Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, SUP & Foiling
Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, SUP & Foiling
Upsets and drama as rounds one and two of Red Bull King of the Air were completed. Red Bull King of the Air got underway on Saturday 27 January and it was on another level! Some 7000 spectators braved the 25-30 knot southeasterly wind to line Kite Beach line in Blouberg, Cape Town and see the world’s big-air kitesurfers take to the sky. And they were duly rewarded with a day filled with action and upsets. Round One Highlights – Lasse Walker was an early standout throwing various big moves to advance all the way to round four for his efforts. – Steven Akkersdijk looked super confident and brought a lot of variety to the party with his 10m kite. – Local boy Ross-Dillon Player put on a big performance but fell short to a rampant Sam Light. He’ll have another shot in Round Three – A very focussed Lewis Crathern rode a calculated heat, producing a massive boogie loop to take the win. Sam Light during Round One © CRAIG KOLESKY / RED BULL CONTENT POOL – In the final heat of the round Antonin Rangin scored (what was up until then) the highest single move of the day …
Host of past champions and a local favourite will all vie for the title Every year Cape Town and her prolific South-Easter plays host the world’s best kiteboarders. For the past five years, they have competed in what is largely considered to be the pinnacle of big air kiteboarding, Red Bull King of the Air. With the competition – due to take place on the windiest day between the 27th of January and 11th of February – an all-star list of riders has been announced to compete for the 2018 title. The rider list is made up of the top nine riders from the 2017 event, plus the top nine from the ranking of the online video competition as well as wildcards. Nick Jacobsen – Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool Defending champion Nick Jacobsen is eager to reclaim his title and will go into the event as top seed. “It’s like a gladiator arena when you’re in the water,” says the popular Danish rider. “The beach is full of people and the pressure is high from your sponsors and audience.” Jacobsen outgunned Aaron Hadlow (GBR) and Ruben Lenten (NED) in the final of the 2017 event in front …
Kitesurf Armada event was held in Blouberg, Cape Town, South Africa on 30th Jan 2016. The new record of 415 kitesurfers beat the previous record set in Spain, Jan 2015, which was 352 kitesurfers. Take a look at this nice edit capturing some of the action at the beach. All images owned by: R van der Walt & E Prinsloo
