Leave it up to the mad scientists at Red Bull to come up with an event that takes place 8000 feet (2438 meters) up in the sky. In this video, you’ll see wingsuit pilots take to the air to race one another through a slalom course to find out who exactly is the fastest person in the air. The event is called the Red Bull Aces, and it requires participants to navigate through four flying gates before reaching the finish line. It is not unlike a ski slalom race, except it takes place a mile and a half up in the air, where there is plenty of bumping and jostling for position on the way down.
This is one of those events that I’d much rather watch than ever participate in myself. This is totally wild.
Kraig is an outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to numerous online and print outlets, including Popular Mechanics, Gear Junkie, Outside Online, National Geographic, Digital Trends, Business Insider, TripSavvy, about.com, and of course The Adventure Blog.
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I realize there have been skydiving tournaments for years, but somehow I couldn't watch this "Aces" video without feeling the ghosts of so many wing suit pilots hanging their heads. Leave it to Red Bull to turn what had been a glorious adventure in nature, skill, personal bravery and camaraderie – into a game show competition. I guess it's inevitable. But I just don't love this one.
Definitely inevitable Ric. I understand your sentiment, but like I mentioned in the post, this is not unlike a ski slalom race. You can ski in the backcountry by yourself and enjoy the solitude of nature, or you can compete in a downhill race. Neither is for everyone, but both can be a lot of fun.