Track the toughest race in the Alps
Here’s everything you need to know about the Red Bull X-Alps, the super-tough adventure race that will see athletes race over 1,000km from Salzburg to Monaco by foot or paraglider.
The Red Bull X-Alps is tough. Seriously tough. Every two years athletes race across the alps by foot or paraglider. Now in its seventh edition, the 2015 race will see athletes journey from Salzburg to Monaco, crossing a total distance of 1,038km (though athletes will often cover double that during the race) and taking in alpine highlights including the Zugspitz, Matterhorn and Mt Blanc along the way.
Each team consists of one athlete and a supporter. The supporter’s role is to help with logistics, strategy, nutrition and psychological support.
The facts
The route of the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps is 1,038km long | zooom.at / Red Bull Content Pool
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty: As well as hiking around 100km a day, competitors will take on some of the highest mountains in the alps, burn an average of 6,000 calories a day and face temperatures ranging from -10° to +34°. Oxygen levels will drop to 59% at high points such as the Matterhorn.
The Athletes
Competitor flies during the Red Bull X-Alps at Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland on July 12th, 2013 | Felix Woelk/Red Bull Content Pool
33 athletes from all over the globe are competing in this year’s event, including Switzerland’s Christian Maurer, who has won the last three Red Bull X-Alps. He completed the 2013 race in a record-breaking 6d, 23h 40m.
Great Britain will be represented by Steve Nash, a chartered engineer and experienced paraglider, and the oldest competitor at 52 years old.
The Route
The route crosses the alps from Salzburg to Monaco, crossing six countries
The race starts in Mozartplatz, Salzburg on the 5th July (following a prologue in the Salzkammergut mountains on the 2nd July) before heading to the Dachstein glacier. It then skirts the Austro-German border from Chiemsee to Zugspitz, crossing the Austrian and Italian alps to St Moritz. After tackling the Matterhorn and Mt Blanc the race heads to the lakeside town of Annecy, before crossing the French Alps to the principality of Monaco. Phew!
Track it
Win
Enter our competition to win a Garmin Fenix 3 watch courtesy of Red Bull X-Alps.
