After four hours of kiting in the ninth edition of Red Bull Ragnarok, Florian Gruber of Germany secured the victory with a margin of just two minutes down to last year’s winner and fellow German Felix Kersten. In the difficult wind conditions, only three out of the 350 kiters completed all 105 km within the time limit.
More than 350 kiters from 30 nations all around the world had come to Hardangervidda, Norway to battle through 105 km of kiting on skis and snowboard within a time limit of five hours. Even though this year’s course was almost 30 kilometers shorter than last year’s, the changing and challenging wind made it a hard race on the sunny mountain plateau. After four hours and one minute, Florian Gruber crossed the finish line as the overall winner and winner of the men’s ski category, just two minutes ahead of last year’s winner Felix Kersten. This is Gruber’s second win, he also took home the victory in 2016.
© KYLE MEYR / RED BULL CONTENT POOL
“Amazing, I think this is the hardest time, it’s my third time competing here, and for sure the hardest one. We had at first good wind, smaller kites, and then we had to rig bigger. At one time my kite dropped so the other guys passed me, and it was tough. I always saw like two or three guys in front of me, and to overtake them was the hardest thing ever. I am super happy to win this battle,” Gruber says. The German grew up in the alps, but usually competes on water.
Fourth straight win
Steph Bridge of Great Britain won her fourth straight Red Bull Ragnarok title in the women’s ski category, finishing three laps – the shortest she has ever gotten in her four Ragnarok participations.
”It was just an incredible experience. It always is hard, but this year was more challenging since we had lighter in more areas than before. I have never completed all five laps, that is my ultimate challenge”, Bridge says.
In the snowboard category, Valeria Garashenko of Russia and Peter Martel of Canada took home the victories this year. He was really close to becoming the fourth this year to finish the entire race, but with no wind he had to walk the last few hundred meters and missed the time limit.
© KYLE MEYR / RED BULL CONTENT POOL
“It was hard, as always! I’m dead exhausted, I’m sure everyone else is too. Ragnarok is like no other race, it’s a lot of endurance. You have to sprint for a very long time, you can never go slow, you have to give a hundred percent the whole time, maybe hundred and ten,” Martel says.
Results
Men’s Ski
Florian Gruber (GER)
Felix Kersten (GER)
Jonas Lengwiler (SUI)
Men’s Snowboard
Peter Martel (CAN)
Ronny Bollhalder (SUI)
Nikita Solokov (AUT)
Women’s Ski
Steph Bridge (GBR)
Camilla Ringvold (NOR)
Frøydis Sjøvold (NOR)
Women’s Snowboard
Valeria Garaschenko (RUS)
Marie-Eve Mayland (CAN)
Aija Ambrasa (LAT)
