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

Map
All routes so far: 20030 20050 20070 20090 20110 20130 20150 20170 20190 20210 2023

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  Switzerland pass over Verbier
2  France Mont 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
1 SUI Switzerland Kaspar Henny 11 Days and 22:55:30 Hours
2 FRA France David Dagault 12 Days and 03:20 Hours
3 GER1 Germany Stefan Bocks 12 Days and 08 Hours
4 GER2 Germany Thomas Friedrich 672 km
5 SUI2 Switzerland Urs Lötscher 668 km
6 SLO Slovenia Uros Rozic 657 km
7 CAN Canada Will Gadd 656 km
8 GER3 Germany Holger Herfurth 648 km
9 ROM Romania Toma Coconea 618 km
10 AUT2 Austria Walter Holzmüller 554 km
11 TUR Turkey Buhara Arif Kemal 525 km
12 POL Poland Krzysztof Ziolkowski 522 km
13 ITA Italy Andy Frötscher 511 km
14 AUT1 Austria Gerhard Gassner 486 km
15 MEX Mexico Carlos Carsolio 462 km
16 BUL Bulgaria Slavi Vasilev 357 km
17 GBR United Kingdom Jon Shaw 263 km

X-Alps 2005

Route

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

# Turnpoint
1  Germany Zugspitze
2  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
3  France Mont 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
1 SUI3 Switzerland Alex Hofer Switzerland Heinz Haunschild 12 Days and 01:20 Hours
2 SUI2 Switzerland Urs Lötscher Switzerland Andreas Wild + 1 Day, 1 Hour
3 SUI1 Switzerland Kaspar Henny (defending champion) Switzerland Elio Baffioni
4 AUT1 Austria Helmut Eichholzer Switzerland Elisabeth Rauchenberger
5 GER1 Germany Stefan Bocks Germany Hansi Keim
5 GER2 Germany Michael Gebert Germany Florian Schellheimer
7 AUS Australia Benn Kovco Australia Bryan Anderson
8 AUT2 Austria Christian Amon Germany Lars Pongs retired
9 ESP Spain David Castillejo Martinez Spain Magdalena Alcañiz Soriano
10 GBR United Kingdom Aidan Toase United Kingdom Jan Toase
11 GRE Greece Dimitris Bourazanis Greece Marina Zannara retired
12 IRL Republic of Ireland Niki Hamilton Austria Petra Knor retired
13 ITA Italy Andy Frötscher Italy Florian Ploner
14 MEX Mexico Santiago Baeza Spain Christian Fernandez del Valle
15 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Cornel Doru Calutiu
16 TUR Turkey Semih Sayir Turkey Osman Grukan
17 USA United States Kari Castle United States Craig Goddard

X-Alps 2007

Route

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

# Turnpoint
1  Austria Dachstein
2  Italy Marmolada
3  Switzerland Eiger
4  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
5  France Mont 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)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Alex Hofer (defending champion) Switzerland Sandro Schnegg 14 Days and 1 Hour
2 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Razvan Levarda + 04:35 Hours
3 SUI3 Switzerland Martin Müller Switzerland Fabian Zuberer + 1 Day and 00:15 Hours
4 SUI2 Switzerland Urs Lötscher Switzerland Nicole Willi + 1 Day and 05:50 Hours
5 JPN Japan Kaoru Ogisawa Japan Masaru Saso + 1 Day and 22:54 Hours
6 GBR1 United Kingdom Aidan Toase United Kingdom Bhavna Patel 102 km
7 ESP Spain Ramon Morillas Spain Oscar Atillo 124 km
8 GBR2 United Kingdom Ulric Jessop United Kingdom Ruth Jessop 130 km
9 USA2 United States Honza Rejmanek United States David Hanning 142 km
10 ITA2 Italy Leone Pascale Italy Roberto Maggi 152 km
11 CZE Czech Republic Jan Skrabalek Czech Republic Jaroslav Jindra 159 km
12 FRA2 France Julien Wirtz France Adrien Vicier 185 km
13 USA1 United States Nate Scales United States Nick Greece 186 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
17 AUS Australia Lloyd Penicuik Australia John Binyon 283 km
18 RUS Russia Dmitry Gusev Russia Viktor Yanchenko 325 km
19 SLO Slovenia Simon Copi Slovenia Marina Istenic 351 km, retired
20 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Eduouard Crespeigne retired after 437 km
21 VEN Venezuela Raul Penso Venezuela Eduardo Fuhrmeister retired after 414 km
22 AUT2 Austria Gerald Ameseder Austria Thomas Weingartner retired after 402 km
23 SVK Slovakia Peter Vrabec Slovakia Frantisek Pavlousek retired after 357 km
24 FRA1 France Vincent Sprüngli France Jerome Maupoint retired after 318 km
25 POL Poland Krzysztof Ziolkowski Poland Grazyna Cader-Ziolkowska retired after 239 km
26 GER1 Germany Michael Gebert Germany Christian Maier retired after 208 km
27 CAN Canada Max Fanderl Canada Jeff Bellis retired after 165 km
28 COL Colombia Hugo Jimenez retired after 140 km
29 GRE Greece Dimitris Bourazanis Greece Manos Kiriakakis retired after 127 km
30 TUR Turkey Yurdaer Etike Turkey Erdem Tuc retired 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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Germany Watzmann
3  Austria Großglockner
4  Italy Marmolada
5  Switzerland Matterhorn
6  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
7  France Mont 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)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer Switzerland Thomas Theurillat 9 Days and 23:54 Hours
2 SUI2 Switzerland Alex Hofer (defending champion) Austria Nicole Schlotterer + 1 Day, 09:24 Hours
3 USA United States Honza Rejmanek United States David Hanning 139 km
4 GBR1 United Kingdom Aidan Toase United Kingdom Charlie Merrett 164 km
5 RUS Russia Evgeny Gryaznov Russia Dmitry Gusev 193 km
6 GER Germany Michael Gebert Germany Florian Schellheimer 203 km
7 FIN Finland Jouni Makkonen Finland Toni Leskelä 230 km
8 HUN Hungary Pal Takats Austria Mauritz Volkmer 231 km
9 ESP Spain Ramon Morillas Spain Juan Morillas 237 km
10 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Maxime van Dyck 238 km
11 FRA2 France Julien Wirtz France Adrien Vicier 245 km
12 ITA2 Italy Andy Frötscher Germany Raphael Murphy Graetz 288 km
13 JPN1 Japan Kaoru Ogisawa Japan Masaru Saso 297 km
CAN Canada Max Fanderl Canada Penny Powers 297 km
15 GBR2 United Kingdom Tom Payne United Kingdom Alex Raymont 321 km
CZE Czech Republic Jan Skrabalek Czech Republic David Bzirsky 321 km
17 POL Poland Filip Jagla Poland Piotr Goc 423 km
18 SVK Slovakia Peter Vrabec Slovakia Tomas Bernat 457 km
19 AUT1 Austria Helmut Eichholzer Austria Andreas Neubacher disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
20 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Vasile Trifan
Daniel Pisica
disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
21 VEN Venezuela Raul Penso Venezuela Ismael Penso disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
22 SUI2 Switzerland Martin Müller Switzerland Fabien Zuberer eliminated (injury)
23 FRA1 France Vincent Sprüngli France David Bibier Cocatrix eliminated (injury)
24 NED Netherlands Ronny Geijsen Netherlands Hugo Robben eliminated (injury)
25 RSA South Africa Pierre Carter South Africa James Braid eliminated (injury)
26 ITA1 Italy Leone Antonio Pascale Italy Maurizio Dalla Valle eliminated (injury)
27 AUT2 Austria Christian Amon Austria Manuel Goller eliminated (injury)
28 JPN2 Japan Masayuki Matsubara Japan Tetsuo Kogai eliminated
29 AUS Australia Lloyd Penicuik Australia Lewis Nott eliminated
30 SLO Slovenia Primoz Susa Slovenia Igor Erzen eliminated

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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Austria Dachstein
3  Austria Großglockner
4  Italy Drei Zinnen
5  Switzerland Piz Palü
6  Switzerland Matterhorn
7  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
8  France Mont 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)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) Switzerland Thomas Theurillat 11 Days and 04:52 Hours (24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone)
2 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Daniel Pisica 13 Days and 03 Hours
3 AUT4 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Germany Sara Gudelius 9 km
4 SUI3 Switzerland Martin Müller Switzerland Boris Aellen 73 km
5 GBR2 United Kingdom Jon Chambers United Kingdom Richard Chambers 113 km
6 GER Germany Michael Gebert Germany Florian Schellheimer 172 km
7 NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven Netherlands Anton Brous 173 km
8 FRA3 France Clement Latour France Sylvain Dhonneur 174 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
9 FIN Finland Jouni Makkonen Finland Toni Leskelä 176 km
10 USA United States Honza Rejmanek United States Dave Hanning 181 km
11 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Gatien de Dorlodot 183 km
12 RUS Russia Evgeny Gryaznov Russia Anton Poliakov 241 km
13 AUT1 Austria Helmut Eichholzer Austria Wolfgang Ehgarter 246 km
14 CAN Canada Max Fanderl Canada Penny Powers 305 km
ITA Italy Andy Frötscher Italy Robert Mur 305 km
16 BRA Brazil Richard Pethigal Brazil Dioclecio R. Filho 327 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
17 POL Poland Pawel Faron Poland Piotr Goc 350 km
18 ESP Spain Oriol Fernandez Spain Armand Rubiella 389 km
19 GBR1 United Kingdom Steve Nash United Kingdom Richard Bungay 385 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
20 CZE Czech Republic Jan Skrabalek Czech Republic Karel Vrbensky 478 km, eliminated
21 RSA South Africa Pierre Carter South Africa James Braid 516 km, eliminated
22 ARG Argentina Martin Romero Garayzabal Argentina Martin Utrera 573 km, eliminated (injury)
23 JPN2 Japan Masayuki Matsubara Japan Shinichi Nagashima 620 km, eliminated
24 FRA1 France Vincent Sprüngli France Jerome Maupoint 631 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; retired (technical failure)
25 AUT3 Austria Mike Küng Austria Eduard Kumaropulos 677 km, eliminated (illness)
26 POR Portugal Nuno Virgilio Portugal Samuel Lopes 683 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; eliminated
27 JPN1 Japan Kaoru Ogisawa Japan Masaru Saso 739 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone
28 AUT2 Austria Christian Amon Austria Mario Schmaranzer 755 km, eliminated (injury)
29 FRA2 France Philippe Barnier France Herve Garcia 757 km, eliminated
30 NOR Norway Ivar Sandstå Norway Øystein Dagestad 786 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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Austria Dachstein
3  Austria Wildkogel
4  Germany Zugspitze
5  Italy Ortler/Sulden
6  Switzerland Interlaken
7  Switzerland Matterhorn
8  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
9  France Saint Hilaire
10  France Peille

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)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) Switzerland Thomas Theurillat 6 Days and 23:40 Hours
2 FRA1 France Clement Latour France Philippe Barnier
Bruno Deloustal
8 Days and 16 Hours
3 FRA2 France Antoine Girard France Nelson de Freyman
Yves Bernard
8 Days and 16:30 Hours
4 GBR United Kingdom Jon Chambers United Kingdom Richard Chambers
Tom Payne
9 Days and 05:12 Hours
5 ITA2 Italy Peter Gebhard Italy Heidi Insam
Gerald Demetz
9 Days and 07:40 Hours
6 NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven Netherlands Anton Brous 10 Days and 09:27 Hours
7 ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati Czech Republic Renata Kuhnova
Ondrej Prochazka
10 Days and 10:28 Hours
8 SUI2 Switzerland Martin Müller Switzerland Stephane Voeffray
Julien Andrey
10 Days and 21:43 Hours
9 AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Germany Sara Gudelius
Axel Gudelius
11 Days and 05:47 Hours
10 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Daniel Pisica
Adrian Miclea
11 Days and 11:22 Hours
11 USA1 United States Honza Rejmanek United States Luis Rosenkjer
Jesse Williams
101 km
12 FRA3 France Victor Sebe France Vincent Tourangin
Hugues Baschet
113 km
13 BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Cedric de Bruyn
Sebastien Granville
153 km
14 RUS Russia Evgeny Gryaznov Belarus Tatsiana Spirydonava
Russia Valeriy Maznev
154 km
15 POL Poland Pawel Faron Poland Piotr Goc
Witold Wladyka
154 km
16 JPN1 Japan Kaoru Ogisawa Japan Fumio Miki
Hideo Inaba
168 km
17 ITA3 Italy Andy Frötscher Italy Robert Mur
Germany Michael Schneider
182 km
18 JPN2 Japan Shoichiro Tadano Japan Masaru Saso
Naohisa Okada
184 km
19 CZE Czech Republic Michal Krysta Czech Republic Standa Mayer
Jan Skrabalek
229 km
20 GER3 Germany Max Mittmann Switzerland Matthias Christen
Roger Christen
261 km
21 AUT2 Austria Mike Küng Austria Eduard Kumaropulos
Germany Renate Schatzl
379 km
22 VEN Venezuela Raul Penso Italy 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
23 CAN Canada Max Fanderl Canada Penny Powers
Germany Mik Broschart
411 km
24 GER2 Germany Lars Budack Germany Jonathan Möller
Wenzel Piel
428 km
25 KOR South Korea Pil Pyo Hong South Korea Kim Min Soo
Ryu Yun Jae
430 km
26 RSA South Africa Pierre Carter South Africa James Braid 553 km
27 ESP Spain Iñigo Gabiria Spain Iñigo Arizaga
Xabier Amorrortu
588 km
28 USA2 United States Stephan Haase United States David Hanning
Brad Sander
523 km, retired (injury)
29 AUT3 Austria Thomas Hofbauer Austria Christian Grohs
Vera Polaschegg
773 km, eliminated
30 NPL Nepal Babu Sunuwar Germany Charles Kirsten
Andreas Kastler
853 km, eliminated
31 ARG Argentina Claudio Heidel Spain 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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Austria Dachstein
3  Germany Aschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand)
4  Austria Lermoos
5  Italy Brenta, Cima Tosa
6  Switzerland St. Moritz - Corvatsch
7  Switzerland Matterhorn
8  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
9  France Annecy
10  France Peille

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)
1 SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) Switzerland Thomas Theurillat 8 Days and 4 hours
2 GER3 Germany Sebastian Huber Germany Martin Walleitner 8 Days and 22 hours
3 AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Austria Werner Strittl 9 Days and 4 hours
4 FRA2 France Antoine Girard France Demelin Mathieu 9 Days and 5 hours
5 FRA4 France Gaspard Petiot France Laurent Pezet 9 Days and 5 hours
6 ITA Italy Aaron Durogati Czech Republic Ondrej Prochazka 9 Days and 6 hours
7 NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven Netherlands Anton Brous 9 Days and 22 hours
8 USA2 United States Gavin McClurg Australia Bruce Marks 10 Days and 4 hours
9 GER4 Germany Manuel Nübel Germany Christian Schineis 10 Days and 17 hours
10 NZL New Zealand Nick Neynens New Zealand Louis Tapper 10 Days and 18 hours
11 FRA3 France Nelson de Freyman France Thomas Punty 11 Days and 2 hours
12 CZE Czech Republic Stanislav Mayer Czech Republic Petr Kostrhun 11 Days and 8 hours
13 SUI4 Switzerland Peter von Bergen Switzerland Philippe Arn 11 Days and 12 hours
14 KOR South Korea Chi-Kyong Ha South Korea Yun Jae Rju 11 Days and 15 hours
15 USA1 United States Honza Rejmanek United States Jesse Williams 11 Days and 17 hours
16 POL Poland Pawel Faron Poland Piotr Goc 11 Days and 20 hours
17 SWE Sweden Erik Rehnfeldt Sweden Peter Back 11 Days and 21 hours
18 SUI3 Switzerland Michael Witschi Switzerland Yael Margelisch 11 Days and 22 hours
19 AUT3 Austria Stephan Gruber Austria Claus Eberharter 11 Days and 6 hours, 48-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone
20 USA4 United States Dave Turner Switzerland Krischa Berlinger 140 km, did not finish
21 GBR United Kingdom Steve Nash United Kingdom Richard Bungay 178 km, did not finish
22 AUT2 Austria Gerald Gold Austria Othmar Heinisch 302 km, did not finish
23 USA3 United States Dawn Westrum Poland Jaroslaw Wieczorek 375 km, eliminated
24 BEL Belgium Thomas de Dorlodot Belgium Sebastien Granville 499 km, withdrew due to injury
25 AUT4 Austria Pascal Purin Austria Florian Ebenbichler 531 km, withdrew due to injury
26 ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Daniel Pisica 555 km, withdrew due to injury
27 RSA South Africa Stephan Kruger Bulgaria Konstantin Filipov 575 km, eliminated
28 GER1 Germany Michael Gebert Germany Tobias Böck 575 km, withdrew
29 ESP Spain Ivan Colás Spain Íñigo Arizaga 611 km, withdrew due to injury
30 COL Colombia Alex Villa Colombia Stefan Hodeck 635 km, eliminated
31 SUI2 Switzerland Samuel Vurpillot Switzerland Martin Müller 755 km, eliminated
32 GER2 Germany Yvonne Dathe Germany Thomas Ide 840 km, eliminated
33 FRA1 France Clément Latour France Barnier Philippe Did Not Start DNS

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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Slovenia Triglav
3  Germany Aschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand)
4  Austria Lermoos
5  Italy Monte Baldo
6  Switzerland Matterhorn
7  France Peille

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  Austria Gaisberg
2  Austria Wagrain-Kleinarl
3  Germany Aschau-Chiemsee
4  Italy Kronplatz
5  Austria Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
6  Switzerland Davos
7  Switzerland Titlis
8  Switzerland Eiger
9  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
10  France Saint-Hilaire du Touvet
11  Italy Monte Viso
12  France Cheval Blanc
13  France Peille

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]

# Turnpoint Location
1  Austria Gaisberg
2  Austria Wagrain-Kleinarl
3  Austria Kitzbühel
4  Germany Achental (Chiemgau)
5  Austria Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
6  Switzerland Säntis
7  Switzerland Fiesch
8  France Dent d’Oche
9  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
10  Italy/ Switzerland Piz Palü
11  Italy Kronplatz
12  Austria Schmittenhöhe

Teams

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

Team Athlete Supporter Comment
AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Austria Werner Strittl sixth start
AUT2 Austria Simon Oberrauner Austria Simon Volker third start
AUT3 Austria Thomas Friedrich Austria Arno Flitsch first start
BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Thibault Voglet eighth start
FRA1 France Maxime Pinot France Jérémie Lager second start
FRA2 France Benoît Outters France Tom Remi third start
FRA3 France Théo de Blic France Jules Croibier first start
FRA4 France Laurie Genovese France Alexis Reverchon first start
FRA5 France Damien Lacaze France Stéphane Garin first start
GBR United Kingdom Steve Bramfitt Netherlands Matthijs Groeneveld first start
GER1 Germany Manuel Nübel Germany Sascha Rentel fourth start
GER2 Germany Markus Anders Austria Daniel Oberauer second start
GER3 Germany Michael Lacher Germany Matthias Kraus first start
ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati Austria Elisabeth Egger fifth start
ITA2 Italy Tobias Grossrubatscher Italy Simon Grossrubatscher third start
ITA3 Italy Nicola Donini Italy Fiorenzo Graziano first start
JPN1 Japan Kaoru Ogisawa Italy Davide Cardona fifth start
JPN2 Japan Ken Oguma Japan Tetsuo Kogai first start
MEX Mexico Eduardo Garza United States Bianca Heinrich second start
NED Netherlands Ferdinand van Schelven Netherlands Nicole van Schelven fifth start
NZL1 New Zealand Nick Neynens New Zealand Nicola McLaren fourth start
POL Poland Michal Gierlach Poland Maciej Zietara second start
ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Adrian Pochiu tenth start
RUS Russia Andrei Mashak Ukraine Andrey Bukin first start
SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer Switzerland Thomas Theurillat seventh start
SUI2 Switzerland Patrick von Känel Switzerland Andy Jäggi second start
SUI4 Switzerland Yael Margelisch Switzerland Joël Bruchez first start
USA1 United States Gavin McClurg United States Reavis Sutphin-Gray fourth start
USA2 United States Cody Mittanck United States Robert Brockie second 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]

# Turnpoint Location
1  Austria Hahnenkamm
2  Austria Wagrain-Kleinarl
3  Germany Achental (Chiemgau)
4  Austria Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
5  Switzerland Piz Buin
6  Switzerland Fiesch
7  Switzerland Frutigen
8  Switzerland Niesen
9  France/ Italy Mont Blanc
10  France/ Italy Col du Petit Saint-Bernard
11  Switzerland Dufourspitze
12  Italy Cima Tosa
13  Italy 3 Zinnen
14  Italy Sexten Dolomites
15  Austria Schmittenhöhe

Teams

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

Team Athlete Supporter Comment
JAP Japan Yuji EMOTO France Benoit HOSTEIN first start
AUS Australia Richard Binstead New Zealand Nicola McLaren first start
AUT1 Austria Paul Guschlbauer Austria Werner Strittl sixth start
AUT2 Austria Simon Oberrauner Austria Simon Volker third start
AUT3 Austria Thomas Friedrich Austria Arno Flitsch first start
AUT4 Austria Elisabeth Egger Austria Nadine Beck first start
BEL Belgium Tom de Dorlodot Belgium Thibault Voglet eighth start
FRA1 France Maxime Pinot France Jérémie Lager second start
FRA4 France Laurie Genovese France Alexis Reverchon first start
FRA5 France Damien Lacaze France Stéphane Garin first start
GER2 Germany Markus Anders Austria Daniel Oberauer second start
ITA1 Italy Aaron Durogati Italy Bruno Mottini fifth start
ITA2 Italy Tobias Grossrubatscher Italy Simon Grossrubatscher third start
ITA3 Italy Nicola Donini Italy Fiorenzo Graziano first start
NZL New Zealand Kinga Masztalerz Chris Wright second start
POL Poland Michal Gierlach Poland Maciej Zietara second start
ROM Romania Toma Coconea Romania Adrian Pochiu tenth start
SUI1 Switzerland Chrigel Maurer Switzerland Thomas Theurillat eighth start
SUI2 Switzerland Patrick von Känel Switzerland Andy Jäggi second start
SUI4 Switzerland Sepp Inniger André Glauser first start
SUI5 Switzerland Reto Reiser Mimo Moratti first start
USA1 United States Logan Walters Reavis Sutphin-Gray first start

Results

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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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. Archived from the original on 4 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. ^ a b 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.