Red Bull X-Alps

The Red Bull X-Alps is a paragliding adventure race in which athletes hike or fly approximately 1,200 km across the Alps. It first launched in 2003 and has taken place every other year. Around 30 athletes take part, navigating 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 – athletes either hike carrying their wing, or they fly, carried by their wing.

Teams consist of one athlete and one official supporter, whose role it is to provide strategic advice, weather reports, and psychological and nutritional support. In practise, many athletes have two or three supporters.

Originally the race followed a course from the Salzburg region to Monaco. (The exact start and finish has varied over the years.) Inherent in the race’s early appeal was the adventure of journeying from the mountains to the sea, following the length of the Alps from east to west.  

The race last finished in Monaco in 2019. For the 2021 and 2023 editions the Red Bull X-Alps followed a circular route around the Alps finishing in Zell am See, Austria. The 2025 route is a figure-of-eight course, also finishing in Zell am See. The exact route is normally unveiled in March before the race start.

Every edition of the race since 2009 has been won by Christian Maurer.^[1] Red Bull X-Alps is often credited with the revolution in lightweight paragliding equipment design,^[2][3] helping to kick-start "hike and fly" as its own paragliding discipline.

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 to 2021 the race started from the Austrian city of Salzburg. During the Monaco years due to airspace restrictions, the clock officially stopped for athletes at the turn point above the city state, situated at Mt Gros, then later Peille. Athletes would then make a ceremonial flight to a landing float in the sea. This was situated off the beach of Le Larvotto. By 2019 it was becoming increasingly difficult to secure permissions and the landing float was moved to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

At 1,031 kilometers, the 2013 course was the longest in the history of the race and the race has steadily increased in distance. In 2019 the route was 1,138km, 2021 it was 1,238km and 2023 it was 1,223km. The 2025 route is 1,283km.

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 were 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. The Prologue has been a feature of the race ever since.

Thanks to GPS-Live Tracking, all athletes can be followed in real time on the official website throughout the race.

The first athlete to reach goal wins the race, which ends 48 hours later but not before a set finish time as defined by organizers. Athletes who have not reached the final destination within this time are ranked according to the distance left to the final destination.

Since the 2011 edition, athletes are forced to have a mandatory rest overnight 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. In 2023 the rest period was increased by half-an-hour. Athletes had to rest for a minimum of seven consecutive hours everyday between 9pm and 6am. Between the hours of 9pm and 6am athletes are not allowed to fly.

New in 2013 was the so-called Night Pass, which allowed athletes to hike through the night. The idea behind the Night Pass was to allow athletes a chance to gain a strategic advantage. In reality, it can help an athlete reach a better overnight location, but using it to hike all the night comes at a cost of increased fatigue, which is not helpful to flight.

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.

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.

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

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.

Dachstein Glacier, Austria, to Monaco.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The route was announced on March 29, 2017.^[7] 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.^[8]

The competing athletes were announced on November 2, 2016 via social media.^[9] Two more wildcard teams were added to the field on January 2, 2017.^[10] 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.^[11]

The 2019 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Monaco.^[13]

A total of 32 athletes started the 2019 race.^[14]

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.^[15]

The 2021 route started in Salzburg, Austria and ended in Zell am See.^[16]

A total of 29 athletes competed in the 2021 race.^[17]

The 11th edition of the race started with a Prologue in Kirchberg on 8 June. The main race started from Kitzbühel 11 June 2023 and finished Friday 23 June.^[19]

The 2023 route started in Kitzbühel, Austria and ended in Zell am See.^[16]

A total of 34 athletes competed in the 2023 race.^[17]

The 12th edition of the race starts with a Prologue in Kirchberg, Austria on 12 June. The main race starts from Kitzbühel 15 June 2025 and finishes Friday 27 June in Zell am Zee.

The 2025 route starts in Kitzbühel, Austria and finishes in Zell am See.^[16] It follows a figure-of-eight route of 1,283km via a total of 16 turn points. For the first time since 2019 the route goes deep into France. The route also includes three mandatory Via Ferrata climbs for athletes. For the first time in the race's history one turn point – the Swiss resort of St. Moritz – becomes a turn point both on the way out and return legs of the course.

A total of 34 athletes from 17 countries take part in the 2025 race. The lineup includes one female athlete, competing for the second time.^[21]

• Red Bull X-Alps