SAFA Skysailor Magazine

28 SKY SAILOR September-October-November | SPRING 2025 Shane Tighe – finishing the Red Bull X-Alps Pilots were definitely pushing the limits this year. I tried to be as safe as I could, even when the pressure was to ’Go’. On day two, I hiked to a launch and watched two athletes take off into strong, turbulent air. I even helped them, but decided it wasn’t for me. It’s not easy to make that call when you’re in a race and others are flying. Part of you wants to follow just to stay competitive. But at the end of the day, the race is only two weeks and an injury can last a lifetime, my safety was not worth the risks for short term gains. Another day, instead of gliding into a developing storm, I landed high to wait it out. I expected a 20-minute wait for the storm to pass so I could glide down. After three hours of strong wind and rain, soaked, and cold, I decided to walk down 1600 vertical metres. It cost me six hours and a bunch of positions, but I stayed safe. That’s the constant trade-off, you can gamble, take some risk and maybe gain ground, or you can hold back and make safe decisions. For me, I was there for the adventure, so safety always came first. What was your lowest point in the race? Funnily enough, it was the last day. I had 30km to go, I thought it would be easy and expected a nice morning flight.