It’s mid-race in the 2023 Red Bull X-Alps, a 1,200km-plus paragliding adventure around the Alps, and the man they call “Chrigel the Eagle” is about to take off. I’m standing on a Swiss Alpine pass. The wind has been gusting in excess of 30mph and is far stronger than is normally safe to fly. But normal rules don’t apply in this race – or to this athlete. He waits patiently for a lull, then whips up his wing. The force of the energy sweeps him momentarily from his feet and he pulls at his control lines like a mad puppeteer, simultaneously leaping across the rocky-strewn ground to keep it overhead. For a fraction of a second he stands motionless, as if he’s tamed nature itself. Then, with just a few gentle steps, he spreads his wings and launches into the air.
2023年紅牛X-阿爾卑斯山越野賽已進入中段。這是一場環繞阿爾卑斯山、總長超過1200公里的滑翔傘冒險，而人們口中的「鷹之克里格爾」即將起飛。我站在瑞士阿爾卑斯山的一處山口上。此時陣風已超過每小時30英里，遠遠超出常規的安全飛行範圍。但這場比賽——以及這位選手——並不遵循常規。他耐心地等待風勢短暫減弱的間隙，然後迅速揚起傘翼。猛烈的氣流將他一度從地面拽起，他像個瘋狂的木偶師一樣拉扯著控制繩，同時在佈滿岩石的山地上敏捷躍動，努力讓傘翼穩穩地懸在頭頂上方。就在那一瞬間，他彷彿靜止如雕像，像是馴服了大自然本身。接著，只需幾步輕盈助跑，他便張開「翅膀」，飛入空中。