The Red Bull King of the Air will see the world’s best kitesurfers take to the skies in an attempt at the crown. They’ll go head-to-head in the ‘flag out’ big air competition format that will see big moves and huge airs performed with style, height, and speed.

In February 2014, 12,000 people watched on as Kevin Langeree (NED) edged out his compatriots Ruben Lenten (NED) and Steven Akkersdijk (NED) in a high-pressure event that saw huge winds and even bigger wipe-outs.

“I just can’t wait for the KOTA 2015 to kick off!! To me this event is the most extreme, fun and the best way to show what kiteboarding is all about. The vibe around the event is just magical – 24 of the best big air kiteboarders in the world pushing themselves and each other to go bigger and bigger. Just thinking about that again gets me so fired up. I’ve been training a bunch this year to prepare myself even better than last year so I can hopefully defend my title in 2015,” said Langeree.

Cape Town is a hot spot for kiteboarding during January and February, where the ‘Cape Doctor’ (the south-easterly wind that presides over the city in its summer months) and sun-soaked beaches make for a kiteboarder’s dream.

Twelve of the best from 2014 will return to the event, and 12 wildcards, selected from online entries and social voting at www.redbullkingoftheair.com will round up the 24 participant line-up.

Invited Riders

Kevin Langeree (NED), Ruben Lenten (NED), Steven Akkersdijk (NED), Andries Fourie (RSA), Aaron Hadlow (GBR), Jesse Richman (USA), Tom Herbert (FRA), Billy Parker (USA), Nick Jacobsen (DEN), Reno Romeu (BRA), Gianni Aragno (ESP), Jerrie van de Kop (NED).

Since its return in 2013, Red Bull King of the Air has had 2 different winners in 2 events in Cape Town. Do you think you have what it takes to reign in 2015? Head to www.redbullkingoftheair.com and upload your video to enter.

In order to ensure the best wind conditions possible for Red Bull King of the Air to take place, the event window period extends from 31 Jan to 15 Feb 2015.

Red Bull King of the Air 2015 Coming to Cape Town Again was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

For the second year in a row, Cape Town’s Big Bay hosted 24 of the world’s best kiteboarders as they went head-to-head in a unique ‘flag out’ competition format in South Africa. It all came down to the final in which Dutchman Kevin Langeree managed to edge out his compatriots Ruben Lenten (second) and Steven Akkersdijk (third) to become the Red Bull King of the Air 2014 champion in front of a 12 000-strong crowd.

“The conditions picked up during the day and I couldn’t have hoped for anything better! The final was definitely tough and every one of us was so close to winning. I definitely had my best heat of the day in the final. This is the third Red Bull King of the Air I’ve competed in and was a title that I didn’t have yet so I was hungry for it. I’m so stoked!”

Judged on height, creativity and style, the participants’ manoeuvres were judged by Alex Vliege (NED), William Bogaards (NED), Greg Thijsse (RSA), Arkadiusz Jerzelkowski (POL), Reinier Korstanje (NED), Ralf Bachsuster (GER) who had their work cut out for them.

An innovative tool available to the judges was Xensr technology. The application measures the height, speed, airtime, gravity loading, location and the 3D motion of the athlete with all data captured at 400 times a second and is accurate to within 3mm, as soon as they land a jump. All jump data is immediately relayed to the judges and the live stream. Frenchman Tom Herbert recorded the highest jump of the day – a lofty 25.04m.

Head judge Alex Vliege was pleased with how the event played out in the end:

“What an epic day! We had the best riders in the world here today with Cape Town and Mother Nature delivering great conditions. We finally got what we were waiting for. Kevin was completely deserving of the title – he did the same moves as the others plus more, with variation and went higher than the others. “

Blouberg local Andries Fourie was the highest placed South African in 4th place and landed the second highest jump of the day at 23.37m.

Final Results

1. Kevin Langeree (NED)
2. Ruben Lenten (NED)
3. Steven Akkersdijk (NED)
4. Andries Fourie (RSA)
5. Aaron Hadlow (GBR)
6. Jesse Richman (USA)
7. Tom Herbert (FRA)
8. Billy Parker (GBR)

Recap Video: Go BIG or go Home

Photography Credits

Craig Kolesky / Nikon / Red Bull Content Pool
Nick Muzik / Red Bull Content Pool

Kevin Langeree Crowned Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Smith is excited about taking part in the competition:

“Of course I’m a bit nervous competing against the best kiters in the world and there’s definitely a bit of pressure on me as a local but I’m going to go out there and go as big as I can! I’ve been trying to kite every day and make sure I’m ready to take them on. It’d be really cool if everyone came down to Big Bay to support the local guys on the day!”

There have been a few changes to the participants with PKRA 2013 World Champ Alex Pastor renouncing himself from the competition. Luke McGillewie (RSA) will take his spot in the lineup.

Participants

• Aaron Hadlow (GBR)
• Andries Fourie (RSA)
• Billy Parker (USA)
• Gianni Aragno (ESP)
• Graham Howes (RSA)
• Jandre Fraser (RSA),
• Jerrie van de Kop (NED)
• Jesse Richman (USA),
• Johnno Scholte (NED)
• Kevin de Smidt (NED)
• Kevin Langeree (NED)
• Lewis Crathern (GBR)
• Linus Erdmann (GER)
• Luke McGillewie (RSA)
• Nick Jacobsen (DEN)
• Oswald Smith (RSA)
• Reno Romeu (BRA)
• Ruben Lenten (NED),
• Sam Light (GBR),
• Sam Medysky (CAN)
• Shawn Richman (USA)
• Steven Akkersdijk (NED)
• Stuart Downey (RSA)
• Tom Hebert (FRA)

The event will take place at Big Bay, Cape Town – the date and time completely dependent on weather conditions. The window period for the event will extend to February 9, 2014 and a 24 hour warning will be given ahead of the event taking place. Unfortunately current conditions are not favourable for the event to run this weekend.

Red Bull King of the Air Teaser Video

If you are reading this article in an email or RSS reader, click here to watch the video.

Make sure you keep up with all the news at www.redbullkingoftheair.com or follow the hashtag #redbullkingoftheair on your favourite social channels.

Photo Credits: Kolesky / Nikon / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull King of the Air 2014 Window Period Opens Tomorrow was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Zack Buchan and Ross Walters

Get the exclusive story and video of the expedition here.

Extreme Adventurers Embark on a Kitesurfing Odyssey

During this thrilling endurance test, Durbanites Zack Buchan (36) and Ross Walters (35) will set out from Ponto do Ouro in Southern Mozambique on Monday, 13 August – weather permitting – on an intense journey down to Durban. The expedition has been timed to coincide with the prevailing north-easterly winds along the Northern KwaZulu Natal coastline at this time of year. However, an unexpected cold front hitting the coast could pose serious challenges as driving south-westerly head winds would severely hamper their efforts.

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition | Zack Buchan

Although the straight-line distance is 430 kilometres, the team will end up doing significantly more as kitesurfers will tend to zig-zag as they move down the coast.

The intrepid pair is planning to kite for up to eight hours each day, covering between 70 and 100 kilometres depending on weather conditions. If the conditions are favourable and their equipment holds up, they can potentially complete the journey in five days, but realistically it is expected to take between eight and ten days. “Your body really takes a beating in kitesurfing so this journey will be about endurance and pitting ourselves against the elements,” stated Buchan at a training session in Durban yesterday.

In addition to fitness training, rigorous preparation has been required to ensure that the team is primed for all eventualities as the route presents numerous trials for kitesurfers. As they plan to kite just behind the backline for the majority of the journey, the most imminent threat will be losing a board or crashing a kite in big surf whilst on a rocky stretch of coastline.

Added to this, there is the prevalence of marine life. Whilst the warmer waters off KwaZulu Natal are notorious for sharks, they will also have to contend with crocodiles while around the St Lucia estuary.

With so much riding on equipment, both Buchan and Walters have sourced the very latest in kitesurfing technology. To make the most of the expected wind conditions, they will have their pick of three kites ranging from eight to 12 metres. The optimal kite size is influenced by wind conditions with the larger kites suited for lighter conditions while the smaller kites are used in heavy winds.

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition | Ross Walters

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition will be using Ozone Reo kites and Xelerator waveboards supplied by Kitesports. According to Sinesa Misic of Kitesports, Ozone kites have only recently been introduced to the South African market, while the surf-type boards are perfectly suited to this challenge.

“The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition is an ideal opportunity to showcase the performance capability of the Ozone Reo kites. The kites have been constructed specifically for excellent wave riding, quick handling and ease of relaunch, which means that they can seamlessly adapt between rigorous trials such as this ultra-distance attempt and leisure kiting,” explains Misic.

Safety is also a priority and a support crew will be following the team from the land with GPS trackers and will be able to communicate with them via two-way marine radios. The kitesurfers will also be equipped with electrical shark repellent units and they will each have an emergency beacon which, once activated, transmits a mayday signal that will mobilise the nearest search and rescue operations. In addition, there will be an emergency evacuation helicopter on standby provided by Helivac.

“This journey has its dangers and if one of us is seriously injured, just knowing that we have a direct line to Helivac and its helicopter emergency evacuation will give us peace-of-mind,” Buchan adds.

The sport of kitesurfing can trace its roots back to the 1800’s, but it was only the experiments of German and French inventors in the 1970’s and 1980’s, with further developments in the nineties by the Roeselers in the USA and the Legaignoux in France, that resulted in the birth of modern kitesurfing. The sport has shown explosive growth since then with an estimated 210 000 participants in 2006 to the current status quo of kitesurfing edging out windsurfing as an Olympic discipline at the 2016 Rio Games.

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition | Durban, South Africa

Steph Bester, CEO of expedition sponsor The Unlimited, says this extreme initiative dovetails with the company’s ethos. “This amazing attempt is extreme enough for us to put our name to – we believe in doing the extraordinary and these adventurers will achieve just that as The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition will push the limits of ordinary human endurance,” stated Bester.

Follow the amazing journey of The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition with daily updates on www.theunlimited.co.za.

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.