Maurer's mission
Chrigel Maurer and Peter von Känel after successfully finishing XPEAKS
© Christian Maurer
In total they spent 62 hours in the air
© Peter von Känel
Chrigel and Peter covered 71,645 vertical metres
© Peter von Känel
Chrigel flying next to Weisshorn, Switzerland
© Peter von Känel
Interview from June 12, 2024
Third place at the world cup, was that better than you expected?
It was just for fun and I thought to be top 20, it'll be good, top 10 will be very good. And sure dreaming about a podium or winning was allowed, but it was a good surprise.
You had a well-documented battle with Lyme Disease. Are you back to 100% now?
Thanks. I was really happy to find out in February what the problem was [after seven months of not knowing]. There was a 20 day period every day I got antibiotics in hospital. It was a hard time. But finally it works really well. I was really happy to recover fast. I started training again for this project, and actually I feel really good.
Chrigel is already training for 2025
© zooom / Christian Lorenz
You were out for a long time
It was really hard – always with headache and very tired. I slept on average 10 to 12 hours every day. And for sure, it's a mess to not know the problem, but finally I was thinking about Red Bull X-Alps 2025, and I thought there’s still time to be ready.
I was thinking about Red Bull X-Alps 2025, and I thought there’s still time to be ready
Tell us about the XPEAKS project
My friend Peter von Känel (no relation to Patrick) is a mountain guide. He flew PWC in the past and we thought climbing all the 4,000 meter peaks in the Alps will be interesting, but to connect the mountains by flying and hiking only adds another challenge. We start at home in Frutigen and fly to Mont Blanc in the beginning. 72 days we reserve for 82 peaks. We hope it’s enough! For sure it's it's a question of good weather.
What are the rules that you've set yourself? Can you top-land?
Good question. We did our own rules. We stay together as a team on each peak and make a selfie. [Click here to see the full list of the rules and to follow them on live tracking]
Chrigel together with his supporter Sebastian Weber
© zooom / Lukas Pilz
Physically you feel good?
I had a good two months of training and I feel really good. Not as fast on the ground as I was during the Red Bull X-Alps last summer. But I made a lot of trainings in heavy boots and backpack. I feel really powerful.
Applications to Red Bull X-Alps 2025 will be opening this summer. You’ll be back to defend your title?
Yes. I really like to have a new challenge next year. I’m looking around for a new team which can be good support team and the application I will do end of August when we are back from the project back in civilization.
What’s the attraction of the race for you now, and has that changed since you first started?
In the beginning, I wanted to do as good as possible, to win the race. After a time winning, it’s maybe not that important. To have a good preparation time, to have projects with the team to make progress by self, and then the race for sure. It's like a good test, a good challenge to optimize everything in detail, to push the limit, to push myself. Fifteen years ago the challenge was to cross the Alps and now it's clear that we crossed the Alps. And it's the question about the speed and pushing the speed optimizing everything, maybe new equipment, new materials, new team.
So it's not just about defending your title?
I know how difficult it can be next time because many young and good teams will be on the start line. They are fully motivated and I’m getting older. Maybe to run on the road will be even more hard. But as long we have good flying conditions, maybe like last edition, I can be in front.
What does your peak training look like?
I think on average I do 12 to 15 hours. This means ten hours endurance and maybe three hours gym and power training. And three to four months before, I go up to 25 hours a week. And this makes distance an average of 100km every week of hiking and running, and also an elevation of 10,000 meter uphill and normally fly down. But I also do downhill training, so running down with the backpack is important.
Chrigl Maurer flying at Schmittehöhe during Red Bull X-Alps 2023
© zooom / Sebastian Marko
Flying in every condition means taking every good decision when it’s stressful
What’s your secret? How do you stay one step ahead?
It’s a good question and difficult to answer. I think there is no trick or something, but I really like to do it, and with good motivation, I can really push my limit. Maybe a good thing I have is to respect the unknown. So in adventure race, many things are notable. You can have an idea, you can have some weather forecast, you can have some GPS tracks, but in the end it's many things, it's the unknown and to respect this and to be ready for this, maybe it’s my strength.
Apart from your team, will you do anything differently next year?
I think I will keep with two cars and four people, that was working real nicely and it's a good size of team and we are flexible. Optimizing the calculation of routes, better weather forecasts and maybe also understanding better where to push and where to slow down to recover – things like this.
You’re now in your 40s. How long can you compete?
I watched Kaoru Ogisawa compete at 60 he was still really good, so that’s still another 18 years.
Any advice to rookies?
You have to know that it’s no pleasure! It's a really hard and serious competition where you will stay really close to the limit but also mentally. Flying in every condition means taking every good decision when it’s stressful.
And the good part?
To share all these experiences you have every day, it's unbelievable. The good part is that it’s not 12 days of bad weather. Once the sun comes out and you fly to make distance this is a really wonderful feeling. And because of Live Tracking people along the way will always give good motivation. I can't wait for the next phase.
