Kevin Langeree crowned Red Bull King of the Air

February 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Cape Town, Events, Kiteboarding /by Clyde Thomas

After a long day of massive extreme kiting, Kevin Langeree came out on top and claimed the title of Red Bull King of the Air 2014.

For the second year in a row, Cape Town played host to 24 of the world’s best kiteboarders the went head-to-head in the unique “flag-out” format the Red Bull King of the Air is known for.

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) as well as the last South African standing Andries Fourie (fourth) to become Red Bull King of the Air champion in front of a 12 000 strong crowd.

Kevin had this to say of the event:

Kevin Langeree PHOTO | Craig | Kolesky | Red Bull Content Pool

“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!”

Scored 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.

Head judge Alex Vliege was pleased about 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.”

The judging panel PHOTO | Jaanus Ree | Red Bull Content Pool

A nifty tool made available to the judges was Xensr technology. This 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 then immediately relayed to the judges and the live stream. Frenchman Tom Herbert recorded the highest jump of the day – a lofty 25.04m, while Blouberg local Andries Fourie landed the second highest jump of 23.37m.

Cape Town definitely came to the party, with 12 000 people coming to the idyllic Eden on the Bay. The competitors were able to feed off the crowd’s energy, with the jumps getting bigger as the wind intensity increased. All in all it was an amazing spectacle of kiteboarding with perfect conditions in an amazing setting.

Massive Cape Town crowd PHOTO | Jaanus Ree | Red Bull Content Pool

FINAL RESULTS

1. Kevin Langeree (NED)

2. Ruben Lenten (NED)

3. Steven Akkersdijk (NED)

4. Andries Fourie (RSA)

5. Aaron Hadlow (GBR)

5. Jesse Richman (USA)

7. Tom Herbert (FRA)

8. Billy Parker (USA)

Red Bull has just released the full video special of the King of the Air for two weeks before it goes to TV.Check out this awesome clip here

A Q&A with Jesse Richman

January 27, 2014/0 Comments/in Cape Town, Events, Kiteboarding, Profiles /by Clyde Thomas

Our last interview with Red Bull King of the Air riders is the winner of last year’s competition, Jesse Richman!

– What is the longest hang time you’ve ever accomplished?

“I had a really awesome jump in San Francisco in 2007 where I floated in the air for 22 seconds.”

– On days with little to no wind, what do you do in Cape Town?

“I don’t know yet, right now the no wind activities include coffee and some awesome fresh juice at Carlucci’s.”

– What tricks have you been working on leading up to the King of the Air?

“Big Tricks!”

– How have you found the local food?

“I just got here, but so far it has been f***ing fantastic!”

– Do you prefer megaloops or old school board offs and rotations?

“Megaloops with rotations and board offs and handlepasses…and all at the same time!”

– What is he vibe like non the water here in Cape Town?

“Windy and cold!”

– Who is your role model in kiting or in life?

“I like to take things from many people. Some of my inspiring figures include, Parks Bonnifay for his pure power, Shane Dorian for being a bad ass, Michaels Phelps for trying new things, and my brother for being rad!

-Have you had a chance to catch some night life? How was it?

“I don’t remember.”

-What makes the Red Bull King of the Air such a unique and exciting event?

“King of the Air takes all the bad ass, crazy aspects of the sport and combines it all into one ridiculous day”

A Q&A with Aaron Hadlow

January 27, 2014/0 Comments/in Cape Town, Events, Kiteboarding, Profiles /by Clyde Thomas

Our next interview with a rider from the Red Bull King of the Air is with none other than Aaron Hadlow!

– What is your favourite kite spot in Cape Town?

“I enjoy kiting in the location of the Red Bull King of the Air the most. Big Bay is not only ideal for launching big air but also for my discipline, freestyle and technical progression. The waves roll in and they are perfect for launching off axis rotations as you can pick the angle at which you take off due to the convex shape of the bay. When you ride in, the waves make flat, shallow water in between them, this area is great for other tricks.”

– What is the longest hang time you’ve ever accomplished?

“In the past kiteboarding was all about big air, as the years have pasted the style has changed but now with the King of the Air it is making its come back in a more extreme way. I don’t exactly know how long I have stayed up in the air for but would say one of my biggest jumps must have been around 9 or 10 questions.”

– On days with little to no wind, what do you do in Cape Town?

PHOTO [Kolesky | Nikon | Red Bull Content Pool]

“One of the reasons I have kept coming back to Cape Town for 12 years is the fact that I can stay active even if there is no wind. There is a cable park for wakeboarding, some amazing trails for mountain biking, good gyms and you are so close to the city but the fact is that in the summer the wind rarely stops blowing.”

– What tricks have you been working on leading up to the Red Bull King of the Air?

“I have been focusing on the PKRA World tour this season so the tricks I have been working only lately are very technical. During the last few weeks when the wind has kicked in strong I have been testing out my equipment, making sure all my gear is working perfectly and safe, then I focus on going big with some kite loops.”

– How have you found the local food?

“It is great to be able to eat nice and healthy here, the food is good.”

PHOTO [Rick Guest | Red Bull Content Pool]

– Do you prefer megaloops or old school board offs and rotations?

“Kiteloops are the way forward, old school board offs have been and gone, I went through this stage at 14 and took it to it’s limits back then. For me big air is all about creating a spectacle with extreme high risk riding. Massive kite loops where you get catapulted through the air and land full speed.”

– Have you had a chance to catch some night life here? How was it?

“I haven’t been out so much in the past couple of years but for sure have been out plenty of times over the years, almost every night through the summer there seems to be something good going on. There are some nice clubs and definitely good nights to be had.”

– What makes the Red Bull King of the Air such a unique and exciting event?

“I am usually competing in events that push the technical side of kiteboarding with innovation in powered tricks, they are lower but can be done in all conditions. The Red Bull King of the Air is an event pushing height in extreme conditions, for me it is all about the risk, a high jump is not necessarily extreme but when you see riders jumping as high as possible and throwing a kite loop in there too, then it gets crazy. They are high risk and spectacular to watch, if you can also throw a handle pass in there too then the risk is taken to the next level. That’s what I hope to see and help show the public. The best thing about this event is that at least half of the field are odds on to win this event, anyone can take home the win. There is no clear rider that stands above the rest because you never know what might get pulled out the bag on the day.”

A Q&A with Kevin Langeree

January 22, 2014/0 Comments/in Cape Town, Events, Kiteboarding, Profiles /by Clyde Thomas

We got an awesome Q&A with some of the top 12 riders from last year’s Red Bull King of the Year! Our first one was with Kevin Langeree.

-What is your favourite kite spot in Cape Town?

“There are a lot of great spots around. For jumping big and freestyle, Big Bay is the place to be and for riding wave 3de steen and Haakgat are awesome. I also like to go to the cape and ride places like the crayfish factory and White Sand.”

-What is the longest hang time you’ve ever accomplished?

“Always when you start timing jumps you never end up with a crazy record-breaking hang time. But every now and than you get lucky with a funky gust that gives you that hang time you always hope for. One of my longest jumps must have been around 18 sec.”

-On days with little to no wind, what do you do in Cape Town?

“Cape Town has so much to offer sometimes it’s hard to make up your mind what to do. But when there is no wind there are still some waves around so I love to get out my SUP or surf board and catch some waves.”

-What tricks have you been working on leading up to the Red Bull King of the Air?

“I’ve been trying to jump bigger and bigger, that’s what the Red Bull King of the Air is all about in my eyes. During the season I don’t get the chance to train big jumps very often. But I’m lucky that I can spend a couple months of the year here in Cape Town. It’s a great training ground.”

-How have you found the local food?

“I love great food. And great food is not very hard to find here in CT. I’ve been coming here for the last 9 years and it still amazes me how good the food is and how little you pay. Can’t wait to go for dinner, better hurry up with this interview.”

-Do you prefer megaloops or old school board offs and rotations?

“I don’t really prefer one different trick or style. But I like to see guys go BIG! The cool thing about kiteboarding is that there are so many styles and ways of riding. It will almost suit any kind of person. So the diversity is what I like most about our sport.”

PHOTO | Kolesky | Nikon | Red Bull Content Pool

-What is the vibe like on the water here in Cape Town?

“The vibe on the water is super cool especially during the event. In the high season it gets pretty crowded, but for the event you are pairing Big Bay with some of the best riders in the world. So you really want to push your limits.”

-Who is your biggest role model?

“Don’t really have one.”

-Have you had a chance to catch some nightlife here? How was it?

“The night life is pretty awesome! There are tons for cool bars and clubs and the girls are just smoking!”

-What makes the Red Bull King of the Air such a unique and exciting event?

“This event is so unique ‘cos it really showcases what kiteboarding is all about. In my eyes, it’s all about going as big as you can and giving the people a good show. There are no kiteboarding events where jumping big really counts so I’m super stoked the Red Bull King of the Air is back!”

Best 2014 Demo Day, Kitebeach, Saturday 26 October 2013

October 24, 2013/0 Comments/in Events, Kiteboarding /by Lanral

Hey kiters!
We will be having our first demo day of the season in Blouberg, straight across from the Best Kiteboarding Africa shop this Saturday 26 October 2013. We will have some of the new models like the Cabo, GP, TS and Kahoona pumped up and ready to fly!

The wind is not looking great, but nevertheless come down to the beach to hang out, and even just view, touch and feel the 2014 kites, or even test out how easily the new Twist Lock pumping system works!

And even if you don’t fly a kite, don’t miss out on the pre-order special – this will be the last day to get 15% off a 2014 Best kite, bar or Kiteboard! We also now have stock of some 2014 Kahoonas, Cabos, very few TS kites, as well as some kiteboards (Armada, Sparkplug and Procreator).
Looking forward to seeing you guys in the beach!

Cheers
The BEST Africa Team
+27(0)21 556 2765
info@bestkiteboardingafrica.com

red bull king of the air eden on the bay

Red Bull King of the Air 2014

October 8, 2013/0 Comments/in Cape Town, Events, Kiteboarding /by Clyde Thomas

Red Bull King of the Air 2014 – in Cape Town Once Again

Background

Held in 1999, the first Red Bull King of the Air event was a huge stepping stone for kitesurfing, a sport that was then still in its infancy. As the sport gained worldwide popularity, the event became a platform for some of the most talented riders in the world to showcase their skills.

After an 8-year hiatus, Red Bull King of the Air made its return in a brand new location: Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town – the Mecca of Kiting

Cape Town is the Mecca of kiteboarding and was the perfect location for the return of this massive competition due to our sick waves, wind and location.

Red Bull King of the Air 2013

The 2013 event was won by the young Hawaiian Jesse Richman in front of over 5000 spectators (the largest crowd garnered by the event since its inception).

Check out some of the awesome moments from Red Bull King of the Air 2013.

Red Bull King of the Air 2014

In 2014 the Red Bull King of the Air will return to Cape Town, and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

The 12 top riders representing 7 different countries will return in 2014 to compete for the title of Red Bull King of the Air. During the event some of the best kiteboarders in the world will attempt their most extreme tricks to be crowned King of the Air in the biggest big air kite event in the world.

The kiters who are confirmed for the event are:

Jesse Richman

Nick Jacobsen

Sam Light

Gianni Aragno

Lewis Crathern

Ruben Lenten

Oswald Smith

Shawn Richman

Billy Parker

Kevin De Smidt

Kevin Langaree

Andries Fourie

Are you a King of the Air?

This challenge is not for the average kiter, but if you think you have what it takes there are 12 wildcard entries available. [sign up link] You can sign up here.

With the ever growing popularity of Kitesurfing all over the world, the 2014 Red Bull King of the Air is poised to be one of the Extreme Sporting highlights of the year.

When

The event will take place between the 25^th of January and the 8^th of February, with a 2-day heads up.

There will also be an opening event on the 24^th of January at Eden on the Bay featuring live music and a chance to meet the pros.

Where

Once again Eden on the Bay, Big Bay, Cape Town has been chosen for this prestigious event. It’s the best spot for pro kiters, spectators, wind, waves and access to cold beer, kite gear and great food.