X-Alps is the world’s toughest adventure race

There’s an alternative to the European Football Championship. Instead of hairstyles and tattoos, this event puts the spotlight on route selection and weather forecasts. Thirty-three athletes from 17 nations cover a 1,238-kilometre route across the Alps, taking them from Salzburg to Mont Blanc and back to Zell am See – only on foot and by paraglider.

This race across the Alps was first launched in 2003. It includes speed-hiking, ultra-running, mountaineering and flying and requires endurance, paragliding skills and mental strength.

What's special about X-Alps, which is powered by Red Bull, is the fact that men and women compete against each other. Every edition offers a new route across the Alps that includes remote mountain ranges and valleys and passes famous resorts and peaks. Traditionally, the race starts in Salzburg and finishes in Monaco.

However, for this year's 10th edition of the X-Alps event, the organisers have upgraded the format and defined a route there and a route back. Athletes will battle their way across twelve so-called turnpoints in five countries from Salzburg to Mont Blanc and back to Zell am See. At 1,238 kilometres, this is the longest route in the history of the X-Alps race. Some of these turnpoints cover a wide area and can be passed in the air, while others are on the ground, meaning athletes have to land to pass these points.

The last six X-Alps races have all been won by Swiss athlete Christian Maurer. And this year, things are going well for him again. He’s currently in the top three. Check out everyone’s position in this live tracking.