Red bull up the mast - the ultimate balance challenge! On 15 august 2026, we were invited by red bull denmark to come to aarhus and film red bull up the mast - an insane competition putting competitors to the ultimate test of balance, speed, strength, technique and courage!
🏁 how does red bull up the mast work? The challenge looks simple - but it is incredibly difficult!
Competitors have to run out along a long, narrow pole extending horizontally over the water. At the very end of the pole is a flag that they have to grab.
And there is a twist...
🧴 the pole is covered in grease, making it extremely slippery!
🚫 competitors are not allowed to touch the pole with their hands before they have grabbed the flag.
That means they have to keep their balance and move as quickly as possible using their feet, body control and technique while running across the slippery pole.
The objective is simple:
🏃 run to the end 🚫 don't touch the pole with your hands 🏁 grab the flag 💦 then take the inevitable splash into the water!
If you lose your balance before reaching the flag, you're going straight into the water!
With the greased pole, the water below and the no-hands rule, even reaching the flag becomes a serious test of balance and coordination.
Watch the video to see the action from red bull up the mast in aarhus, denmark and find out who can conquer the slippery pole!
This is an incredible combination of extreme sports, balance challenge, obstacle course, water sports, speed competition and pure adrenaline.
Huge shoutout and a massive thank you to red bull denmark for inviting us to aarhus to film this crazy event!
And a special thanks for letting us use the awesome insta360 footage in our final edit - it really helped us capture the action from some insane angles!
Big thanks to mark stevens, daniel kroell, nicklas kold nagel, and of course all the amazing competitors who had the courage to step out on that slippery pole and give us such an unforgettable day in aarhus! 💦😂
you guys absolutely smashed it! 🤘
thanks for having us, red bull denmark - we had an absolute blast!
This transcript captures a high-energy, chaotic scene, likely a sporting event or a physical challenge. The dialogue consists of fragmented exclamations, encouragement, and reactions to intense physical activity, focusing on strength, speed, and the successful completion of a difficult task.
Go, Flash!
Are you okay, Flash?
Yeah, he is
He’s got some speed!
And that’s where it ended.
Let’s give him a huge round of applause!
The judges didn’t approve it because he used his hands.
Now it’s Mr. Speedo’s turn!
And yes, Mr. Speedos went straight into the water.
And here’s Thomas from Hungary.
Oh no, that must have hurt!
Oh no, Thomas! You were never going to be a father now!
He's accelerating like crazy!
Here, he performs a double backflip!
And she's picking up speed!
Come on, you're almost at the flag!
Beautiful landing... right on his backside!
Now it's Jan's turn!
Jan lands a little hard, but he's completely fine!
Now it's Mikkel's turn... and, of course, his beloved chicken!
He's got some serious speed!
That was so close!
He's got some serious speed... and yes, that's a pretty rough landing!
Go
He was so close to reaching the flag!
That's a good start!
That was probably the closest we've seen so far!
Next contestant! Come on, you’ve got this!
I think he just gave the pole a little kiss!
He's okay!
Whoa, he's really flying!
Yes, thanks! That was awesome!
Come on, you’ve got this!
Let's give Tobias a huge round of applause!
Now it's Gustav's turn!
Yes, Gustav! You got the flag!
2, 1.. go!
He runs really fast out on the mast!
And now he’s in the water! Give him a huge round of applause!
Go
That was a close one! His family jewels almost took a hit!
Looks like our next contestant is a monkey!
Well, I guess this monkey finally found some water!
Come on, Adam!
Honestly, he had a good strategy: running sideways!
And there goes our Chilean Superman, straight into the water!
Come on, Anders! You’ve got this!
Oh no! That was a direct hit to the family jewels!
Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Go, go, go, my friend!
So close! And what an awesome head-first dive!
He’s absolutely flying!
The judges have given the blue flag, so it counts!
Congratulations, Magnus!
And now it’s Lars’s turn!
That pole is really slippery!
Nice landing, my friend! Right on the butt!
Look at the speed on this guy!
It looks so intense when you see a big guy like this flying down the pole!
Come on, Viktor!
Viktor is okay!
Next up, we have another contestant trying to reach the flag!
Oh no! The flag fell down by mistake!
Run, run, run, my friend!
Well, I’ve got to say… that was impressively bad!
Come on, let’s give her a big round of applause!
Now it’s Weber’s turn!
That was one massive splash, Weber!
That was Emil we just saw rolling right over the pole!
This guy is moving like he’s late for something!
Great strategy! He almost made it!
He’s got some serious speed!
So close again!
Look at him! Can he make it?
Let’s check with the judges and see if it counts!
It counts! We’ve got the blue flag!
Congratulations!
And now it’s Jacob! He’s 34 years old.
Let’s give Jacob a big round of applause for that awesome stunt!
This guy has some serious speed too!
Come on! Run as fast as you can!
Unfortunately, it’s a red flag! You’re not allowed to touch the pole with your hands!
And now our next contestant is getting started!
He gave the pole a little butt bump on the way down!
There you go! Great effort, my friend!
Our next contestant is moving fast too!
Hopefully he didn’t hurt his knee too badly!
He says he’s okay!
This guy is in a hurry too!
He was in such a hurry, he landed flat on his back!
Go
Oof, that pole is really slippery!
Nice try, my friend!
He’s flying! And he’s got his eyes on that flag!
The judge gives the blue flag!
Great technique here - he just keeps running in mid-air!
Wow, he’s absolutely flying down that pole!
It’s approved! Great job, Magne!
There you go, boys! Now you can go take a champagne shower!
