In early August 2026, Red Bull Skydive Team member Marco Waltenspiel turned the sky above Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with balloons, into a high-altitude slalom course. The project saw the Austrian skydiver complete a world-first wingsuit slalom among hot-air balloons. Flying at speeds of up to 200 kph in challenging wind conditions, he once again pushed the boundaries of human flight, weaving between massive, drifting aircraft at varying altitudes.
Marco Waltenspiel, who is now 42, has been skydiving since the age of 17, achieving success in competitions before joining the Red Bull Skydive Team. With the team, he went on to create memorable projects such as the Megaswing and the first-ever wingsuit flight through London’s Tower Bridge with Marco Fürst in 2024, as well as the spectacular team flight over Mont Blanc in 2026 and breaking world records in wingsuit flying.
For the latest project, known as the “Fairy Slalom”, Waltenspiel travelled to Cappadocia in Türkiye.The region is famous for the hot-air balloons that fill its skies at dawn from April to November. It is also known for its distinctive, tall, cone-shaped rock formations called “fairy chimneys”. Recognised as one of the world’s leading aerial sports destinations, Cappadocia provided a unique natural setting in which its spectacular landscape and iconic hot-air balloons could be transformed into a wingsuit slalom course unlike any other.
Detailed meteorological assessments were conducted ahead of the jumps to determine the optimal weather conditions for each attempt. During the project, Waltenspiel was joined throughout the flights by his compatriot and fellow Red Bull Skydive Team member, Marco Fürst. Both athletes drew on their extensive experience, having completed around 13,000 flights each, nearly half of them side by side – an experience that proved particularly valuable given the exceptional level of coordination required for the project.
Marco Waltenspiel jumped from a hot-air balloon at an altitude of around 2,800 metres above the picturesque Cappadocian landscape. Reaching speeds of up to 200 kph while continuously descending, as is inherent in wingsuit flying, he navigated through a mesmerising slalom course among other hot-air balloons floating at various heights.
The greatest challenge during the flight was the constantly changing wind conditions. With the balloons flying at different altitudes, Waltenspiel encountered varying air currents as he descended. Each manoeuvre required exceptional skills, perfect timing and precise control as he passed the other balloons drifting in the sky approximately 400 metres apart. Staying on course required him to continually assess the conditions and make split-second decisions throughout the flight.
“In wingsuit flying, you are always working with nature, but on this project we encountered different winds at every altitude. Each time I approached a balloon, I had to recalculate my line and make the right decision within seconds. Completing this flight in Cappadocia’s unique atmosphere made it one of the most memorable experiences of my career,” said Marco Waltenspiel after completing his latest world-first feat.
“This project demanded not only speed, but flawless coordination. We had to keep track of one another while also responding to constantly changing weather conditions. The preparation behind the scenes was every bit as impressive as the footage we created,” added his colleague Marco Fürst.
The “Fairy Slalom” was the third internationally acclaimed aerial sports project to be brought to life in Cappadocia by Red Bull athletes. It followed the “Triple Infinity Tumbling World Record” set by Petar Lončar, Veselin Ovcharov and Ondrej Procházka in 2015 and Valentin Delluc’s “Fairy Flight” from 2022.
Cover photo: Marco Waltenspiel approaching one of the balloons during his world-first wingsuit slalom among hot-air balloons performed within the Red Bull “Fairy Slalom” project. Photo: Joerg Mitter / © Red Bull Content Pool
The Red Bull company press materials were used.
