It is known as the world’s toughest adventure race for a reason. Also this year the Red Bull X-Alps did not disappoint. Over the past two weeks, 29 athletes from 15 countries attempted the most challenging course in the race’s 18-year history, a 1,238km loop around the Alps via five countries – Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, before finishing again in Austria.
The lineup included the best hike&fly athletes in the world, but they were not just competing against each other but against an even greater foe – the weather. It threw everything at them, from scorching temperatures over 30ºC, to rain, thunderstorms, hailstorms and fresh snow in the high mountains. skywalk started with 7 teams:
© Vitek Ludvik / Red Bull Content Pool
Rank 3: Simon Oberrauner, Team AUT2
Rank 7: Paul Guschlbauer, Team AUT1
Rank 10: Ferdinand Van Schelven, Team NED
Rank 14: Eduardo Garza, Team MEX
DNF: Markus Anders, Team GER2
DNF: Thomas Friedrich, Team AUT3
OUT: Andrei Mashak, Team RUS
CONGRATULATIONS to all teams for this incredible performance!
“It’s been a great race,” says third placed Austrian athlete Simon Oberrauner. “It’s like a compressed year of flying and hiking experiences. If you want to have the most intense time you can imagine with a team, and if you like adventure and going into the unknown – because you cannot plan this race or the weather – you have to do this race. If you keep on pushing, hiking and flying you get progress and that is something so beautiful to experience.”
For skywalk, the Red Bull X-Alps are the ultimate test bench for flight equipment, because the race places the highest demands on athletes and equipment.
© zoom/ @felixwoelk
X-ALPS5
We are especially proud of our new ultra-lightweight high-performance wing. The X-ALPS5 is the first two-liner from skywalk!
The wing was developed to meet the demands of the toughest adventure race in the world. Its compact construction (key data: aspect ratio 6.6 and 68 cells) in combination with two-line technology result in an extraordinarily powerful paraglider. It’s easy to fly and is ideally suited for ambitious XC pilots and those moving up to the two-line class. The X-ALPS5’s minimal weight of only 3.3 kg is easy on the back, especially on long hikes.
Even if you have to be a bit patient, the X-ALPS5 will appear in series!
RANGE X-ALPS
Our X-ALPS athletes are flying a special athlete’s version of our proven RANGE X-ALPS2. Its flying comfort, safety, pack size and the ultra-light weight of only 1.1 kg are unmatched in this class and will bring our pilots comfortably to the finish line.
This special version of the RXA2 will not be available on the market, as it is extremely optimized for racing and requires special handling.
TAPA X-ALPS
The TAPA X-ALPS is our new ultra-lightweight cruciform reserve chute that weighs just 784g – making it the lightest reserve in its class. Thanks to the tiny packing volume of only 2 liters, there are no more excuses to fly without a reserve chute! The TAPA X-ALPS has a take-off weight of up to 90 kg and will be available from autumn at your skywalk dealer.
3,30 kg … X-ALPS5
1,10 kg … RANGE X-ALPS
0,78 kg … TAPA X-ALPS
0,40 kg … HIKE X-ALPS
5,58 kg … Total equipment