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Hats off to Bernhard Hug (SUI), Philipp Reiter (GER), David Wallmann (AUT) and Janelle and Mark Smiley (USA) for completing this grueling mountain challenge in a record 36 days.

“The five athletes completed their crossing of the main ridge of the Alps from Vienna to Nice. At Red Bull Der Lange Weg, the world’s longest ski tour, they covered 1,721km in distance and 89,644m of cumulative elevation gain on skis and on foot. Altogether, they were on the move for 375 hours.”

Here’s what Bernhard Hug had to say when interviewed in Nice:

“It was really tough. Every day, you had to recharge your energy to re-focus and move forward step by step. These 14-hour days cost a lot of physical energy. And we had to adapt the route very often and to reorganize again and again because the weather was very difficult. This took a lot of mental energy. But now, we are relieved that we made it!”

Can you imagine crossing the Alps from east to west in five-weeks with an unending rotation of  wintry weather, strong wind and poor visibility? Thankfully the ended their trip in Nice which isn’t the worst place to cool your jets for a bit and appreciate what you have accomplished.

Here’s a clip from local news in Nice:

images from https://www.redbull.com

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