SAFA Skysailor Magazine

30 SKY SAILOR September-October-November | SPRING 2025 cloudbase at 3200m, so we thought the high pass was probably off the cards. But he’d looked at the micro-forecast for this area and reckoned it might lift to 3700m. It was worth the gamble. I got there just as the base lifted and squeaked over the high pass. I didn’t gain any positions, but I avoided the storms. Later I heard that one pilot had a big collapse and crashed into rocks (luckily uninjured), another pulled out of the race completely due to the extreme risks pilots were taking. For me, it was satisfying not only because it was safer, but because it felt creative. In a race where everyone often chases the same line, it was nice to fly my own line, and in the beautiful Swiss Alps! What were the toughest conditions? The last two days were by far the roughest air I’ve ever flown in. Coming into Lermoos, then later passing Innsbruck, it was just wild: six-down to eight-up in an instant, getting thrown side to side, going weightless, taking collapses, going backwards and often unable to control the wing. For these flights, the wing became a tool to move forward, rather than something fun to be under. Shane Tighe – finishing the Red Bull X-Alps St Moritz arrival Photo: Support Team