Registration Day – St. Peter-Ording Grand Slam Event

Located on the expansive beaches of St. Peter Ording, Germany, the official PKRA grand slam event – The Beetle Kitesurf World Cup 2012 – kicked off today with registration and an impressive opening ceremony, featuring many talented riders from around the world.

Known as the biggest and most well attended kiteboarding events in existence, the Beetle Kitesurf World Cup promises to deliver all the spectacular action and suspense that a world class event should. With the addition of the Airstyle discipline, the freestyle competition will prove to be especially interesting, as new faces and seasoned pros will go head to head in an all out battle for podium placements.

Over the course of the next 10 days, 123 total riders from 25 countries will compete for €52,000 in prize money. Defending World Champions, Youri Zoon (NED) and Gisela Pulido (ESP) will surely stay motivated to win for the second and third year in a row (respectively), while currently top-ranked competitors Alex Pastor (ESP) and Bruna Kajiya (BRA) look to break Zoon and Pulido’s streaks, hopefully claiming the championship titles. Three-time event champion, Kevin Langeree (NED) will also fight to regain his spot at the top, fresh off his win at the PKRA Kite Master’s event in Turkey and a recent second place finish in Venezuela.

With regards to the course racing discipline, the best riders on the planet have arrived to showcase their skills and vie for top placements at this prestigious and major event. For the first time since course racing’s acceptance as an Olympic sport, the PKRA competitor’s fleet will battle on the tumultuous and unforgiving waters of the North Sea, continually pushing boundaries and raising the level of this ever-growing sport segment. Surely, the top-ranked Americans, including John Heineken, Bryan Lake, and Adam Koch, as well as leading racers, Riccardo Leccese (COL), Olivier Dansin (FRA), and Julien Kerneur (FRA), will offer up some of the most incredible racing action seen this year. Furthermore, female frontrunners Katja Roose (NED) and Nuria Goma (ESP) are also in attendance, and plan to make their strongest showing yet, while others will fight to rise through the ranks and claim top titles.

As has been the case in previous years, St. Peter Ording will play host to a myriad of top riders, seasoned veterans, and even some newcomers to the competitive scene. Looking to compare their talents with the best in the world, many emerging riders will have the rare chance to exhibit their kiting talent in front of hundreds of onlookers, kiting enthusiasts, media, and press members. This, along with the impressive skill of international professional riders will culminate in an extraordinary world cup, one that will enthrall and attract the attention of countless individuals at the biggest kiteboarding event in the world.

Tomorrow, competition will officially begin when the wind permits. Forecasts call for lighter wind, ranging from 3-10 knots on Saturday; however, the constantly changing conditions of St. Peter Ording are well known and expected. Competitors will therefore remain ready to compete at a moment’s notice throughout the coming days.

3058_423142077729183_1907931365_n
168798_423103567733034_732820754_n
205253_423103081066416_1116137583_n
205417_423103381066386_1865568569_n
252672_423141871062537_1441086907_n
292349_423103834399674_1492618936_n
292356_423103441066380_1584524637_n
295474_423103474399710_86792277_n
314047_423140794395978_372391854_n
389102_423103894399668_574583028_n
PKRA Germany 2012
396958_423140731062651_1427488468_n
PKRA Germany 2012
428443_423141021062622_1555696435_n
480480_423103057733085_27982390_n
484057_423141964395861_1612756513_n
484444_423141204395937_1828181380_n
487884_423103964399661_619669328_n
488125_423103727733018_1065777210_n
523506_423104024399655_513893811_n
523819_423141577729233_2059977105_n
528918_423140947729296_2005419951_n
539686_423104084399649_815296663_n
539815_423103241066400_1245857237_n
544590_423103617733029_1529363074_n
552437_423103357733055_1289653205_n
554161_423103121066412_409141793_n
555593_423103154399742_1946509833_n
561249_423103504399707_257633509_n
575796_423141721062552_414229170_n
580858_423140884395969_925002173_n
600278_423103687733022_165069766_n
602308_423103414399716_394163386_n
602576_423103311066393_849777492_n
603471_423104061066318_2092164463_n
205230_423198174390240_674863737_n
293255_423196767723714_1365463132_n
309492_423197414390316_1942121794_n
318769_423194977723893_1829013417_n
388994_423195144390543_686834903_n
483370_423196857723705_156849073_n
488133_423197067723684_543583057_n
531289_423193324390725_984350854_n
531448_423195377723853_1519887055_n
534507_423197554390302_1924975817_n
539622_423191841057540_1176018114_n
548308_423197744390283_1461479508_n
552165_423193517724039_1965864225_n
559130_423192964390761_1528563230_n
559138_423196391057085_853215668_n
582183_423197207723670_336840194_n
182104_423363251040399_1754207006_n
252660_423365071040217_1884268939_n
255242_423367654373292_1858970259_n
292360_423362351040489_497440692_n
314042_423370541039670_1172879718_n
425087_423363657707025_751029491_n
428835_423366261040098_1274076023_n
482009_423369834373074_569892695_n
483994_423366921040032_1399837164_n
484113_423370017706389_410143698_n
487752_423369751039749_1707081310_n
523805_423370431039681_218897128_n
523818_423367877706603_2026383200_n
529342_423369564373101_1390821255_n
532653_423368401039884_341865921_n
534684_423369264373131_219716776_n
535023_423369404373117_416837901_n
539644_423370484373009_1603618319_n
539764_423368811039843_751927408_n
552510_423361647707226_1706036675_n
553096_423364024373655_2124607068_n
555791_423370107706380_124250079_n
557570_423370381039686_1189683190_n
561039_423368617706529_2022015705_n
561132_423365901040134_1954372007_n
563350_423362804373777_193114996_n
599681_423362981040426_1240677163_n