Red Bull X-Alps athletes revealed

The largest number of female athletes in the race’s history, a new generation of young pilots and a 44-year-old champion vying to reclaim his crown against some very stiff competition. These are some of the headlines to emerge from Fuschl am See Austria, where organisers announced the 37 athletes who will take on Red Bull X-Alps 2027, “the world’s toughest adventure race”.

In total, 37 athletes from 16 countries have been announced. Seventeen are rookies and seven are women, the largest number ever to compete. It means that for the first time the race will have a separate women’s ranking.

The female lineup comprises Celine Lorenz (GER2), who’s competed twice before but never made goal. The others include Romy Sweda (SUI7), a Swiss hike-and-fly champion who won a wildcard entry at Red Bull X-Alps Challenger 2026 and Elisa Deutschmann (GER4), who recently became the first woman to make goal at X-Pyr. Both pilots have previously supported Chrigel in the race.

Also in the lineup is Solène Rombourg (FRA6), an adventure pilot who has been on some incredible hike-and-fly journeys in the remotest regions of the Andes and Patagonia. The other women, all familiar names on the hike-and-fly race scene are Pauline Müller (AUT3), Silvia Galli (ITA4) and Stephanie Westerhuis (SUI8).

The big surprise however is team France – the only returning veteran is Tanguy Renaud-Goud (FRA1). The new lineup includes 26-year-old Lucas Bonin (FRA4), this year’s Bornes to Fly winner, Arthur Moindrot (FRA5), a 26-year-old graduate of Font-Romeu, who’s competed in the PWC and won Bornes to Fly the previous year and Charles de Beaufort, 27 (FRA3), part of the elite club to have flown a 350km FAI triangle from the Col d’Izoard.

“I want to show that the new generation is on fire – and the young guns can stand up to the legends,” he says. The remaining French athlete is Mael Baguet (FRA2), a mountain guide, former wingsuit BASE jumper and winner of the 2025 French hike-and championships.

In the Swiss lineup there are eight athletes in total, including Romy and Stephanie. Two are rookies, Noé Court, 25 (SUI5) was fifth in this year’s X-Pyr while Aaron Mathis (SUI6) , who’s just 20, was the surprise outsider who won a wildcard at Red Bull X-Alps Challenger.

Never before have the veterans faced such stiff competition, but they are back in force, chief among them Chrigel Maurer – now demoted to SUI2 – who returns for his tenth edition. He will no doubt be keen to wrestle back the yellow speedarm from Aaron Durogati (ITA1), who won in such spectacular style in 2025.

Other notable veterans include the Swiss titan, Lars Meerstetter who came second in 2025 and now has the SUI1 race number, Simon Oberrauner (AUT1), who came third in 2021 and 2025 and four-time veteran Patrick von Känel (SUI4). After missing the 2025 edition due to injury Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) returns for his tenth edition, having first competed in the 2007 race.

“This is one of the most thrilling lineups in Red Bull X-Alps history,” says race co-founder Ulrich Grill. “We have more athletes than ever before as the level now is so unbelievably high. It’s also really exciting to have so many female athletes taking part and that will add another thrilling dimension to the race. Overall, it’s great to see so many rookies, many of them capable of challenging for the podium.”

The next major race announcement will be the route, which will be unveiled in March.

To see the full lineup, head to redbullxalps.com