Ever wondered how pilots are selected for the World’s toughest adventure paragliding race, the Red Bull X-Alps? How many people apply, who chooses the successful applicants, and what they have that others don’t? Then check out Judgement Day, a short video that explains how the Red Bull X-Alps selection team made this year’s choice.
On 25 October 2010 the Red Bull X-Alps selection panel announced they had made their choice of 30 athletes who would be competing in the Red Bull X-Alps 2011. The selection, to which Jon Chambers and Paul Guschlbauer were later added, bringing the total to 32, was from a list of around 100, so almost 70 hopefuls were disappointed.
Judgment Day explains how the panel considers several criteria during their selection process including the character of the applicant and their experience of endurance sports. But the most important attribute a successful applicant needs is to be known by the panel to be a highly skilled and experienced pilot.
During the race the athletes are often confronted with conditions they might not normally fly in. The choice is to fly or walk. However, the wave of excitement that carries athletes along the gruelling 800 km night-and-day race can lead them to misjudge conditions or their ability to deal with them, especially if they are phsically exhausted already. Accidents are easily come by in a race like the Red Bull X-Alps, so the panel have to be certain that the athletes have the skills to push themselves to their limits of endurance and still make safe flying decisions.
By default, the chosen pilots are largely established names, known for their achievements in either top-level competition, acrobatics or adventure flying. In fact, only twelve of the pilots selected for the 2011 Red Bull X-Alps are new to the race, all of the rest having competed in one or more of the previous editions. Andy Frötscher and Toma Coconea have competed in all four.
Controversially, this year saw an entirely male field for the second race in a row. No female has been selected since 2005. That year two women (out of a field of 16) took part, but Ireland’s Niki Hamilton pulled out, and Kari Castle finished last, with still 600 km to go. She was still recovering from a recent knee operation, and did battle on till the end but found it extremely punishing.
Christoph Weber, the race director and one of the selection panel of four, concludes in the video that from a physical point of view the race is “too hard for women to participate”, and they would have “no real chance to reach Monaco”.
XCMag.com questioned panel member Nick Warren on the statement. He assured us that the Red Bull X-Alps is open to all, and each applicant is judged on his or her own merits.
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