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]
"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.
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]
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 | |||
| 2 | Mont Gros |
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 | Kaspar Henny | 11 Days and 22:55:30 Hours | ||
| 2 | FRA |  David Dagault | 12 Days and 03:20 Hours | ||
| 3 | GER1 | Stefan Bocks | 12 Days and 08 Hours | ||
| 4 | GER2 | Thomas Friedrich | 672 km | ||
| 5 | SUI2 | Urs Lötscher | 668 km | ||
| 6 | SLO | Uros Rozic | 657 km | ||
| 7 | CAN | 656 km | |||
| 8 | GER3 | Holger Herfurth | 648 km | ||
| 9 | ROM | Toma Coconea | 618 km | ||
| 10 | AUT2 |  Walter Holzmüller | 554 km | ||
| 11 | TUR |  Buhara Arif Kemal | 525 km | ||
| 12 | POL |  Krzysztof Ziolkowski | 522 km | ||
| 13 | ITA |  Andy Frötscher | 511 km | ||
| 14 | AUT1 | Gerhard Gassner | 486 km | ||
| 15 | MEX | 462 km | |||
| 16 | BUL | Slavi Vasilev | 357 km | ||
| 17 | GBR |  Jon Shaw | 263 km |
Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.
| Turnpoint | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 3 | Mont Gros |
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 | Alex Hofer | Heinz Haunschild | 12 Days and 01:20 Hours | |
| 2 | SUI2 | Urs Lötscher | Andreas Wild | + 1 Day, 1 Hour | |
| 3 | SUI1 | Kaspar Henny (defending champion) | Elio Baffioni | ||
| 4 | AUT1 | Helmut Eichholzer | Elisabeth Rauchenberger | ||
| 5 | GER1 | Stefan Bocks | Hansi Keim | ||
| 5 | GER2 | Michael Gebert | Florian Schellheimer | ||
| 7 | AUS |  Benn Kovco | Bryan Anderson | ||
| 8 | AUT2 | Christian Amon | Lars Pongs | retired | |
| 9 | ESP |  David Castillejo Martinez | Magdalena Alcañiz Soriano | ||
| 10 | GBR | Aidan Toase | Jan Toase | ||
| 11 | GRE | Dimitris Bourazanis | Marina Zannara | retired | |
| 12 | IRL |  Niki Hamilton | Petra Knor | retired | |
| 13 | ITA | Andy Frötscher | Florian Ploner | ||
| 14 | MEX |  Santiago Baeza | Christian Fernandez del Valle | ||
| 15 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Cornel Doru Calutiu | ||
| 16 | TUR | Semih Sayir | Osman Grukan | ||
| 17 | USA |  Kari Castle | Craig Goddard |
Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.
| Turnpoint | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Marmolada | ||
| 3 | Eiger | ||
| 4 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 5 | Mont Gros |
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 | Alex Hofer (defending champion) | Sandro Schnegg | 14 Days and 1 Hour | ||
| 2 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Razvan Levarda | + 04:35 Hours | ||
| 3 | SUI3 | Martin Müller | Fabian Zuberer | + 1 Day and 00:15 Hours | ||
| 4 | SUI2 | Urs Lötscher | Nicole Willi | + 1 Day and 05:50 Hours | ||
| 5 | JPN |  Kaoru Ogisawa | Masaru Saso | + 1 Day and 22:54 Hours | ||
| 6 | GBR1 | Aidan Toase | Bhavna Patel | 102 km | ||
| 7 | ESP | Ramon Morillas | Oscar Atillo | 124 km | ||
| 8 | GBR2 | Ulric Jessop | Ruth Jessop | 130 km | ||
| 9 | USA2 | Honza Rejmanek | David Hanning | 142 km | ||
| 10 | ITA2 | Leone Pascale | Roberto Maggi | 152 km | ||
| 11 | CZE |  Jan Skrabalek | Jaroslav Jindra | 159 km | ||
| 12 | FRA2 | Julien Wirtz | Adrien Vicier | 185 km | ||
| 13 | USA1 | Nate Scales | Nick Greece | 186 km | ||
| 14 | GER2 | Peter Rummel | Martin Walleitner | 246 km | ||
| AUT1 | Christian Reinegger | Wolfgang Wimmer | 246 km | |||
| ITA1 | Andy Frötscher | Michael Pezzi | 246 km | |||
| 17 | AUS | Lloyd Penicuik | John Binyon | 283 km | ||
| 18 | RUS |  Dmitry Gusev | Viktor Yanchenko | 325 km | ||
| 19 | SLO | Simon Copi | Marina Istenic | 351 km, retired | ||
| 20 | BEL |  Eduouard Crespeigne | retired after 437 km | |||
| 21 | VEN |  Raul Penso | Eduardo Fuhrmeister | retired after 414 km | ||
| 22 | AUT2 | Gerald Ameseder | Thomas Weingartner | retired after 402 km | ||
| 23 | SVK |  Peter Vrabec | Frantisek Pavlousek | retired after 357 km | ||
| 24 | FRA1 | Vincent Sprüngli | Jerome Maupoint | retired after 318 km | ||
| 25 | POL | Krzysztof Ziolkowski | Grazyna Cader-Ziolkowska | retired after 239 km | ||
| 26 | GER1 | Michael Gebert | Christian Maier | retired after 208 km | ||
| 27 | CAN |  Max Fanderl | Jeff Bellis | retired after 165 km | ||
| 28 | COL |  Hugo Jimenez | retired after 140 km | |||
| 29 | GRE | Dimitris Bourazanis | Manos Kiriakakis | retired after 127 km | ||
| 30 | TUR | Yurdaer Etike | 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).
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 | |||
| 2 | Watzmann | ||
| 3 | Großglockner | ||
| 4 | Marmolada | ||
| 5 | Matterhorn | ||
| 6 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 7 | Mont Gros |
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 | Chrigel Maurer | Thomas Theurillat | 9 Days and 23:54 Hours | ||
| 2 | SUI2 | Alex Hofer (defending champion) | Nicole Schlotterer | + 1 Day, 09:24 Hours | ||
| 3 | USA | Honza Rejmanek | David Hanning | 139 km | ||
| 4 | GBR1 | Aidan Toase | Charlie Merrett | 164 km | ||
| 5 | RUS | Evgeny Gryaznov | Dmitry Gusev | 193 km | ||
| 6 | GER | Michael Gebert | Florian Schellheimer | 203 km | ||
| 7 | FIN |  Jouni Makkonen | Toni Leskelä | 230 km | ||
| 8 | HUN |  Pal Takats | Mauritz Volkmer | 231 km | ||
| 9 | ESP | Ramon Morillas | Juan Morillas | 237 km | ||
| 10 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Maxime van Dyck | 238 km | ||
| 11 | FRA2 | Julien Wirtz | Adrien Vicier | 245 km | ||
| 12 | ITA2 | Andy Frötscher | Raphael Murphy Graetz | 288 km | ||
| 13 | JPN1 | Kaoru Ogisawa | Masaru Saso | 297 km | ||
| CAN | Max Fanderl | Penny Powers | 297 km | |||
| 15 | GBR2 | Tom Payne | Alex Raymont | 321 km | ||
| CZE | Jan Skrabalek | David Bzirsky | 321 km | |||
| 17 | POL | Filip Jagla | Piotr Goc | 423 km | ||
| 18 | SVK | Peter Vrabec | Tomas Bernat | 457 km | ||
| 19 | AUT1 | Helmut Eichholzer | Andreas Neubacher | disqualified for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 20 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Vasile Trifan Daniel Pisica | disqualified for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 21 | VEN | Raul Penso | Ismael Penso | disqualified for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 22 | SUI2 | Martin Müller | Fabien Zuberer | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 23 | FRA1 | Vincent Sprüngli | David Bibier Cocatrix | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 24 | NED | Ronny Geijsen | Hugo Robben | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 25 | RSA | Pierre Carter | James Braid | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 26 | ITA1 | Leone Antonio Pascale | Maurizio Dalla Valle | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 27 | AUT2 | Christian Amon | Manuel Goller | eliminated (injury) | ||
| 28 | JPN2 | Masayuki Matsubara | Tetsuo Kogai | eliminated | ||
| 29 | AUS | Lloyd Penicuik | Lewis Nott | eliminated | ||
| 30 | SLO | Primoz Susa | 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).
Mozartplatz, Salzburg, Austria, to Monaco.
| Turnpoint | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Dachstein | ||
| 3 | Großglockner | ||
| 4 | Drei Zinnen | ||
| 5 | Piz Palü | ||
| 6 | Matterhorn | ||
| 7 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 8 | Mont Gros |
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 | Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) | Thomas Theurillat | 11 Days and 04:52 Hours (24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone) | ||
| 2 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Daniel Pisica | 13 Days and 03 Hours | ||
| 3 | AUT4 | Paul Guschlbauer | Sara Gudelius | 9 km | ||
| 4 | SUI3 | Martin Müller | Boris Aellen | 73 km | ||
| 5 | GBR2 | Jon Chambers | Richard Chambers | 113 km | ||
| 6 | GER | Michael Gebert | Florian Schellheimer | 172 km | ||
| 7 | NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | Anton Brous | 173 km | ||
| 8 | FRA3 | Clement Latour | Sylvain Dhonneur | 174 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 9 | FIN | Jouni Makkonen | Toni Leskelä | 176 km | ||
| 10 | USA | Honza Rejmanek | Dave Hanning | 181 km | ||
| 11 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Gatien de Dorlodot | 183 km | ||
| 12 | RUS | Evgeny Gryaznov | Anton Poliakov | 241 km | ||
| 13 | AUT1 | Helmut Eichholzer | Wolfgang Ehgarter | 246 km | ||
| 14 | CAN | Max Fanderl | Penny Powers | 305 km | ||
| ITA | Andy Frötscher | Robert Mur | 305 km | |||
| 16 | BRA |  Richard Pethigal | Dioclecio R. Filho | 327 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 17 | POL | Pawel Faron | Piotr Goc | 350 km | ||
| 18 | ESP | Oriol Fernandez | Armand Rubiella | 389 km | ||
| 19 | GBR1 | Steve Nash | Richard Bungay | 385 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 20 | CZE | Jan Skrabalek | Karel Vrbensky | 478 km, eliminated | ||
| 21 | RSA | Pierre Carter | James Braid | 516 km, eliminated | ||
| 22 | ARG |  Martin Romero Garayzabal | Martin Utrera | 573 km, eliminated (injury) | ||
| 23 | JPN2 | Masayuki Matsubara | Shinichi Nagashima | 620 km, eliminated | ||
| 24 | FRA1 | Vincent Sprüngli | Jerome Maupoint | 631 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; retired (technical failure) | ||
| 25 | AUT3 | Mike Küng | Eduard Kumaropulos | 677 km, eliminated (illness) | ||
| 26 | POR | Nuno Virgilio | Samuel Lopes | 683 km, 24-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone; eliminated | ||
| 27 | JPN1 | Kaoru Ogisawa | Masaru Saso | 739 km, disqualified for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 28 | AUT2 | Christian Amon | Mario Schmaranzer | 755 km, eliminated (injury) | ||
| 29 | FRA2 | Philippe Barnier | Herve Garcia | 757 km, eliminated | ||
| 30 | NOR |  Ivar Sandstå | 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.
Mozartplatz, Salzburg, Austria, to Monaco.
| Turnpoint | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Dachstein | ||
| 3 | Wildkogel | ||
| 4 | Zugspitze | ||
| 5 | Ortler/Sulden | ||
| 6 | Interlaken | ||
| 7 | Matterhorn | ||
| 8 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 9 | Saint Hilaire | ||
| 10 | Peille |
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 | Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) | Thomas Theurillat | 6 Days and 23:40 Hours | ||
| 2 | FRA1 | Clement Latour | Philippe Barnier Bruno Deloustal | 8 Days and 16 Hours | ||
| 3 | FRA2 | Antoine Girard | Nelson de Freyman Yves Bernard | 8 Days and 16:30 Hours | ||
| 4 | GBR | Jon Chambers | Richard Chambers Tom Payne | 9 Days and 05:12 Hours | ||
| 5 | ITA2 | Peter Gebhard | Heidi Insam Gerald Demetz | 9 Days and 07:40 Hours | ||
| 6 | NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | Anton Brous | 10 Days and 09:27 Hours | ||
| 7 | ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | Renata Kuhnova Ondrej Prochazka | 10 Days and 10:28 Hours | ||
| 8 | SUI2 | Martin Müller | Stephane Voeffray Julien Andrey | 10 Days and 21:43 Hours | ||
| 9 | AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Sara Gudelius Axel Gudelius | 11 Days and 05:47 Hours | ||
| 10 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Daniel Pisica Adrian Miclea | 11 Days and 11:22 Hours | ||
| 11 | USA1 | Honza Rejmanek | Luis Rosenkjer Jesse Williams | 101 km | ||
| 12 | FRA3 | Victor Sebe | Vincent Tourangin Hugues Baschet | 113 km | ||
| 13 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Cedric de Bruyn Sebastien Granville | 153 km | ||
| 14 | RUS | Evgeny Gryaznov |  Tatsiana Spirydonava Valeriy Maznev | 154 km | ||
| 15 | POL | Pawel Faron | Piotr Goc Witold Wladyka | 154 km | ||
| 16 | JPN1 | Kaoru Ogisawa | Fumio Miki Hideo Inaba | 168 km | ||
| 17 | ITA3 | Andy Frötscher | Robert Mur Michael Schneider | 182 km | ||
| 18 | JPN2 | Shoichiro Tadano | Masaru Saso Naohisa Okada | 184 km | ||
| 19 | CZE | Michal Krysta | Standa Mayer Jan Skrabalek | 229 km | ||
| 20 | GER3 | Max Mittmann | Matthias Christen Roger Christen | 261 km | ||
| 21 | AUT2 | Mike Küng | Eduard Kumaropulos Renate Schatzl | 379 km | ||
| 22 | VEN | Raul Penso | Dario di Gioia 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 | Max Fanderl | Penny Powers Mik Broschart | 411 km | ||
| 24 | GER2 | Lars Budack | Jonathan Möller Wenzel Piel | 428 km | ||
| 25 | KOR |  Pil Pyo Hong | Kim Min Soo Ryu Yun Jae | 430 km | ||
| 26 | RSA | Pierre Carter | James Braid | 553 km | ||
| 27 | ESP | Iñigo Gabiria | Iñigo Arizaga Xabier Amorrortu | 588 km | ||
| 28 | USA2 | Stephan Haase | David Hanning Brad Sander | 523 km, retired (injury) | ||
| 29 | AUT3 | Thomas Hofbauer | Christian Grohs Vera Polaschegg | 773 km, eliminated | ||
| 30 | NPL |  Babu Sunuwar | Charles Kirsten Andreas Kastler | 853 km, eliminated | ||
| 31 | ARG | Claudio Heidel | 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.
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 | |||
| 2 | Dachstein | ||
| 3 | Aschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand) | ||
| 4 | Lermoos | ||
| 5 | Brenta, Cima Tosa | ||
| 6 | St. Moritz - Corvatsch | ||
| 7 | Matterhorn | ||
| 8 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 9 | Annecy | ||
| 10 | Peille |
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.
| Rank | Team | Athlete | Supporter | Finish Time | Distance to Goal (as the crow flies) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SUI1 | Chrigel Maurer (defending champion) | Thomas Theurillat | 8 Days and 4 hours | ||
| 2 | GER3 | Sebastian Huber | Martin Walleitner | 8 Days and 22 hours | ||
| 3 | AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Werner Strittl | 9 Days and 4 hours | ||
| 4 | FRA2 | Antoine Girard | Demelin Mathieu | 9 Days and 5 hours | ||
| 5 | FRA4 | Gaspard Petiot | Laurent Pezet | 9 Days and 5 hours | ||
| 6 | ITA | Aaron Durogati | Ondrej Prochazka | 9 Days and 6 hours | ||
| 7 | NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | Anton Brous | 9 Days and 22 hours | ||
| 8 | USA2 | Bruce Marks | 10 Days and 4 hours | |||
| 9 | GER4 | Manuel Nübel | Christian Schineis | 10 Days and 17 hours | ||
| 10 | NZL |  Nick Neynens | Louis Tapper | 10 Days and 18 hours | ||
| 11 | FRA3 | Nelson de Freyman | Thomas Punty | 11 Days and 2 hours | ||
| 12 | CZE | Stanislav Mayer | Petr Kostrhun | 11 Days and 8 hours | ||
| 13 | SUI4 | Peter von Bergen | Philippe Arn | 11 Days and 12 hours | ||
| 14 | KOR | Chi-Kyong Ha | Yun Jae Rju | 11 Days and 15 hours | ||
| 15 | USA1 | Honza Rejmanek | Jesse Williams | 11 Days and 17 hours | ||
| 16 | POL | Pawel Faron | Piotr Goc | 11 Days and 20 hours | ||
| 17 | SWE |  Erik Rehnfeldt | Peter Back | 11 Days and 21 hours | ||
| 18 | SUI3 | Michael Witschi | Yael Margelisch | 11 Days and 22 hours | ||
| 19 | AUT3 | Stephan Gruber | Claus Eberharter | 11 Days and 6 hours, 48-hour penalty for flying into forbidden zone | ||
| 20 | USA4 | Dave Turner | Krischa Berlinger | 140 km, did not finish | ||
| 21 | GBR | Steve Nash | Richard Bungay | 178 km, did not finish | ||
| 22 | AUT2 | Gerald Gold | Othmar Heinisch | 302 km, did not finish | ||
| 23 | USA3 | Dawn Westrum | Jaroslaw Wieczorek | 375 km, eliminated | ||
| 24 | BEL | Thomas de Dorlodot | Sebastien Granville | 499 km, withdrew due to injury | ||
| 25 | AUT4 | Pascal Purin | Florian Ebenbichler | 531 km, withdrew due to injury | ||
| 26 | ROM | Toma Coconea | Daniel Pisica | 555 km, withdrew due to injury | ||
| 27 | RSA | Stephan Kruger | Konstantin Filipov | 575 km, eliminated | ||
| 28 | GER1 | Michael Gebert | Tobias Böck | 575 km, withdrew | ||
| 29 | ESP | Ivan Colás | Íñigo Arizaga | 611 km, withdrew due to injury | ||
| 30 | COL | Alex Villa | Stefan Hodeck | 635 km, eliminated | ||
| 31 | SUI2 | Samuel Vurpillot | Martin Müller | 755 km, eliminated | ||
| 32 | GER2 | Yvonne Dathe | Thomas Ide | 840 km, eliminated | ||
| 33 | FRA1 | Clément Latour | Barnier Philippe | Did Not Start | DNS |
The route was announced on March 29, 2017. 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 | |||
| 2 | Triglav | ||
| 3 | Aschau - Chiemsee (Kampenwand) | ||
| 4 | Lermoos | ||
| 5 | Monte Baldo | ||
| 6 | Matterhorn | ||
| 7 | Peille |
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 | Chrigel Maurer | Skywalk X-Alps3 | Tobias Dimmler | 10 days and 23 hours | ||
| 2 | FRA4 | Benoit Outters | Sup'Air Wild | Damien Lacaze | 11 days and 1 hour | ||
| 3 | AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Skywalk X-Alps3 | Werner Strittl | 5 km from goal | ||
| 4 | NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | Skywalk X-Alps3 | Nicole Vincent Piazza | 49 km from goal | ||
| 5 | AUT4 | Simon Oberrauner | Skywalk X-Alps3 | Christoph Wolf | 51 km from goal | ||
| 6 | AUT3 | Pascal Purin | Ozone Z-Alps | Gabriele Müller | 86 km from goal | ||
| 7 | HUN | Pal Takats | Ozone | Ferdinand Vogel | 89 km from goal | ||
| 8 | GER1 | Sebastian Huber | Advance Omega X-Alps | Martin Walleitner | 95 km from goal | ||
| 9 | NZL | Nick Neynens | Ozone Z-Alps | Ben Neynens | 130 km from goal | ||
| 10 | CZE | Stanislav Mayer | GIN GTO2 | Jiří Dlask | 172 km from goal | ||
| 11 | ROU | Toma Coconea | Advance Omega X-Alps2 | Adrian Miclea | 271 km from goal | ||
| 12 | FRA3 | Nelson de Freyman | Advance Omega X-Alps2 | Damien Pierre | 275 km from goal | ||
| 13 | ITA2 | Tobias Grossrubatscher | Ozone LM6 | Lukas Hitthaler | 275 from goal | ||
| 14 | USA1 | Gavin McClurg | Niviuk Klimber | Bruce Marks | 308 km from goal | ||
| 15 | CAN | Richard Brezina | Skywalk Poison X-Alps | Julien Maatouk | 319 km from goal | ||
| 16 | POL | Michal Gierlach | Sup'air Wild | Dominika Kasieczko | 378 km from goal | ||
| 17 | RUS | Evgenii Griaznov | Stanislaw Radzikowski | 457 km from goal | |||
| 18 | USA2 | Jesse Williams | Skywalk X-Alps | Pavel Cibulka | 474 km from goal | ||
| 19 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Supair Wild | Sebastien Granville | 510 km from goal | ||
| 20 | GER2 | Manuel Nübel | Skywalk Poison X-Alps | Christian Schineis | Withdrew 209 km from goal | ||
| 21 | FRA2 | Gaspard Petiot | Laurent Peseta | Withdrew 383 km from goal | |||
| 22 | USA3 | Mitch Riley | Thomas Alfred | Eliminated 530 km from goal | |||
| 23 | SUI2 | Krischa Berlinger | Benjamin Jordan | Withdrew 551 km from goal | |||
| 24 | ESP | Jose Ignacio Arevalo Guede | Francisco Javier Delgado Cid | Eliminated 745 km from goal | |||
| 25 | AUS | Che Golus | Oliver Delprado | Withdrew 773 km from goal | |||
| 26 | ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | Matteo Vettorel | Withdrew 776 km from goal | |||
| 27 | RSA | Duncan Kotze | Johan De Bruijn | Eliminated 832 km from goal | |||
| 28 | ARG | Claudio Heidel Schemberger | Jorge Zimmerman | Eliminated 967 km from goal | |||
| 29 | AUT2 | Stephan Gruber | Florian Eder | Withdrew 984 km from goal | |||
| 30 | FRA1 | Antoine Girard | Laurent Fischer | Withdrew 1048 km from goal | |||
| 31 | MEX | David Liano Gonzalez | Alejandro Gonzalez Medina | Eliminated 1059 km from goal |
The 2019 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Monaco.[12]
| Turnpoint | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Wagrain-Kleinarl | ||
| 3 | Aschau-Chiemsee | ||
| 4 | Kronplatz | ||
| 5 | Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena | ||
| 6 | Davos | ||
| 7 | Titlis | ||
| 8 | Eiger | ||
| 9 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 10 | Saint-Hilaire du Touvet | ||
| 11 | Monte Viso | ||
| 12 | Cheval Blanc | ||
| 13 | Peille |
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 | Chrigel Maurer | ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 3 22,8 | Paraglider Competition Pilot, Coach, Speaker | Andy Schäublin | 9 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes | |
| 2 | FRA4 | Maxime Pinot | Zeolite S | Paragliding instructor / Test Pilot | Jérémie Lager | 9 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes | |
| 3 | AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Skywalk X-Alps4 S | Athlete | Werner Strittl | 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes | |
| 3 | FRA1 | Benoit Outters | Supair Wild 21 | Fireman | Stéphane Garin | 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes | |
| 5 | GER1 | Manuel Nübel | Skywalk X-Alps4 | Tandempilot / Selfemployed | Christian Schineis | 10 days, 11 hours, 26 minutes | |
| 6 | AUT2 | Simon Oberrauner | Skywalk X-Alps4 | Solo&Tandempilot | Simon Volker | 10 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes | |
| 7 | FRA2 | Gaspard Petiot | Zeolite S | teacher university Lyon1 | Laurent Pezet | 10 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes | |
| 8 | SUI2 | Patrick von Känel | ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 3 22,8 | Testpilot by ADVANCE Paragliders | Sepp Inniger | 10 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes | |
| 9 | ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | Omega Xalps 3 21,8 | paragliding pilot | Elisabeth Egger | 10 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes | |
| 10 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Supair Wild 23 | Pro paragliding pilot / adventurer | Diego Lacroix | 10 days, 22 hours, 33 minutes | |
| 11 | ROU |  Toma Coconea | Advance Omega X-Alps 3 | Fly Instructor | Adrian Miclea | 78.1 km | |
| 12 | USA1 | Gavin McClurg | Zeolite S | Paragliding pilot/ Athlete, CEO Offshore Odysseys | Ben Abruzzo | 206 km | |
| 13 | ITA2 | Tobias Grossrubatscher | Skywalk X-Alps4 | timberman | Karl Heufler | 212.7 km | |
| 14 | GER2 | Markus Anders | Skywalk X-Alps4 | R&D Harness Skywalk, Coaching, Hike & Fly Athlete | Kilian Hallweger | 215.8 km | |
| 15 | NZL1 | Nick Neynens | Ozone Zeolite MS | Meteorologist | Ben Neynens | 263.3 km | |
| 16 | MEX | Eduardo Garza | Skywalk X-Alps4 XS | Mechanical & Electrical Engineer | Bianca Heinrich | 265.4 km | |
| 17 | RUS | Evgenii Griaznov | SupAir Wild 23 | teacher | Andrei Mashak | 270.3 km | |
| 18 | SVK | Juraj Koren | Gin Puma 20,5 | Student/tandem/team pilot of Airdesign | Jakub Beňo | 290.1 km | |
| 19 | SUI3 | Adrian Keller | Skywalk X-Alps4 XS | Bicycle Mechanic | Dina Sägesser | 350.5 km | |
| 20 | USA3 | Cody Mittanck | Zeolite MS | Ecologist/GIS Consultant | Huntley Brockie | 399 km | |
| 21 | DNK |  Thomas Juel Christensen | Zeolite MS | Project Manager | Hans Kristjan Gudmundsson | 423.8 km | |
| 22 | TUR | Baris Celik | Skywalk X-Alps4 | Tandem pilot | Metin Kavuncu | 449.1 km | |
| 23 | USA2 | Willi Cannell | Niviuk Klimber P 19,24 | wilderness river guide | Rob Curran | 471.4 km | |
| 24 | HRV |  Marko Hrgetic | Triple Seven Qlite MS | Paragliding Instructor | Adrien Colombié | 478.3 km | |
| 25 | JPN | Kaoru Ogisawa | PHI Maestro light 18.0 | paragliding pilot | Fumio Miki | 500.9 km | |
| 26 | AUT3 | Helmut Schrempf | Supair Wild 23 | Paragliding Teacher, SIV Trainer | Marcus Winkler | 503.4 km | |
| OUT | KOR | Chikyong Ha | Gingliders Puma 20,5 | Paragliding instructor, test pilot | Younjae Ryu | 530 km | |
| DNF | FRA3 | Antoine Girard | Zeolite MS | Teacher (computer science) | Martin Beaujouan | 554 km | |
| OUT | NZL2 | Kinga Masztalerz | Supair Wild 21 | Coaching other pilots and growing tropical waterlilies | Chris Wright | 580 km | |
| OUT | COL | Alex Villa | Supair Wild 21 | Events Productions | Lucho Jimenez | 743 km | |
| OUT | POL | Dominika Kasieczko | Zeolite S | paragliding guide pilot, architect | Kuba Poburka | 870 km | |
| OUT | LBN |  Rodolphe Akl | Alpina 3 MS | Major in ranger special forces; in charge of the mountain troops | Alexandre Scelsi | 990 km | |
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]
The 2021 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Zell am See.
| Turnpoint | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Wagrain-Kleinarl | ||
| 3 | Kitzbühel | ||
| 4 | Achental (Chiemgau) | ||
| 5 | Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena | ||
| 6 | Säntis | ||
| 7 | Fiesch | ||
| 8 | Dent d’Oche | ||
| 9 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 10 | / | Piz Palü | |
| 11 | Kronplatz | ||
| 12 | Schmittenhöhe |
A total of 29 athletes competed in the 2021 race.[15]
| Team | Athlete | Supporter | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Werner Strittl | sixth start | |
| AUT2 | Simon Oberrauner | Simon Volker | third start | |
| AUT3 | Thomas Friedrich | Arno Flitsch | first start | |
| BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Thibault Voglet | eighth start | |
| FRA1 | Maxime Pinot | Jérémie Lager | second start | |
| FRA2 | Benoît Outters | Tom Remi | third start | |
| FRA3 | Théo de Blic | Jules Croibier | first start | |
| FRA4 | Laurie Genovese | Alexis Reverchon | first start | |
| FRA5 | Damien Lacaze | Stéphane Garin | first start | |
| GBR | Steve Bramfitt | Matthijs Groeneveld | first start | |
| GER1 | Manuel Nübel | Sascha Rentel | fourth start | |
| GER2 | Markus Anders | Daniel Oberauer | second start | |
| GER3 | Michael Lacher | Matthias Kraus | first start | |
| ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | Elisabeth Egger | fifth start | |
| ITA2 | Tobias Grossrubatscher | Simon Grossrubatscher | third start | |
| ITA3 | Nicola Donini | Fiorenzo Graziano | first start | |
| JPN1 | Kaoru Ogisawa | Davide Cardona | fifth start | |
| JPN2 | Ken Oguma | Tetsuo Kogai | first start | |
| MEX | Eduardo Garza | Bianca Heinrich | second start | |
| NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | Nicole van Schelven | fifth start | |
| NZL1 | Nick Neynens | Nicola McLaren | fourth start | |
| POL | Michal Gierlach | Maciej Zietara | second start | |
| ROM | Toma Coconea | Adrian Pochiu | tenth start | |
| RUS | Andrei Mashak |  Andrey Bukin | first start | |
| SUI1 | Chrigel Maurer | Thomas Theurillat | seventh start | |
| SUI2 | Patrick von Känel | Andy Jäggi | second start | |
| SUI4 | Yael Margelisch 17px | Joël Bruchez | first start | |
| USA1 | Gavin McClurg | Reavis Sutphin-Gray | fourth start | |
| USA2 | Cody Mittanck | Robert Brockie | second start |
| Rank | Team | Athlete | Finish Time | Distance to Goal (as the crow flies) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SUI1 | Christian Maurer | 8 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes, 28 seconds | ||
| 2 | SUI2 | Patrick von Känel | 9 days, 2 hours, 7 minutes, 30 seconds | ||
| 3 | AUT2 | Simon Oberrauner | 9 days, 2 hours, 18 minutes, 25 seconds | ||
| 4 | FRA1 | Maxime Pinot | 9 days, 3 hours, 1 minute, 14 seconds | ||
| 5 | FRA2 | Benoît Outters | 10 days, 9 hours, 12 minutes, 12 seconds | ||
| 6 | GER1 | Manuel Nübel | 39.1 km | ||
| 7 | AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | 43.5 km | ||
| 8 | ITA2 | Tobias Grossrubatscher | 65.6 km | ||
| 9 | POL | Michal Gierlach | 88.1 km | ||
| 10 | NED | Ferdinand van Schelven | 93.4 km | ||
| 11 | FRA5 | Damien Lacaze | 99.3 km | ||
| 12 | ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | 108.1 km | ||
| 13 | ROM | Toma Coconea | 218.3 km | ||
| 14 | MEX | Eduardo Garza | 252.7 km | ||
| 15 | BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | 280.3 km | ||
| 16 | GBR | Steve Bramfitt | 330.5 km | ||
| 17 | USA1 | Gavin McClurg | 393.9 km | ||
| 18 | SUI4 | Yael Margelisch | 412 km | ||
| 19 | GER3 | Michael Lacher | 429.3 km | ||
| 20 | JPN1 | Kaoru Ogisawa | 512.9 km | ||
| DNF | GER2 | Markus Anders | 467.8 km | ||
| OUT | FRA3 | Théo de Blic | 544.7 km | ||
| OUT | FRA4 | Laurie Genovese | 595.2 km | ||
| DNF | AUT3 | Thomas Friedrich | 731.5 km | ||
| DNF | USA2 | Cody Mittanck | 733.8 km | ||
| OUT | ITA3 | Nicola Donini | 739 km | ||
| DNF | JPN2 | Ken Oguma | 926.1 km | ||
| OUT | NZL1 | Nick Neynens | 1071.6 km | ||
| OUT | RUS | Andrei Mashak | 1132.9 km |
The 11th edition of the race will start on 11 June 2023.[17]
The 2023 route will start in Kitzbühel, Austria and end in Zell am See.
| Turnpoint | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hahnenkamm | ||
| 2 | Wagrain-Kleinarl | ||
| 3 | Achental (Chiemgau) | ||
| 4 | Lermoos-Tiroler Zugspitz Arena | ||
| 5 | Piz Buin | ||
| 6 | Fiesch | ||
| 7 | Frutigen | ||
| 8 | Niesen | ||
| 9 | / | Mont Blanc | |
| 10 | / | Col du Petit Saint-Bernard | |
| 11 | Dufourspitze | ||
| 12 | Cima Tosa | ||
| 13 | 3 Zinnen | ||
| 14 | Sexten Dolomites | ||
| 15 | Schmittenhöhe |
A total of 34 athletes competed in the 2023 race.
| Team | Athlete | Supporter | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAP | Yuji EMOTO | Benoit HOSTEIN | first start | |
| AUS | Richard Binstead | Nicola McLaren | first start | |
| AUT1 | Paul Guschlbauer | Werner Strittl | sixth start | |
| AUT2 | Simon Oberrauner | Simon Volker | third start | |
| AUT3 | Thomas Friedrich | Arno Flitsch | first start | |
| AUT4 | Elisabeth Egger | Nadine Beck | first start | |
| BEL | Tom de Dorlodot | Thibault Voglet | eighth start | |
| FRA1 | Maxime Pinot | Jérémie Lager | second start | |
| FRA4 | Laurie Genovese | Alexis Reverchon | first start | |
| FRA5 | Damien Lacaze | Stéphane Garin | first start | |
| GER2 | Markus Anders | Daniel Oberauer | second start | |
| ITA1 | Aaron Durogati | Bruno Mottini | fifth start | |
| ITA2 | Tobias Grossrubatscher | Simon Grossrubatscher | third start | |
| ITA3 | Nicola Donini | Fiorenzo Graziano | first start | |
| NZL | Kinga Masztalerz | Chris Wright | second start | |
| POL | Michal Gierlach | Maciej Zietara | second start | |
| ROM | Toma Coconea | Adrian Pochiu | tenth start | |
| SUI1 | Chrigel Maurer | Thomas Theurillat | eighth start | |
| SUI2 | Patrick von Känel | Andy Jäggi | second start | |
| SUI4 | Sepp Inniger | André Glauser | first start | |
| SUI5 | Reto Reiser | Mimo Moratti | first start | |
| USA1 | Logan Walters | Reavis Sutphin-Gray | first start |
| Year | Winner | Second | Third | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ||||
| 2005 | ||||
| 2007 | ||||
| 2009 | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2015 | ||||
| 2017 | ||||
| 2019 | ||||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2023 |