Covering a straight-line distance of 1,038km across the Alps by foot and paraglider is a huge undertaking. The equipment the athletes carry on the journey is vital. It has to be light, robust and adventure-proven. And to increase their safety, every Red Bull X-Alps athlete must carry nine pieces of mandatory equipment. “We want the athletes to be as safe as possible so certain gear is mandatory,” Red Bull X-Alps race director Christoph Weber says. “We are proud the race is pushing the evolution of equipment to new levels, for example with paragliders, harnesses and rescue systems.”

All of the gear is cutting-edge, offering athletes the greatest efficiency in terms of safety, functionality and weight, crucial considerations for hiking and flying across rugged alpine terrain for hours on end. The required gear consists of a paraglider, harness, emergency parachute, helmet, MTT Smart Robust mobile phone, Flymaster live SD GPS-Tracking-Device, Garmin Oregon backup logger device, RECCO reflectors and a distress flare. With the clock ticking until race day, all the athletes are training hard, each in their own way. Steve Nash (GBR) and Gavin McClurg (USA2) are typical in following strict training plans while others such as Nick Neynens (NZL) are just trying to get as much air-time as possible. Check out their Athlete Diaries on redbullxalps.com to see how their training is going.