- Authorzooom productions
- Published 03 June 2026
A New Chapter in Hike and Fly
Red Bull X-Alps Challenger crowns its first wildcard winners
The final week of May 2026 marked a new chapter for hike and fly. For the first time, we organized the Red Bull X-Alps Challenger, a three-day qualifier-style event designed as a gateway to Red Bull X-Alps, the world’s toughest adventure race.
A new stage for rising hike-and-fly talent
Designed to test, inspire and prepare the next generation of adventure athletes, the Red Bull X-Alps Challenger gives new talented athletes the chance to compete in a Red Bull X-Alps-style format. It also introduced a dedicated women’s ranking, creating a clearer platform for female athletes and emerging talent in the sport.
In total, athletes from 23 countries took part in the inaugural event, including eight Red Bull X-Alps Veterans such as Davide Sassudelli, Tobias Grossrubatscher and eight-time Red Bull X-Alps winner Chrigel Maurer.
Rookies earn Wildcards
Aaron Mathis and Romy Sweda, both from Switzerland, became the first male and female Rookie winners of the Red Bull X-Alps Challenger. With their victories, they each earned a Red Bull X-Alps Wildcard presented by Bergfreunde.
The second and third-placed Rookies also secured the opportunity to start in the Prologue of the next Red Bull X-Alps, giving them their first experience of the world’s toughest adventure race. In addition, all athletes on the male and female Rookie podiums are invited to the Adventure Performance Camp at the Athlete Performance Center in Thalgau, including workshops, performance diagnostics and nutrition support. This is aligned with the Red Bull X-Alps Challenger’s goal of developing the next generation of hike-and-fly athletes.
It's a team effort
The race is owned, managed and run by zooom productions. Our international partners: Bergfreunde, Angelbird, Dynamic Tape, Naviter, Salewa, Skywalk and Tactical Foodpack - play a big role in executing the first ever Red Bull X-Alps Challenger successfully. We are proud to work with the Tourism Association Mayrhofen and the Mayrhofner Mountain Railway as our trusted destination partners.
Want to join for 2027?
Next year the main race Red Bull X-Alps takes place and there are still a range of sponsorship options available. We are happy to chat about possible partnership opportunities.
