Skytex 27 powering adventure race

The Red Bull X-Alps race, starting July 2nd, is a unique adventure race that takes place every other year in the European Alps. Racers may only run, hike or fly their paragliders to navigate the course’s series of turning points that take them from Salzburg in Austria to Monaco on the Mediterranean coast. The 2017 course is a straight-line distance of 1138km and takes the competitors through Austria, Slovenia, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland before they reach the finish in Monaco. The competition is renowned for being the world’s toughest adventure race and only half the starters are expected to finish.

32 of the world’s top paragliders and mountain runners will line up for the start of the race with the large majority using Porcher’s Skytex 27 (27 gsm) to power their paragliders. These extreme athletes will be trying to break current record holder Christian Maurer’s recent domination. Christian has won the last 4 editions of the race and is the current course record holder having completed the 2015 course in just over 8 days.

Christian Maurer will use a Skywalk X-ALPS3 glider when he sets off from Salzburg in July aiming for a record 5th Red Bull X-Alps title. The S3 is Skywalk’s latest tapered wing competition glider development and uses Porcher Industries’ Skytex 27 to keep the glider weight low whilst allowing the designers to add a complex internal structure for maximum performance and exceptional handling.

The lightest material in the world, Skytex 27 is used almost exclusively by manufacturers of top of the range competition paragliders and kites. Specifically engineered to be lower in weight with an optimized warp design, Skytex 27 also uses a unique Porcher developed PU coating for stability in flight.

Porcher Industries has been weaving high-performance textiles for over a century and has supplied the flying sports market with ultra-lightweight woven fabrics throughout its evolution over the last 20 years. From thread to finished fabric, Porcher’s completely integrated manufacturing process and the latest machine technology deliver the highest levels of quality, safety and durability in these critical applications.