Paragliding from one peak of the alps to the next, landing only for meals and sleeping – that’s the perfect X-Alps Race. And the 33 hand picked X-Alps Race contestants will try to fly as much as possible of their 1,000 km journey. Because the rest is walking, hiking, running, climbing…
It’s a handpicked selection of the best paragliding/adventure/endurance-athletes in the world competing in the bi-annual Red Bull X-Alps Race. But for the last three races, one man beat them all: Christian ‘The Eagle’ Maurer from Switzerland with his supporter Thomas Theurillat.
Maurer knows the winds like a bird, smells in the air where to take off, and most importantly he manages to stay up in the air and glide another 10 km, and another 10 km … Touching down at the X-Alps means another exhausting hike uphill for an opportunity to be airborn – and there’s plenty of footwork anyways.
Nothing beats our SOURCE Convertube
For many years Chris flies and hikes with SOURCE Hydration gear, supplied by Saij.ch, our SOURCE distributor in Switzerland. For practice and training he likes his 1.5L Widepac. But his first choice for the race-situation, ever since we brought it into the market: Our SOURCE Convertube that turns any bottle into a Hydration System.
As he’s getting ready to defend his X-Alps Title for the fourth time, he told us why: “With the Convertube, i can pick up a bottle somewhere along the way, in any shop, or from Thomas, and just replace what i have in my pack without pouring it into bladders, cleaning, any maintenance. I throw out the empty bottle and simply plug in the new one.”
Luck, experience, intuition
Can we expect the 4th victory of Chris Maurer and teammate Thomas Theurillat? “The conditions will be very different this year,” he explains, “there’s way more snow left from winter than in other years, up on the peaks.” Also, he had his moment of pain earlier in the year, stumbling and fracturing his ankle. With his injured foot not 100% back to where it was before, he will be trying even harder to avoid the exhausting (and dangerous) climbs and hikes in the alps.
In any case, there is no real planning for the race. “It’s about taking the right decision in every moment.” And that, Maurer confirms, takes some luck also. “But being good at something can make you lucky”, he adds. His intuition and analytical skill helped him to three X-Alps titles already. We’ll be watching closely to see if he makes it four!
We are proud to know that SOURCE Hydration will be part of his adventurous journey, from Salzburg, deep in the Austrian Alps, and across the Swiss Alps, the Italian and French Alps, to Monaco at the beaches of the Mediterranean. And we wish him all the best of luck!
- Maurer/Theurillat Facebook Fan-Page
- SOURCE Convertube – turn any bottle into a full hydration system