Red Bull X-Alps 2023: Records Fall as Chrigel Maurer Takes an Eighth Straight Crown

The 20th-anniversary edition of Red Bull X-Alps will be remembered as one for the history books. Of the 32 athletes who set off from Kitzbuhel on 11 June, a record 23 reached the final goal – the largest finishers’ field the race has ever seen. And the statistics barely stop there.

Eli Egger (AUT4) became the first woman ever to make goal in the event’s history. France’s Damien Lacaze (FRA2) logged the longest single flight on record – 266 km flown in 11 hours and 13 minutes. And at the front, Chrigel Maurer (SUI1) sealed the fastest race ever, crossing the line in 6 days, 6 hours and 1 minute for his eighth consecutive victory. It was also the closest finish to date, with 17 athletes reaching goal within 24 hours of the winner.

“This has been the most extraordinary edition that anyone can remember,” said co-founder Ulrich Grill. Race director Ferdinand Vogel agreed: “The level of athletes is just so unbelievably high… the slightest mistake was punished.”

The 2023 course stretched 1,223 km across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, threading 15 turnpoints and rounding Mont Blanc anti-clockwise before the dramatic finish on a floating platform on Lake Zell am See. For most competitors, simply completing the gruelling on-foot-and-in-the-air traverse – the culmination of years of dreaming and months of training – was the real prize.

Hike-and-fly races of this calibre put enormous demands on both pilot and kit. A lightweight Fast Pack Bag keeps your glider compact on the running sections, while a Concertina Bag shields the wing from the scrapes of mountain travel, and the Your Journey Bottle earns its place on every stage.

Dreaming of your own X-Alps? Train smarter with the paragliding Harness Simulator, protect your wing with a Concertina Bag, move fast with a Fast Pack Bag, and stay hydrated with the Your Journey Bottle – gear made for the toughest adventures.