A limited edition AlpinerX Alive designed by freeride champion Markus Eder

An extreme freerider and world champion of the Freeride World Tour 2019, #markuseder has also been named among the watch brand’s team of ‘Alpinists’ for almost two years. This year, to kick off the season much anticipated by winter sports enthusiasts who dream of just one thing – sliding down snow-covered mountains – the Italian athlete has designed a #limitededition of 100 of the famous Alpina smart watch, the AlpinerX Alive.

Markus Eder, an icon in freeriding

Thirty-year-old skier #markuseder hails from South Tyrol in Italy and is regarded as a role model in the freeriding world. Despite starting out in alpine skiing, he could not help but be drawn in by the creativity and fun of freestyle skiing. From 2005, Markus focused on this discipline and his flair – combined with his artistic and competitive personality – soon allowed him to break onto the European scene and become a well-known international freestyler after winning the Nine Knights competition in Nebelhorn in Germany in 2010. As a park skier, Markus won the SFR Freestyle Tour in 2011 and competed at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sotchi, Russia.

In 2011, Markus finished second in his first backcountry competition, the Red Bull Linecatcher (France). Before discovering the joys of freeriding and mountain exploration, this experience opened up new opportunities for his career, driven by an ambition to excel at freestyling and freeriding.

His vision for standing out among his freeriding competitors is to reinterpret steep ski lines by using his freestyle experience as an advantage. In 2012, Markus won the World Heli Challenge and took second place in the Freeride World Tour overall rankings 2018, before being crowned champion of the Freeride World Tour in 2019, the most prestigious title that a rider can obtain.

Between 2014 and 2018, #markuseder starred in five films by Matchstick Productions (MSP Films), leading to a turning point in his career. In fact, two years later, he decided to move away from competitions so as to concentrate on making The Ultimate Run film, which received its world première at the High Five Festival in Annecy earlier this year. Acclaimed by his peers, the film is arguably one of the most impressive ever made in the ski world. Combining stunning sequences with absolute technical mastery in breathtaking routines, Markus demonstrates all his expertise and exceptional talent – not only a challenge, but an opportunity to inspire the future big names in freeriding.

A big thank you to planet Earth

To celebrate their collaboration and kick off the 2021/22 ski season, #alpina and #markuseder have designed an exclusive 100-piece AlpinerX Alive #limitededition, to the delight of watch collectors and freeriding fans.

Appreciative of the exceptional and almost infinite playground the mountains provided him with from an early age, Markus now pays a very special tribute to them, while conveying a powerful message. Adorned with a logo representing three Alpine peaks at 12 o’clock, an elegant grey dial reveals a map of the world filled with red and raised designs, denouncing the danger currently facing the planet – this rich and bountiful Mother Earth – now caught in the stranglehold of global warming. To reinforce its eco-responsible approach, the timepiece has been mounted on a vegetable leather strap, one of the first of its kind in the world of watchmaking, made from recycled apple waste. It also draws on the athlete and friend of the brand’s own ‘logo’.

As a little extra personal touch, the water-resistance mark has been signed by the Italian freerider. Characterised by subtle contrasts and shades of grey, luminescent silver-tone hands echoing the hour markers complete the dial, which is housed in a 44 mm steel case topped with a bidirectional bezel.

Connected in every way

Designed for outdoor enthusiasts, this watch features a new generation heart rate sensor developed by Philips Wearable Sensing, plus GPS and activity monitor, among many other functions. These new features are offered in addition to the perpetual calendar, second time zone, chronograph, sleep tracker and personalised notifications. All of this is now available on a new high resolution AMOLED touch screen.

Its rechargeable battery provides up to seven days of complete autonomy. This model uses the #alpina Smartwatch app and sends data to the watch in real-time to help you improve your performance.