Action!
get the gear
Tough stuff Alp-conquering essentials Striking “Driving pegs and pitons into the rock face? The other side of the pick makes it easy.”
Bite “The sharp end, for ramming into steep ice passages. The teeth ensure a firm grip that means the pick can take the weight of a climber plus kit.” Christian ‘Chrigel’ Maurer: reigning Red Bull X-Alps champion
X-bionic underwear Leverage “The curve of the aluminium shaft makes climbing in steep terrain easier.”
Pick of the bunch
Photography: Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool, kurt keinrath (2), GLOBALFINDER, GLORYFY, X-BIONIC ENERGY
Red Bull X-Alps To win the hardest adventure race of them all, Switzerland’s Chrigel Maurer needs kit that will keep him alive An average day during the fortnight or so of Red Bull X-Alps (see feature earlier in this issue) is 17 hours of speed hiking, climbing glaciers and paragliding across the mountains, in snow, wind, rain and sun. It’s a gruelling endurance test, not just for the competitors, but their kit as well. “I carry about 10kg of equipment when I race,” says 2009 and 2011 Red Bull X-Alps champion Christian Maurer, “so my gear has to be robust, highly reliable and above all, light.” The Swiss athlete picks apart his Alpine racing tool kit.
Handy substitute “For gentler gradients, the pick functions as a hiking stick. The steel tip at the bottom helps to get purchase in hard snow.”
“Breathable material that ensures constant body temperature, whether I’m flying in cold weather, hiking in the rain or running in the hot sun.” www.x-bionic.com
BLACK DIAMOND VENOM ice pick
“The whole thing weighs just 500g, including the detachable blade. This model has fewer teeth than other picks, which makes it more useful on flat, firm climbing routes.”
Pieps globalfinder “A pocket-sized life-saver. This communications tool helps me determine my position, sends and receives text messages, and provides weather data.” www.pieps.com
Comfort zone “Double-rubber handle, which means two layers of material to absorb impact, and therefore this goes easy on the arm.”
Gloryfy sunglasses “For protection from the sun, or better vision in foggy weather. I have three pairs of these unbreakable sunglasses.” www.gloryfy.com
the red bulletin
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