The 2009 Red Bull X-Alps has finished, and what a race it’s been! Chrigel Maurer (SUI3) hammered the rest of the field by flying at ‘another level’! Even the double Red Bull X-Alps champion Alex Hofer (SUI1) was left straggling 200 km behind him. Hofer was the only other athlete to make goal. Both flew to the beach – another first in the race. (more…)
At 11:24 this morning, after a relaxed evening and a beer or two, Chrigel Maurer landed on the beach at Monaco, official winner of the 2009 Red Bull X-Alps. Behind him athletes continue to battle it out, hoping to make it to the Monagasc beach before the 48 hour cut-off point at which the event is over.
Full report to follow …
Last week the Vågå pg open made its first apperance in the comp sky in what is planned to be a yearly event. (more…)
Yesterday was a defining day in the 2009 Red Bull X-Alps. Chrigel Maurer pulled easily away from the reigning champion Alex Hofer, who had a terrible day trying to get from the Matterhorn to Mt Blanc. Maurer is now a flight away from goal, leaving Hofer still at the Mt Blanc turnpoint. (more…)
The Blorenge party is back this August bank holiday, 29 – 31 August, at Pen-y-Worlod farm on the banks of the Usk river, Abergavenny. A free minibus service will shuttle pilots to the day’s flyable launch, and the trade stands, bar, camping and catering facilities will be arranged in the meadow to leave enough room for landing. Cross country will be in the traders’ marquee with our stand and the latest DVDs, books and more, so make time to see us as you wander round the trade stands.
Aside from the flying and trade stands, Mark Leavesley will be putting on model aircraft displays, and John Sylvester entertaining and informing the crowds with his tales of extreme flying adventures. A local brewery has created a special pilots’ brew, which will be available throughout the weekend, a great accompaniment to the evenings’ bands and Saturday’s hog-roast.
The ticket price, 30 GBP (pilot) or 40 GBP (pilot plus partner, kids free) will increase to 45 and 55 GBP respectively after 31 July, and includes three nights’ camping.
www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/blorenge9.php
Hofer is now catching Maurer
Yesterday, day seven of the race, brought some glimmer of the 2009 Red Bull X-Alps being not just a one man race, and perhaps at least becoming a two man battle, when Maurer’s southerly route and Hofer’s more northern one came head to head at the Matterhorn turnpoint. Maurer was trapped on the south face of the mountain and had to soar up and land in the glaciers, meet his supporter, don crampons and trek across the high glaciers. (more…)
Six days of hardcore walking and flying sees Maurer scorching the pack. Read all about it here…
If you live anywhere near a computer you’ve probably been riveted into paragliding’s most outrageous event: the Red Bull X-Alps. This year, its fourth race, the competition has already been extreme, as has the flying. This is the story so far… (more…)
Trango Towers. Photo: Public domain
The season in the high mountains of Pakistan is “going off” according to resident US pilot Brad Sander. Two teams and a total of 16 pilots have been active in the region over June and July, with big flights still to come.
Last week Brad repeated his epic 224 km flight of last year from Booni to Hunza, but this time took two days over it. In 2008 he flew the route in one flight. He repeated it again by flying back the way he had come, this time spending three days flying and two days “making butter with shepherds waiting out the rain”.
British pilot Demian Hall has flown 10 flights of near the 100 km mark in the last two weeks. He is currently (17 July) bivvied out near Askole, the small village that is the gateway to K2 and the Karakoram’s biggest peaks, waiting for the weather to clear so he can attempt a flight to Trango Towers.
A full report on the season in Pakistan will be published in Cross Country issue 125
Showing their form days before the start of the Red Bull X-Alps on July 19 in Salzburg, Thomas de Dorlodot (BE), Ramon Morrilas (ES) and Pál Takáts (HU) finished first, second and third respectively at the El Yelmo Festival Mountain Race in Andalucia, Spain on 4 July.
Consisting of an 11km mountain run with a height gain of 800m, followed by a short flight with one turnpoint, the trio trounced the field, which consisted of a number of pro-runners.
“It was great to have the three Red Bull X-Alps pilot at the goal,” said Thomas. “We realised that the training for the Red Bull X-Alps has paid off.”
Check out more details in the Athletes’ Diary section or on Thomas’ blog: http://thomasdedorlodot.blogspot.com
Still in the planning stages, but scheduled for August 2010, the XAndes is a Red Bull X-Alps -esque hike and fly endurance competition, combining paragliding and mountaineering in a race across the Peruvian Andes. Athletes will depart Huaraz on 24 August and climb and paraglide a previously chartered course of 500+ kilometres from Huaraz to Cuzco. Predetermined GPS turnpoints along the high Andean altiplano route will be used to keep the athletes on a safe course near populated areas. The finish in Cusco has been timed to coincide with the Inkafest Festival.
Apart from the pure sport of the event, organisers are also aiming to create an awareness of the receding equatorial glaciers in Peru and its beautiful Cordilleras.
The exploratory reconnaissance mission will take place in August and September 2009 with organisers and invited athletes. The goal of that mission is to carefully plan and fly/hike/run the route and address all logistical issues of the event.
Keep an eye on progress via their website, www.xandes.com.
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