chiemgau)
4 AustriaLermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
5  SwitzerlandPiz Buin
6  SwitzerlandFiesch
7  SwitzerlandFrutigen
8  SwitzerlandNiesen
9 France/ ItalyMont Blanc
10  France/ Italy Col du Petit Saint-Bernard
11  SwitzerlandDufourspitze
12 ItalyCima Tosa
13  Italy 3 Zinnen
14  Italy Sexten Dolomites
15 AustriaSchmittenhöhe

Teams

A total of 34 athletes competed in the 2023 race.[15]

Team Athlete Supporter Comment
JAPJapan Yuji EMOTOFrance Benoit HOSTEINfirst start
AUSAustralia Richard BinsteadNew Zealand Nicola McLarenfirst start
AUT1Austria Paul GuschlbauerAustria Werner Strittlsixth start
AUT2Austria Simon OberraunerAustria Simon Volkerthird start
AUT3Austria Thomas FriedrichAustria Arno Flitschfirst start
AUT4Austria Elisabeth Egger Austria Nadine Beckfirst start
BELBelgium Tom de DorlodotBelgium Thibault Vogleteighth start
FRA1France Maxime PinotFrance Jérémie Lagersecond start
FRA4France Laurie Genovese France Alexis Reverchonfirst start
FRA5France Damien LacazeFrance Stéphane Garinfirst start
GER2Germany Markus AndersAustria Daniel Oberauersecond start
ITA1Italy Aaron DurogatiItaly Bruno Mottinififth start
ITA2Italy Tobias GrossrubatscherItaly Simon Grossrubatscherthird start
ITA3Italy Nicola DoniniItaly Fiorenzo Grazianofirst start
NZLNew Zealand Kinga Masztalerz Chris Wrightsecond start
POLPoland Michal GierlachPoland Maciej Zietarasecond start
ROMRomania Toma CoconeaRomania Adrian Pochiutenth start
SUI1Switzerland Chrigel MaurerSwitzerland Thomas Theurillateighth start
SUI2Switzerland Patrick von KänelSwitzerland Andy Jäggisecond start
SUI4Switzerland Sepp InnigerAndré Glauserfirst start
SUI5Switzerland Reto ReiserMimo Morattifirst start
USA1United States Logan WaltersReavis Sutphin-Grayfirst start

Winners

Year Winner Second Third
2003  Kaspar Henny (SUI)  David Dagault (FRA)  Stefan Bocks (GER)
2005  Alex Hofer (SUI)  Urs Lötscher (SUI)  Kaspar Henny (SUI)
2007  Alex Hofer (SUI)  Toma Coconea (ROM)  Martin Müller (SUI)
2009  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Alex Hofer (SUI)  Honza Rejmanek (USA)
2011  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Toma Coconea (ROM)  Paul Guschlbauer (AUT)
2013  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Clément Latour (FRA)  Antoine Girard (FRA)
2015  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Sebastian Huber (GER)  Paul Guschlbauer (AUT)
2017  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Benoit Outters (FRA)  Paul Guschlbauer (AUT)
2019  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Maxime Pinot (FRA)  Paul Guschlbauer (AUT)
 Benoit Outters (FRA)
2021  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Patrick von Känel (SUI)  Simon Oberrauner (AUT)
2023  Christian Maurer (SUI)  Damien Lacaze (FRA)  Maxime Pinot (FRA)

References

  1. X-Alps, Red Bull (29 March 2017). "The Route for the 2017 Red Bull X-Alps has been announced!". redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  2. Zooom, created by. "Race to Mt. Blanc - and back | Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  3. Zooom, created by. "Chrigel Maurer (SUI1) has done it again. "The Eagle" has won his eighth Red Bull X-Alps in six days, six hours, and one minute | Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  4. Red Bull X-Alps
  5. X-Alps, Red Bull. "Rules - Red Bull X-Alps". redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. X-Alps, Red Bull. "Red Bull X-Alps Route". redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. http://www.redbullxalps.com/race/prologue-2017.html
  8. "Athletes announced for Red Bull X-Alps 2017". 2 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  9. "Two wildcard athletes announced for Red Bull X-Alps 2017". 4 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  10. "Athletes | Red Bull X-Alps".
  11. "2017 results". redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  12. Zooom, created by. "Route | Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  13. "Final rankings | Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  14. Zooom, created by. "The Road to Red Bull X-Alps 2021". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  15. Zooom, created by. "Athletes 2023 Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  16. "Final Rankings 2021". Red Bull X-Alps. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  17. Zooom, created by. "Route revealed: New start for Red Bull X-Alps 2023 | Red Bull X-Alps". www.redbullxalps.com. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
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