The Great Game: ‘I get so many positive vibes’

Chrigel, how are you a couple of days after the finish?

I’ve slept well, ten hours each night and I’ll be fine in a few days. I’m healthy, I’m not destroyed, my body feels really well. And I am ranked fourth, I think I can be very proud. It’s still really good.

How did this year’s edition compare to other editions?

This time the race was different. The route was longer, it was more difficult with the via ferratas. But in the end it was easier than expected. The weather was better than the average, except in 2023. We could cover distance quite well because there were good thermals, high cloudbase, no wind. 

If you have these days with too much wind or thunderstorms in the afternoon, like we had in St. Moritz, we can cover not half of the distance in a day. So, if the weather had been a bit worse or more average, then it would have taken 12 days. 

How was your experience the first two days with thunderstorms and high winds?

The first evening, there was the via ferrata with the thunderstorm, which was really critical. The second day with the wind in Merano was quite critical, but it was quite safe to fly for all. As long as the thermals are stronger than the wind, it is still flyable and efficient. So it looks maybe difficult, but it’s efficient. And then we had good days for good...