This July sees the arrival of the Red Bull X-Alps, a race across the titular mountain range from Salzburg, Austria, to the city-state of Monaco – and we’re thrilled to say that Fly Cape Town Paragliding will be well represented in the competition.

Our own Stephan Kruger – owner and paragliding instructor  – will be joining the fray in this cross-continental event, taking on other contenders from across the world as well as the forces of nature itself.

What is the Red Bull X-Alps?

 Held once every two years, the Red Bull X-Alps is an adventure-packed solo race across the Alps. 33 athletes from 18 different countries compete to cover a one-thousand kilometer stretch of mountainous land, each trying to beat the others to the end goal. They’ll contend with steep inclines, jagged rock cliffs, and chilly temperatures as they hike and glide as much as 100km per day. It’s the ultimate challenge of bodily endurance and paragliding ability.

Participants are restricted to racing only during daylight hours, more or less (05:00 to 22:30), with the exception of a single “Night Pass” to be used on the evening of their choice. Expect frenzied competition and incredible feats of strength and skill.

How can I follow along?

Keep an eye on the Red Bull X-Alps website as summer approaches, as they’ll be posting all sorts of updates, athlete profiles, and other news bits. Plenty of pictures and videos of past events are available for perusing, to give you a taste of what’s in store. When this year’s competition begins, you can bet we’ll be chronicling Stephan’s progress and reporting through our social media channels, so don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter!

If you’ve got your eye set on the Red Bull X-Alps one day, there’s no better place to start a paragliding training course than with Fly Cape Town Paragliding.