Red Bull X-Alps 2011: One month to apply

There is just one month remaining for potential participants to apply to the Red Bull X-Alps 2011, the 864km adventure race where athletes must hike or paraglide from Salzburg to Monaco in the quickest time possible.

Applications close on September 30 and have been coming in thick and fast. Organiser, and head of the Race Selection Committee, Hannes Arch says that athletes who are up for the ultimate challenge should register soon on the official website, www.redbullxalps.com.

“This will be the toughest Red Bull X-Alps since the race began in 2003,” says Arch. “We are searching for the best athletes to give their all in the quest to be first to Monaco. The more experience they can show us, the more professional approach, and the level of their motivation, the better chances they have of being selected.”

The Red Bull X-Alps 2011 will be the fifth edition of the extremely popular event where athletes must use their hiking strength or paragliding skills to race across brutal Alpine terrain.

Only 30 athletes will be chosen to participate in the race, and a new route with turnpoints in Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France will test the limits of the athletes’ abilities. The entire race will be broadcasted via the official website’s Live Tracking map, which tracks in real time every move by every athlete.

As in 2009, the race begins in the centre of Salzburg, Austria after which athletes must almost immediately have to climb up to the summit of the 1288m-high Gaisberg, six kilometres away.

They must then make their way to the Dachstein Glacier, 52km away and the scene of the start of the 2003, 05 and 07 races. At 2700m above sea level, the turnpoint presents a formidable challenge.

The stunning Tre Cime and Piz Palü mountains in Italy are the next two turnpoints before the race enters Switzerland where the Matterhorn is the fifth turnpoint.

French giant Mont Blanc is turnpoint number six, and then it’s a huge 234km to the final turnpoint Mont Gros, also in France, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. From Mont Gros, it’s a pleasant 5km flight down to goal in glamorous Monaco.

“It’s an extremely tricky new course,” says Arch. “I believe it will definitely make things much tougher for the athletes especially with the addition of Piz Palü which forces athletes into the beautiful high mountains along the Swiss/ Italian border.”

Check out the Red Bull X-Alps on www.facebook.com/redbullxalps and www.twitter.com/redbullxalps