The Champions Challenge
Documentary released of the 2023 Red Bull X-Alps, the world’s toughest adventure race.
It’s a story of the world’s top adventure athletes battling it out across the mountains and skies of the Alps in a bid to be crowned champion of the most important and challenging race on the calendar – the Red Bull X-Alps.
This year saw 28 male and four female athletes race for a chance to stand on the coveted podium of the world’s toughest adventure race, in which athletes hike and fly across the Alps via foot and paraglider.
That story is told in the official Red Bull X-Alps documentary: The Champions Challenge, which has just been released. Since 2009 the race has been won by the Swiss legend, Chrigel Maurer, but this year he had to fight harder than ever to seal his victory.
The Champions Challenge tells the story of the battle at the front, following Maurer as he hikes and flies around the 1,223km course followed by the challengers – Maxime Pinot, Damien Lacaze and Pal Takats. The action follows the athletes across some of the most challenging and spectacular terrain the Alps has to offer.
With 2023 being the 20-year anniversary of the first ever Red Bull X-Alps, the 40-minute documentary also delves into the archives to show footage from the early years, when athletes hiked with 20kg backpacks and flew with paper maps strapped to their legs. It includes an interview with the only man to have taken part in every edition, the Romanian running man Toma Coconea.
"It's a thrilling watch"
There are also interviews with veteran athlete Tom de Dorlodot, the race’s co-founder Ulrich Grill and its safety director Jürgen Wietrzyk, recalling the early days of the race. Giving perspective to the athletes’ achievement is the race’s longtime reporter Tarquin Cooper, who helps to convey the magnitude and difficulty of the race.
Other athletes featured include Eli Egger, the first woman to ever make goal in the race’s history and veteran athletes Aaron Durogati and Paul Guschlbauer.
“It’s a thrilling watch,” says Red Bull X-Alps co-founder Ulrich Grill. The Champions Challenge is available to watch for free on Red Bull TV and here on redbullxalps.com.
Top image © zooom / Lukas Pilz
