Postcard weather and excellent flying conditions turned the third edition of the Hike-n-Fly race in the Engelberg valley into a spectacular and enjoyable event. Two-time previous winner Chrigel Maurer (Frutigen) claimed victory once again – in an impressive 5 hours and 44 minutes, just ahead of Nicola Heiniger (Uttigen, +8 min). Third place in the Pro category went to Silvan Wüthrich (Langnau, +18 min). Among the women, Romy Sweda (Bern) confidently defended her title – with a lead of 53 minutes.
"It was a very beautiful, but also demanding and exhausting route," summarized fourth-placed pilot Patrick Nicole from Stans. As the athletes’ representative, he was also involved in the route planning and reflected: "Today was the perfect day for this route into the high mountains. The ridge up to Titlis is impressive – a strong contrast to the green valley floor. It was worth it. Great promotion for the region – and I’m happy with my performance."
At the front, Emmental native Wüthrich initially steals the show and leads several times. But Maurer and Heiniger, both participants of the RedBull X-Alps (the world’s longest Hike&Fly race, starting June 15, 2025, in Kitzbühel), remain unfazed. "It was a good challenge. For the win, it was crucial to get the timing right," said Chrigel Maurer at the finish. After officially crossing the finish line, the world’s best pilot in this discipline even made a voluntary extra lap toward the Storeggpass. "Because it was so beautiful," he said with a smile. The winner Romy Sweda was also beaming with enthusiasm: "I’ve never flown over the Gadmertal before – it was exciting. The thermals were strong, the views fantastic."
In the Sport category, with 34 participants, the use of public transport is allowed from 11 a.m. onwards. This means only one sweaty ascent is theoretically necessary, making the event appealing for everyone. A key factor for many was the Stanserhorn, where finding rising air is particularly difficult. Maelle Frei from Kriens completed the 55-kilometer task fastest among the women, while Thomas Künzi from Magden took the win among the men.
The day concluded with an atmospheric award ceremony at the Äigèbraij Brewery, where good food and lively conversations rounded off the event. Happy pilots from six countries celebrated a successful, accident-free race day – and the sense of community in a unique setting.
Bring the angel from Engelberg back to Wolfenschiessen.
The Engelberg Cup is a one-day competition for hiking pilots in the stunning flying arena of the Engelberg valley. The start and finish is in Wolfenschiessen.
The competition is suitable for casual hike-n-flyers, through ambitious athletes to professionals. The arena is the breathtakingly beautiful mountain world around Engelberg, which has a lot to offer in terms of flying.
The competition is divided into four categories: Women sport, Men sport, Women pro und Men pro. The pro categories are reserved for pilots with extensive experience in Hike n Fly in alpine terrain.
Your basic task is to hike n fly from Wolfenschiessen to Engelberg, where you will be given an angel. You have to bring it back to the finish in Wolfenschiessen. Before or after the checkpoint in Engelberg, you need to fly to or hike to other turnpoints to collect additional points (category Pro more and more distant turnpoints). All pilots must be at the finish line before the end of the race (probably 17:00). The sport athletes can use the railway / cable cars from (presumably) 11:00.
You can find the detailed competition rules here.
The map below shows the basic task and possible additional turn and/or checkpoints. Please note that this information is preliminary and subject to change.
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The Engelberg Cup is part of the Swiss Cup Hike & Fly, the annual ranking of the Swiss Hike n Fly athletes. Participants in the Pro category are automatically also rated for the Swiss Cup Hike & Fly. Please click here for more info.
