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Ferdinandvan Schelven

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Netherlands TEAM NED

Athlete

  • Nationality Netherlands
  • Date of birth 05/12/1984
  • City la Gleize
  • Country Belgium
  • Profession Outdoor sport instructor
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  • Glider Up proto
  • Helmet Burton Red snowboard helmet
  • Harness Woody Valley X-Alps
  • Sponsors New Life outdoor activity center
  •  

Assistant

  • Name Anton Brous
  • Nationality Netherlands
  • Date of birth 03/28/1978
  • City Vielsalm
  • Country Belgium
  •  
Ferdinand van Schelven

 

  • What is your greatest sporting success?
    The New Zealand Open where I won four tasks out of five and was first overall.
  • When and why did you begin paragliding?
    I started paragliding when I was ten. My father gave me my first lessons. When I was 12 he gave me my first wing and I would play in the slopes surrounding my house for hours every day after school.
  • What is your mountaineering and big mountain experience?
    I have been solo on top of Iztaccíhuatl in Mexico but that is basically just a high hike. I went to New Zealand where i did a lot of hikes at Mt. Aspiring National Park, around Mt. Cook and i hiked a lot in Fjordland. There I hiked over 700km in four months. As for my experience, I work in Belgium as a guide for outdoor activities, so I go climbing a lot, for my work, and for fun as well. I have a lot of hobbies, mountainbiking, canyoning, paddling, running, caving, snowboarding. So all off these activities, have a lot to do with ropes, mountains, not especially mountaineering but it helps.
  • What does your typical training week consist of?
    Usually, I try to run 12km twice a week. I also go mountainbiking or flying once a week. Of course if I am selected to participate in the Red Bull X-Alps, my training will be more specific to the competition.
  • What are your best and worst sporting memories?
    Last year I participated in the Trail Des Hautes Fagnes, it is a local trail running event. This was my first real endurance competition in running. I did 35km in 3:30, all on muddy ground and at a height of 2000m. The worst was during a triathlon where I got a bad cramp in the water and almost drowned.
  • When and how did you first hear about the Red Bull X-Alps?
    I read about the first edition of the Red Bull X-Alps somewhere on the internet.
  • Have you competed in the Red Bull X-Alps before and if so, when?
    No.
  • Why does the Red Bull X-Alps interest you?
    I like hiking. Also, I don't like flying normal XC comps too much because the idea is always the same. You need to wait until one o'clock in order to launch the race, if it is to windy they cancel the race. Sometimes you spend a day at the takeoff just waiting. What interest me in this race is that it never stops, you can just keep going. It is such an incredible race! When I try to explain to people that i would like to compete in the Red Bull X-Alps, they all say I am crazy.
  • What will be your strategy during the race?
    I'll try to make my own plans with my supporter as often as possible, but also try to follow the guys who did the race before, as they know the Alps better than us. The strategy is probably to know how much your body can take and to be fit for the race, and keep going to the end.
  • On average, over a third of the Red Bull X-Alps participants fail to finish the event. Why do you think you will make it?
    Even though I didn't do a lot of paragliding competitions so far, I've been flying since I was ten years old, so I think my flying skills are pretty good. I am very good at launching in the craziest places, and landing as well. Once I want to manage something I do it and finish. I will make it unless I am injured.
  • What excites you most about the event?
    Making new flights that I've never done before. And wondering what it will be like.
  • What scares you the most about the event?
    The risks I might take to keep going.
  • How long have you known your assistant?
    Five years.
  • Why will he/ she make a good assistant?
    He is a pilot too and has a lot of experience in mountaineering. He climbed Kilimanjaro, Mt. Cook Aconcagua, Everest base camp, Mt. Blanc and more. He likes to study the weather. And he is a true friend.