Shane Tighe (AUS) flying.
Shane Tighe (AUS) Red Bull X-Alps Profile picture
Shane
Tighe
AustraliaAustralia
·Adventure Racing
Shane Tighe is a rookie with a lot of promise having come third in the 2024 X-Pyr race and flown big lines across the Alps.
When it comes to having the right kind of experience for Red Bull X-Alps, Shane Tighe ticks all the right boxes. He loves big adventures. One of his proudest achievements is making a solo vol biv flight in Pakistan – that’s flying cross country at altitudes above 5,500m and camping wild. He’s made dozens of 200km flights and one 300km in length. He’s got the paragliding credentials.
More significantly, he’s proved himself on the international competition circuit. Normally Australians do not perform well against local pilots in Europe. But in the 2024 X-Pyr race across the Pyrenees he made a big impression and came third. Not bad given it was his first ever hike and fly race. For much of that race he was switching the lead with Simon Oberrauner. “He knows how to fly flatlands and mountains and we'll see him more,” Simon said afterwards.
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I would love the challenge of Red Bull X-Alps for the adventure!
Shane Tighe (AUS) Red Bull X-Alps Profile picture
Shane Tighe
Achievements
  1. 3rd place in X-Pyr2024 · Spain
  2. Flew from Matterhorn to Mt. Blanc2024
  3. Solo vol biv up to 7,000m2019 · Pakistan

How many years have you been paragliding?

Shane Tighe: 15 years.

Tell us how you got into paragliding

Shane Tighe: I discovered paragliding online when I was 19 years old, I quickly completed my license and fell in love with the sport. I began paragliding in south-east Queensland, Australia mainly focusing on coastal soaring and waggas flying (acrobat soaring). I then progressed to acro, cross country, paramotoring, and vol biv flying.

How many hours did you paraglide in 2023?

Shane Tighe: Around 200 hours.

What was your best cross-country flight in the Alps or a comparable region (location, distance, triangle/flat/one way, year)?

Shane Tighe: Most memorable in the Alps was during a bivvy in 2024, flew from Mürren in Switzerland, tagged the summit of the Matterhorn and flew around Mt Blanc before camping west of Mt. Blanc.

What has been your best paragliding moment?

Shane Tighe: Solo vol biv flight in Pakistan when I was flying all day, watched the sunset while flying from >5500m and then landed at 4,600m and set up camp in the most spectacular place. The flight had it all, slow, bumpy morning, booming middle of day with climbs to 7,000m then spent the afternoon outrunning the shadows of the 8,000m peaks of the Karakorum while trying to find a bivy spot. Unforgettable!

And your worst moment?

Shane Tighe: My worst has been an incident doing stabilo touches, the wing tip caught in the grass and pulled me in. I hit the ground extremely hard and was worried I would be paralyzed. When I stood up after the incident, I was absolutely relieved.

Summarize the paragliding experience which you think qualifies you for the race

Shane Tighe: I have experience paragliding across many different disciplines including acro, XC, vol biv, wagga and paramotoring. I have dozens of XC flights exceeding 200km and a PB of 300km. I am a test pilot for Flow Paragliders and assist in the development and refinement of their range of wings. I don't regularly compete in XC or hike and fly comps as generally fly for fun but in 2024 I competed in the X-Pyr hike and fly race in the Pyrenees and placed third. I supported athletes in Red Bull X-Alps in 2017 and 2023 so have a very good idea of what the race requires.

What is your adventure racing / endurance events experience (mountain marathons, ultras etc.)?

Shane Tighe: I exercise for fun and generally don't compete. I have competed in two adventure races, the X-Pyr where I completed over 160km by foot with over 10,000m accent over five days and was physically fine afterwards. I competed in the X-Athlon adventure race in Japan and placed third overall.

What mountaineering experience do you have? For example: climbing, multi-pitch, via ferrata, glacier crossings, high alpine…*

Shane Tighe: I dabble in climbing, including multi pitch and abseiling. In 2024 I spent the summer in Europe and did lots of hikes and some climbing in the Alps and started some mountaineering. Australia has no real mountains, so I have completed multiple trips to the Pyrenees, Alps and Himalayas to play in real mountains.

Best adventure moment?

Shane Tighe: Landing at 4,600m after watching the sunset from over 5,500m while flying in Pakistan.

Are you the holder of a record?

Shane Tighe: Local site record on the Sunshine Coast, Australia 260km from a 30m high hill.

Why do you want to take part in Red Bull X-Alps?

Shane Tighe: I have supported athletes in Red Bull X-Alps both in 2017 and 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed it. In 2024 I competed in the X-Pyr, had a huge amount of fun and did surprisingly well. I would love the challenge of Red Bull X-Alps!

What does Red Bull X-Alps mean to you?

Shane Tighe: Adventure! The Alps are stunning, so either hiking or flying the scenery will be amazing!

Why do you think you have what it takes?

Shane Tighe: I love to push myself physically and have 15 years of mixed flying experience. The X-Pyr was a good indicator of my ability and I would love to test it on a larger scale.

What scares you about the race?

Shane Tighe: Stable days! Wind and rain is fine, you can see that, but hot stable days where you have to walk doesn't sound that fun.

Who makes the ideal supporter?

Shane Tighe: Someone with a good understanding of what's required for the race. Strategy, knowledge of the area both of hike trails and flying routes, and the ability to cook. They need to be able to keep a level head when tired (supporters get no sleep!).

What is your approach to risk and safety? What are your rules for staying safe?

Shane Tighe: Fly within my ability. If I don't understand the conditions, then it's not worth risking it. It's just a race that lasts two weeks, injuries can last a lifetime.

List your partners

Shane Tighe: Flow Paragliders

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