Who’s in, who’s out at the Red Bull X-Alps 2017…
The waiting is over, the nail-biting can stop. Once again the Red Bull X-Alps committee has deliberated and delivered its decision.
Thirty athletes have been chosen to take part in next year’s race.
They include four-time champion Chrigel Maurer, and Running Man legend Toma Coconea. Athletes from last year’s leading pack including Paul Guschlbauer, Aaron Durogati, Seb Huber and Antoine Girard are also in.
New faces include Simon Oberrauner from Austria: a young pilot with a permanent grin, he already has a strong record of winning hike-and-fly races in the Alps.
Benoit Outters from France is also in. A former supporter in Antoine Girard’s team, he is an expert mountain pilot and endurance athlete.
A surprise entrant is Pal Takats. The acro legend competed in the Red Bull X-Alps once before, in 2009, when he came a creditable eighth. He’s back again.
Notable by their absence are Germany’s Michael Gebert, who quit the race last year over safety concerns. There are also no women in the race this year – unlike in 2015 when Yvonne Dathe and Dawn Westrum competed.
Also not in this year’s race is Cross Country Magazine’s resident meteorologist, Honza Rejmanek. After competing in five races he has retired from the event.
Chrigel Maurer and Thomas Theurillat celebrate winning their fourth successive Red Bull X-Alps
The full pilot list includes:
Claudio Heidel Schemberger, Argentina
Che Golus*, Australia
Paul Guschlbauer, Austria
Stephan Gruber, Austria
Pascal Purin, Austria
Simon Oberrauner*, Austria
Tom de Dorlodot, Belgium
Richard Brezina*, Canada
Stanislav Mayer, Czech Republic
Antoine Girard, France
Gaspard Petiot, France
Nelson de Freyman, France
Benoît Outters*, France
Sebastian Huber, Germany
Manuel Nübel, Germany
Pal Takats, Hungary
Aaron Durogati, Italy
Tobias Grossrubatscher*, Italy
David Liano Gonzalez*, Mexico
Ferdinand van Schelven, Netherlands
Nick Neynens, New Zealand
Michal Gierlach*, Poland
Toma Coconea, Romania
Evgenii Griaznov, Russia
Duncan Kotze*, South Africa
Chikyong Ha, South Korea
Christian ‘Chrigel’ Maurer, Switzerland
Krischa Berlinger*, Switzerland
Gavin McClurg, USA
Jesse Williams*, USA
* = new pilot
The race starts on 2 July 2017. The exact route and turnpoints are as yet undisclosed, but athletes will have to race from Salzburg to Monaco by foot and paraglider over a 1,000km long course.
Race director Christoph Weber said: “We’ve put together a very impressive group of people for 2017. These guys can run, climb, fly – and do it all at speeds that are super-human, in conditions that would send your average adventurer home for a warm cup of tea. With the level of competition rising each year we are looking forward to an exciting and close race.”
The 2015 edition saw 19 of the 32 competing athletes make goal.
Chrigel Maurer won in the time of 8 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes. It was his fourth successive win.
