The Red Bull X-Alps route was unveiled in March. At 1,280km it’s the longest ever, crosses the main Alpine chain four times and travels deep into the French Ecrins. There are also three via ferratas and a total of 17 turnpoints.
“It’s out-of-this-world hard,” says Tom Payne, a former athlete, supporter and longtime race watcher. “With good weather it’s within the realms of ‘difficult but possible’. With bad weather it will involve a lot of suffering. My guess is that only two to five athletes in total will reach goal.”
At the press conference in Salzburg, the Austrian pilot Tommy Friedrich dryly noted: “It will be pretty demanding when not flyable.”
The route starts in Kitzbühel, Austria and follows a figure of eight loop passing through St. Moritz on the outward and return legs. It’s serious from the start with pilots having to...
