Podz-Glidz, the Lu-Glidz podcast, stories from the universe of paragliding, today with Christoph Weber and Lucian Haas at the mic. The
Red Bull X-Alps is probably the most important competition in the paragliding scene. Every two years, 32 participants and their support teams set out to travel along and across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco on a route that is slightly different each time. That's more than 1,000 kilometers. The only permitted modes of transport? Walking and paragliding, or as it's called in modern German, Hike and Fly. The next Red Bull X-Alps start in mid-June 2019. That's a good reason to take a little look behind the scenes.
A race like this requires a lot of organization. Christoph Weber plays a particularly important role in that. Since 2011, he has been the Race Director of the Red Bull X-Alps. In this capacity, he oversees all sporting aspects and regulations of the race proceedings.
In this ninth episode of Podz-Glidz, Christoph talks about, among other things, how he became the Race Director, what he has to look out for when selecting the X-Alps participants, and what ideas and constraints are behind the layout of the X-Alps route. He also describes what the daily routine of the race looks like for him, what he does to keep the risk manageable despite all the adventures and weather hazards, and how the human encounters are, for him, the highlights.
Christoph, you're the Race Director of the Red Bull X-Alps. Now imagine you were looking for a successor for your job. You just don't want to do it anymore. And now you might see me as an interesting candidate. How would you sell the position of Race Director to me?
Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't want the chance to play such an important role in the most interesting and exciting paragliding races? Specifically, to take over the leadership of the whole thing. That would be something for you, Lucian.
You say leadership. How significant is the role of a Race Director? Are you really like the big boss in the ring?
Yes, so I am the boss in the ring when it comes to the sporting side of things. So, when it's about judging whether there was a rule violation during the race and how the rules are applied—if the rules are interpreted strictly—then it mostly goes across my desk. However, we are a Race Committee consisting of three people. And because of that, I have the advantage of being able to coordinate the decisions with the other members of the Race Committee. How did you actually end up becoming a Race Director? Yes, those are always the funny stories, that you practically know the right people, or the wrong ones, depending on how you look at it.
But I was asked by a good friend of mine if I could help out because they were having trouble analyzing the airspace structure and figuring out which airspaces are significant for the X-Alps race. That was the 2009 race. And I said, sure, I can help out, I'll take a look at it and do a categorization and cataloging of the airspaces that are crucial. And that's how I got into the Red Bull X-Alps circles and met Hannes Arch. And we got to know each other better through that story.
And then one thing led to another. So he then also...
pulled into the fold. He then
asked if I would also be willing to get more involved and take on the role of Race Director. And I said yes. And that's how it happened that I was the Race Director for the 2011 edition of the next race.
You've been doing this consistently since then. This year, you're serving as Race Director for the X-Alps for the fifth time. The next race is set to start in mid-June. Are you still nervous in some way before an event like this? Is it exciting for you? Yes,
that's always exciting for me. I mean, the tension hasn't really lessened or changed. So it remains
still very exciting for me. What are the most exciting questions for you that are pending before the start?
The most exciting questions before the start, that's a good question. Well, that's always a tough topic. We hope to get the organizational stuff done. For example, we check all the paraglider equipment. Alan Zoller from the Paratest inspection point comes specifically to measure all the athletes' gliders. The harnesses are checked, the rescue systems are precisely inspected. And to get all that organizational effort and the stories going on smoothly over the finish line. And to get all that organizational effort and the stories going on smoothly over the finish line. That's actually the biggest tension before the race. Otherwise, what is of course always super exciting is the question of what the weather will be like?
We've been incredibly lucky most of the time, at least with the start. Only last time, unfortunately, it rained during the start. And that is, of course, certainly a very central question this time as well. What will the weather be like? How will the snow conditions in the Alps develop now? We just had some proper new snow a few days ago. And that's when it's now just a little over a month until the race begins. So, that is the big...
question that's still out there. Regarding the snow and the race, let's come back to that later. Before we actually look at the race progression, let's look back a bit. As Race Director, you also have important tasks in the lead-up. On one hand, that includes selecting the participants. Do you actually do that alone?
No, the Race Committee does that too. And yes, but of course, a very significant part of it is also my work—meaning, conducting the research. So, I should probably explain how the whole thing works. There is an application that potential candidates can submit.
You can submit the application, which usually starts around August. The application window is open for about a month. Then the applications are evaluated to see who applied and whether the people are suitable to participate in the race. And that, of course, simply means intensive research regarding the candidates—the potential candidates who applied. Whether they are suitable. What they can show in terms of paragliding and also alpinism in their personal history. What can you read from that?
What kind of experience they have. Especially in the paraglider competition scene, which is quite different from flying alone. Because the stress factors from the public, who are more or less close to you, shouldn't be ignored. And getting a picture of the people's abilities—that's a pretty intensive task. And of course, it's a serious matter, because it's very significant who you give the yes to and who you give the no to.
For the X-Alps, there are 32 participants listed now. Or rather, participants—there are two women involved again this year. How many people applied for this race in total? How many of those are sitting on your desk to start with?
Yes, we always get around 100 applications. It fluctuates between 80 and 120 applications. Out of those, there's a handful that are really just for fun—the ones you can set aside right away. But usually, there are surely 60 to 80 applications that need to be taken seriously. And those you have to work through with the utmost scrutiny to see what kind of story the individual has.
So you're saying 80 are left. Out of those 80, where you say the applications are at least ones that you have to look at seriously—how many of those would you say you'd actually trust to be able to really take on such a race?
Yeah, out of those 80, probably 60 or 50, to give you a number, are actually suitable for a race like that.
That means you really do have a choice. It's not like the 32 are the ones where you say, "Luckily, we filled the 32 with good people," and the rest were just some random people who just said, "I might want to join, let's see if it works out." Well, if you look at the field of participants, you can see it's very international. Still, there are a few countries, especially in the Alpine region, that are heavily represented. Typical of course, Austria, Switzerland, France, with four people participating this year. Are there actually any limits for such countries? Like, can there be no more than three Swiss or four French people? And you have to say, there's just a cut. We simply want to have people from other countries from all over the world involved as well.
Yes, well, we already have the requirement for the race to be internationally represented. And four starters for one nation is usually the maximum. So there would have to be something really special for us to take on any more. And that's obviously really bitter for the French, because the fifth Frenchman who gets cut is usually still stronger than someone from a country that's far away from the Alps. But on the other hand, the whole thing is supposed to be an international field of starters. And nations that are based outside of the Alps should also have a chance to take part.
Are there also pilots who are basically pre-selected? For example, there are pilots who are under contract with major sponsors like Red Bull or Skywalk. Do they have some kind of bonus, or do the sponsors say these people absolutely have to be included?
Yes, well, a Red Bull athlete naturally finds it easier to get a launch site. But he still has to have the skills, otherwise he wouldn't make the cut.
How does it work with the sponsors at all? Do you, as Race Director, have anything to do with them during the race? Like, do you have to take them into consideration in any way? Or does it work such that once you say, "Sponsor, they've given their money," the race then runs as its own entity within its own framework, and nothing else gets pushed in from the outside?
So, as I mentioned in the introduction, I'm responsible for the sporting side. I have almost nothing to do with the sponsors. I do meet them, of course, and I enjoy chatting with them. But they don't interfere in my area of responsibility; my role is clearly the sporting side of the race. And that runs independently of the sponsors.
Another important task in the preparation is determining the route. Do you play a role in that as well?
Yes, of course. I do get asked and I'm asked for my input regarding the route, and building and piecing together the route is always a very exciting component before the race, because that's naturally the meat of the race. It makes it, it spices the whole thing up.
How long does a whole team probably work on this route? Tell me, how does that work a bit in the background? What kind of ideas come up? I mean, how are the ideas thrown in? And how are specific things discussed? And what do you have to take into account? Well, first...
First, you sit together in a larger circle. So, depending on how large you choose to make the circle, there are quite a few people—30, 50 people—working with X-Alps. And that middle to larger circle simply throws out ideas and scatters them into the mix. Or ideas are also scattered into the whole thing from the outside. And then you look at the different ideas and plan more and more in detail what is possible, what makes sense, what's exciting, and what's appealing.
And in the end, we sit together again in the small circle and do the diverse, final route planning and decide exactly what the route will look like.
Are there ever considerations like, "Come on, let's choose a completely different route"? Maybe we just run from... or we run and fly from west to east, or we start in Saint-Hilaire and then go to Vienna, for example, or something like that?
Yes, of course, those considerations were made. We constantly get input, and we've had it ourselves. But it's a bit set in stone. I mean, this Salzburg-Monaco stretch is just something our main sponsor, Red Bull, really likes, and it's always somewhat fixed because of that, and it also makes the most sense from an organizational standpoint because the organizer is based in Fuschl, which is very close to Salzburg. And this Salzburg-Monaco part—the planning and also that preparation week and all that—it just has to be nearby, otherwise the effort becomes much greater.
This year, there are more waypoints than ever before. There are 13 in total across six countries. Is that mainly due to the many local sponsors? You have individual locations like Geisberg, Aschau, Kronplatz, Leermoos, and Davos, which all appear as sponsors. Does that mean one of them basically buys their way in, and then it's like, okay, the route has to go through Davos, for example?
Yeah, maybe a bit in that direction, but not quite. Ultimately, these many turning points simply show the huge interest there is in X-Alps, as well as its popularity and value. And then places come to us and say, hey, we'd also love to be part of the race and be your partner. And if the whole thing is somehow feasible and makes sense to do so, then of course we're happy to have such a partner and simply have that town or location on board as a turning point.
Does it ever happen that you say the route is basically set and then suddenly another town gets in touch and says, "Hey, we'd also like to be a sponsor," and then it's like, "Oh shoot, now we have to replan everything," or has that never happened before?
Well, we've already turned things down beforehand because they just didn't fit into the whole thing. But at the moment the route is set, I don't know of anything like that ever happening.
How do you personally like this 2019 route? Are you happy with it? Would you say it's going to be really exciting?
Yes, well, I think it's a very beautiful and very exciting route. So I like it quite a bit, yes.
Do you find these more interesting than the ones from two years ago? The ones from two years ago were very exciting, especially regarding the turning point at the Trieglauf, because we moved in a direction we had never been before.
This time we're also in areas where we've never been by passing by Monteviso. That's now the end of Italy, in the last
Part. Exactly.
That's ultimately the third-to-last waypoint before Pei and the fourth-to-last waypoint overall before the finish. So we're heading into the Seealps, in an area where we've never been, and we're practically leading the athletes into a new region. And I'm very curious to see how that all goes. And of course, something like Titlis will be super exciting, I think. Titlis can be, or is certainly, the most difficult waypoint of them all. If you really have to hike up there, it can be quite tactically decisive.
It is. So Titlis is a mountain in Switzerland, 3,200 meters high. And up there on the glacier, the pilots don't just have to fly past it; they have to either land there or hike up, because they actually have to sign a board there.
Yes, that's exactly how it is. So there's a signboard up there at 3,020 meters. Near the Titlisbahn—there is a cable car that goes up there. And you have to sign it there. Of course, it's great if you can fly up there and land at the top. But if you have to walk there, then it gets really tough.
I believe so. Now, you brought up the weather question earlier, and now with the weather ahead of the X-Alps—at least from the perspective of what we're seeing now—people are saying, oh, that doesn't make things any easier. Especially regarding a turning point like on the Titlis, because you really have to expect a lot of, a lot of snow up there still, probably.
Are the athletes allowed to have any aids if they have to hike up there? Like, can they take skis with them because they say they won't be able to get through the deep snow otherwise? Or snowshoes or something else?
Well, that's not allowed. So neither skis nor snowshoes are permitted. It's really... only shoes and running are allowed. So running barefoot is also fine. But for running, the only aids that are allowed are shoes. As for the Titlis, I should probably add that there's a groomed route up there. I was just there last week and arranged with the mountain rescue to get a groomed route set up. So the part that goes through the snow over the glacier will simply be prepared by a snow groomer. And there's a field section in there where a fixed rope will be hung if necessary.
With this knowledge of the weather development you have today, would you still want to set this Titlis turnaround point exactly like that? Or would you say, no, you can see now that setting such extreme turnaround points is always a gamble, and maybe it should be made a bit more moderate?
Well, I'd still set it like that because, as I said, we have a prepared route there. So, as far as the mountaineering hazards are concerned, it's definitely not dangerous to get up there. Even if the weather is bad, mountain guides or people from the piste rescue will be on standby to look after the athletes. So, I don't have any stomach aches about that at all. It's just exciting in terms of how the different tactics work out for the individual teams to get up there and sign off. Of course, it's great for those who can do it by air, whether they can land at the top and, above all, fly back down from there.
But even for those who have to hike it, safety is perfectly taken care of. So that doesn't worry me at all. Is the glacier up there launchable? It is launchable. There...
...also just normally paraglided up there. Now, there's also a whole series of other checkpoints that aren't up on the mountain, but down in the valley. And the pilots are really forced to fly down, land there, and always sign something. And then, if they want to keep flying—if it's even a flyable day—they always have to basically hike back up the mountain first. Compared to other previous races where there weren't so many valley checkpoints, that's also quite a significant hurdle. Was that something you guys specifically planned?
Yeah, I mean, that's exactly the opposite of the title. If you have a checkpoint down in the valley that you have to sign, it naturally hurts less on a day when you have to run anyway. You would have passed by there regardless. Having to fly down and sign off on a "hammer" day is of course bitter. But it gives the race a completely unique character and also gives the spectators the chance to simply meet the athletes. And that's the huge advantage of these multiple checkpoints in our eyes, that... especially the checkpoints where the signboards are, so the boards that have to be signed,
that you can simply meet the athletes there, which also motivates them a lot. Especially when you mention Aschau at Chiemsee under the Kampenwand—last time there was a huge party, and the athletes were thrilled that so many people noticed them, cheered them on, and rooted for them.
Let's change the subject a bit and talk about risk and risk management. So far, there hasn't been a truly tragic accident among the participants in the X-Alps. In your view, how much of that is down to luck?
Yes, I hope that... I mean, you always need luck, of course. But I hope we're not just relying on luck, but that we've actually picked the right people during the selection process. People who, based on the research we've done, really seem suitable for this and can properly minimize the risks involved in such an undertaking without playing it too wild. That
...which means, in that context, you can see that risk management, as you say, the selection of the athletes is also really a decisive factor.
Yes, absolutely. I mean, the moment the starting gun goes off, the athletes have to look out for themselves and take their own risks, making sure they don't cross any limits that are too dangerous for them. That only works with a very mature person who knows these extreme situations and knows they can still make the right decisions. We can't hold their hands. They are acting completely on their own responsibility because we don't know exactly where they are. I mean, we see it in the live tracking, but what the situation is actually like on the ground,
that wouldn't work, just saying, yeah, you're not allowed to fly at that spot or something. I can't really judge that from a distance. The athlete always has to do that themselves.
...judge. When you see what the pilots are doing, what weather conditions they're still flying in—like North Foehn, where they just head out onto the lee side of the south flank and get washed out, and stuff like that. How often in previous years did you personally have real concerns and think, oh boy, I hope that goes well? Yeah, on one occasion or another. Would there be any cases where the race management, as a precaution, would even issue a flight ban or even cancel the race completely under certain weather conditions or something? Like, today it's just not possible, guys, hold back?
So I do voice those kinds of concerns generally and just send a message to all teams, or to teams in zones where the weather is particularly extreme—where, for instance, a really strong, weather-changing cold front is moving in—just to give them an additional heads-up to be careful. But as I said, ultimately the guys and girls are responsible for themselves out there, and you probably know yourself how different conditions can be locally. And judging that from a distance,
is practically impossible.
Let's take a look at the race progression now, and just describe the course of a typical race day for me, say, around the halfway point of the race. All the pilots are still out there somewhere. What do you have to do then? Do you also get up really early because the pilots start heading out at 5 a.m. and you have to be available for them? Or do you sleep in and your phone just lies next to your bed and you just have to be reachable? How does that work? Yes,
Ultimately, I rarely sleep in. My phone is always on anyway because I want to be available around the clock for any possible questions the athletes might have regarding the race. And I'm constantly checking the live tracking, so as soon as I know the guys are moving again. And that can of course only be after 5 a.m., but for those out with the Nightpass, it can certainly be before 5 a.m., so in the middle of the night, where we regularly check where they are and what they're doing.
And if someone moves into an area that looks somewhat challenging, whether that's from an alpinism perspective, or airspace-wise, or anything else, it's quite possible that I or the Safety Director will grab the phone and give them a call to ask, "Hey, what exactly do you have planned? And are you aware of the risks currently ahead of you?" So we're actually in constant contact with the teams and always trying to get a clear picture of what the mood is like and how the teams are doing.
Whether everyone is still able to think clearly or if the whole thing is starting to seem a bit confused. Because we have the option, if we really get the feeling that the teams are no longer making rational, smart decisions, then... we can have some people drop by or go over there ourselves. We have the runners who are out there and regularly stop by the teams, for example, to pick up the memory cards with the footage or to do what we call spot checks.
So, just to see if the athletes are carrying the required minimum equipment, you know, to make sure everything is in order. And of course, that's always important feedback for us too, just to get a sense of how those people are doing, how they're behaving, and what kind of headspace they're in. And if things get somewhat concerning, I'll send the race doctor over to check on the athlete, and he'll then give me feedback on whether any dangerous processes might be underway.
But do you basically call every team at least once a day to get a sense of the mood? Or is it more sporadic? Do you call here and there, and then just get the rest from the live tracking and whatever info the runners provide and so on? How does that work?
Yeah, exactly. So, the last bit. I don't call every team personally, but the teams are contacted regularly by our entire organization, by the organization team. And we also make sure that we have very good communication with each other and always know via a WhatsApp group, for example, okay, the team has been visited and everything is fine. Or there might be this problem or that, which is simply transported and communicated very transparently within the organization.
Are you in the office in Salzburg or Fuschel during the race, saying, "This is my workplace now, and I'm controlling everything from here"? Or do you actually have a sort of mobile office? Are you traveling in a camper, saying, "I'm driving along with the race convoy somewhere in the middle," so you can pick up on the local weather conditions and everything else and basically observe it from the ground?
Yeah, well, I don't have a camper because something that's always super important to me is having a good internet connection. And because of that, traveling around isn't always ideal, because mobile connections aren't always good enough everywhere to make sense of staying somewhere, so I don't always look for a hotel that has good Wi-Fi but is conveniently nearby. So, this time I'll definitely nest in Engelberg for a while to just keep up with what the situation is like on the ground there. I always look for strategically important points and stay there.
And in the end, I have to be down in Monaco because we have quite a few requirements for the final flight down to Pei's raft from the last waypoint. And I'll have to sort that out on-site.
How many hours of sleep do you get during the race, per day? Yes, if
if things are going well, maybe five or six hours of sleep.
So not any more than the teams actually? No. That means this whole Orga team basically does the same thing as the teams do, maybe without that absolute physical exertion that comes with it.
Yeah, exactly. So that's what's a bit of a shame. We're not allowed to really exert ourselves like that, running around all the time or flying; instead, we're sitting at the computer or on the phone most of the time. But yeah, with ever-increasing sleep deprivation.
These teams also have the requirement to always provide images and post social media content, small videos and stuff like that. Do you also watch all those videos yourself during the race, what comes in throughout the day? Maybe to get an impression of the athletes and be able to recognize the situation well? Or do you say you don't have any time for that at all?
Yeah, I do that less often. I mean, I look at the stuff that's brought to me, where it says, hey, you need to take a look at this. What do you think of it? But otherwise, I don't really get around to it much.
As a Race Director, you have to stand for fairness. All the rules have to be followed and so on. But does it still feel like you might develop some kind of special sympathy for individual participants during a race? Like you see, wow, and you're secretly happy when their strategy somehow works out because you're like, wow, that's a great route they've chosen now, or something? So, does it...
I often find myself arguing with the teams, especially when things work out like that. But what's completely out of the question is having unequal rules for the
teams,
to have the teams. I think I'm actually known for not making any exceptions there, especially regarding airspace violations or things like that. If you're in there, even if it was only by a meter, you were in there. There's no need to discuss it.
In all the previous X-Alps races, Swiss pilots have always won. Kriegel Baura has now stood on the podium five times in a row. In 2017, which was two years ago, the route didn't actually go through Switzerland. Now, it's been two years. Maybe you can share a little bit of behind-the-scenes info. Was it actually an attempt back then to take a bit of the home-field advantage away from the Swiss by not going through Switzerland?
No, not at all, actually. The route—I wrote about how the routes are created earlier—it was formed that way. And one reason why we also looked at avoiding Switzerland a bit back then was simply the high roaming costs that Switzerland always causes.
But there was no ulterior motive regarding Kriegel, like him not being allowed in his home country or anything like that. Not at all. And I think someone like Kriegel flies well everywhere. So, regardless of whether he knows the area or not.
Have the roaming costs in Switzerland gone down now? Or is it simply because sponsors like Davos and such—these Swiss locations—are also saying, "We want you here too," so people say, "Alright, then it'll just go through Switzerland and we'll just take those costs along"?
As for the costs this time, I honestly don't know yet; I haven't looked into it. That's not really my area. I believe they aren't as tragic as they used to be. But in any case, it was interesting to put something together with the turning point partners who stepped up, which this time goes right through Switzerland.
Right through Switzerland. Of course, you could also say that the Swiss can really play to their home-field advantage there. But do you actually expect a run like that from Kriegel?
Well, I wouldn't be surprised at all, because he's managed to keep Masi in front so far. And then he's also continued to work his way further ahead. So, I wouldn't be surprised. It would be great, of course, if someone else was up there too and it was a bit more of a match.
Based on the standings alone, who would you still most likely see winning? Who has left a particularly strong impression on you so far?
Yeah, well, the ones who really caused a stir, of course, were the French last time. I mean, they were really strong. And I hope they really go for it again next time. And hopefully, no one gets hurt, so everyone can finish. And then it could get quite exciting. I mean, Gaspar showed so well last time how well he can keep up. And Benoit, how he just went full throttle at the end and even flew into the finish line. They definitely have potential. Maxime Pinot is also certainly a name that can keep up well.
But of course, it could also be a Swiss person winning again. Maybe not even the...
...Griegel then. Could you imagine some kind of exotic newcomer suddenly performing brilliantly? Like a pilot from Lebanon whose name you've never even heard of, or something, where you'd then say, "Wow, he can really fly well" or something like that.
I'd be very surprised. I mean, I'd be very surprised. But there are now quite a few high-and-fly competitions worldwide. And that's, of course, also important for me. It's an important source to see what the individual athletes are capable of. And that someone would now sneak past all these competitions and suddenly emerge as a big deal, that would surprise me very much.
Two years ago, at least some of the pilots were basically out there as a team. So they had a whole range of pilots—even those who weren't participating in the race and weren't their direct coaches or anything—who started with them and where they would sometimes search for thermals ahead in a small group, basically providing the pilots with assistance. This year, that's supposed to be forbidden. How do you plan on checking something like that?
Yeah, that's super hard to check. I think it's even harder than checking for cloud flying. Cloud flying is also forbidden, but just because it's prohibited at all.
Yes, ultimately we rely on the athletes' fairness. And of course, with X-Hypes, because it's so well-known and so famous, so many eyes are watching. And that's also something you can tell the athletes. Hey, a lot of people are watching and they see what you're doing. And they're watching very closely to see if you have any low-level flyers or lead flyers who are flying with you from one thermal to another. And I'm sure that from the audience
...feedback will come. What if, for example, pilots team up? That happened in previous races too, where at least individual groups of pilots, sometimes even large ones, really flew a route together, where two or three of them were together for a route for longer, at least for the whole day somehow, and walked up to the launch site together, and then towards the end of the day, it would sort of blur again. Would that also be team flying that would be sanctioned? Or is that something where you say, no, that's between the pilots, how they handle it, we're not interfering?
Exactly the latter. So how the pilots arrange things among themselves is up to them. I don't want to interfere with that. They should have the freedom to do that. What we clearly don't want, however, is for someone to bring a large group of people who mark the route for them and mark every lift. That simply shouldn't happen. Just to ensure sporting fairness, so that everyone has the same conditions. This
The race is followed worldwide. People watch the live tracking. Will there be any kind of innovation this year? Something where people say, wow, we've never seen the X-Alps like this before?
Yeah, well, last year we had some issues with the live tracking right at the beginning of the X-Halbs. And that's actually something that isn't easy to get under control at all, because since X-Halb is so famous, we have so many viewers that they simply overload the servers because the user numbers are just so much higher. We had a tenfold increase in user numbers there, and the computing power just wasn't designed for that. The whole thing is supposed to be much better this time. And it's going to be three-dimensional again.
And yes, I hope it satisfies the viewers again and creates some excitement.
Do you guys in the organization team actually... I mean, people probably talk about it a lot, but do you also kind of place things like winner bets? Like internally, not shared with the public, but like a prediction game where you say, "Yeah, come on, let's all bet on Kriegel" or "No, Guschlbauer should be it this time" or something like that?
Not with us. In my inner circle, I don't know if any bets are made.
Well, you're 56 now. If you were 20 or 30 years younger, would the X-Alps appeal to you as a participant?
So, I'm brutally into this way of traveling, this hike and fly stuff—it's exactly my way of flying. And especially flying routes and getting back to the launch site on my own power, moving through the mountains by my own strength or by the power of nature, be it thermals or some ridge wind; that's exactly my thing. Whether I'd have that competitive edge to do it against others, I can't really say, because I'm just not 20 anymore and I don't have it anymore. So, it appeals to me less and less now.
So I've always done Cross-Alps, twice as a tandem team, and I had a lot of fun with that; it was great to really push it there too. I'd do it again, but that's practically X-Alps for small-scale. X-Alps is even more, that's also...
a completely different beast. Have the X-Alps and your involvement with them changed your perspective or your attitude towards paragliding in any way?
Wow, that's a good question. I don't think so, no.
So X-Alps has actually always kind of been part of it; ever since the first edition ran, I've always tuned in, it's always interested me, and it's certainly made some kind of small contribution, even for my own paragliding. But now that I'm in it myself, I don't think that's changed anything.
And are you doing this Race Director role for the fifth time now? How much longer do you want to keep doing this? This is
a good question. After the race, I always say, not even once,
Let's see. But you've already said that four times now, and this is your fifth time. Yes,
Exactly, that's how it looks.
That means you're in a similar situation to the pilots who say right after finishing, "Thank God it's over, never again," and then two days later they're infected with the virus again.
Yeah, well, I think for most people it takes longer than two days, but the virus does keep coming back, yeah.
Out of all the X-Alps you've done so far, is there anything you'd say is one of the defining scenes, something that really stuck with you—maybe even a scene that isn't officially well-known—where you'd say, "That one really stayed with me"? I'd love to know that.
Yeah, I mean, these are just such emotional stories. For me, one of the most moving scenes I had last time was when I was at the turning point in Leermoos and watched Gaspar Petiot fly in. I talked to him afterwards, and we sat together at the turning point for quite a while, and he told me about this super difficult flight he had against the headwind coming from Aschau towards the turning point. Being able to share in that and really feel for him—I was just so happy that he made it that far, and I thought it was just totally awesome to be able to experience that up close.
Those are also incredibly beautiful experiences.
Then you're no longer just the Race Director in that sense, but it becomes the big Red Bull X-Alps family, and you're rooting for every single one of them.
Yeah, exactly, that's the point. So it doesn't matter what ranking it is at that moment, but if it just works out—if they really pushed themselves, like Gaspar in that moment and someone else elsewhere, there's so much effort put into it—and if that works and it pulls through, it's so great and so awesome, so I can be happy for every single one of them every time.
...begeisterung. Now, there's also the opposite side, like if someone, whether consciously or unconsciously, flew into some kind of control zone, for example, and then gets slapped with a penalty or might even have to be disqualified according to the rules. How hard is it for you then to call those people and say, hey, you messed up?
Yeah, that's obviously super bitter.
I don't know if you saw it, but there was that well-known scene where I called out Oki for flying into the no-fly zone in Salzburg and then getting disqualified. That hurts a lot, of course, so it really pains me as well.
If a pilot approaches you before the race, do they still ask you for tips, or are you at that point so above it all that they say, "No, the Race Director won't talk to us about that stuff"?
Also, we can actually talk to each other quite normally. And sure, I might give a tip occasionally, though I rarely find myself knowing much more than the athletes. They actually come so well-prepared and just have their own strategies for things. So, it's often a case of me learning something from them, and not the other way around.
Well, there's always that week before the race where everyone comes together, which is basically the preparation week for the cheating. Everyone is taught the rules and stuff like that. At the same time, they're all basically sitting at the same campsite and every team is preparing. How much of an exchange between the teams do you experience there? Is there a lot of competition, or is there actually something like a shared spirit already?
There's a very strong sense of shared spirit. At least from my perspective. I mean, they're constantly growing closer. Of course, they all have very different personalities, and one person might fit into the group more than another. But they all have a common goal, and that connects them very strongly. It actually creates a bit of a family feeling.
Do you still have any contact with the individuals outside of the X-Alps? Do they ever call and say, "Hey Christoph, how are you doing?" and stuff like that in between years, or do you just see each other every two years?
Most of the time, it's just that you only see each other every two years. So, I might see or speak to a few of them every now and then, but I only see the whole group every two years.
If you could wish for something for these X-Alps 2019, what would be your biggest wish? Yes,
as always,
that everyone arrives safely. That's perhaps a nice closing word, that everyone arrives safely. Thank you for this interesting interview, and I really hope that everyone arrives safely and, above all, that the exciting race can be completed both on the ground and in the air.
Yes, thank you very much, Lucian. And let's hope together that it's just a good race again and a beautiful ending.
That was Christoph Weber in conversation with Lucian Haas. If you want to follow the Red Bull X-Alps race more closely, the website is at www.redbullxalps.com. You can find a lot of information there about the route and the participants. The race itself starts on June 16th. It can be followed virtually via live tracking.
Maybe you're also interested in more episodes of Podz-Glidz. You can find them on my blog Loglites and on Soundcloud. Don't want to miss an episode? Then just subscribe to Podz-Glidz. You can do that via RSS feed or through well-known podcast catalogs like iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, or podcast.de. In
By the way, there are no ads on Podz-Glidz or on Loglites. Except for this personal note right here. Both offerings are funded solely by voluntary contributions from my listeners and readers. You can support my work very easily via PayPal donation or bank transfer. You can find the links and details on the website www.Lu-Glidz.blogspot.com. You can also help by making Podz-Glidz and Loglites better known. Tell your aviation friends about it, write a comment, or post a link or a like on social media. That's it for today. Now go back to flying. I wish you happy landings at all times. See you next time.