Liam Whaley in Brazil

Nothing makes you want to try unhooking, like watching a professional do it right. Doing it right does not mean doing it fast, it does not mean doing it in the most technical way he or she can, it means smooth, clean and with perfect technique. Ask Liam Whaley, he’s got it down…

With some of the best freestyle riding we’ve seen this year, Liam Whaley is the kid from Tarifa who has burst onto the scene, now in fourth position in the PKRA world freestyle tour. The seventeen year old was born in one of the meccas of freestyle kiteboarding, Tarifa, Spain and had a kite bar in his hand since the age of nine years old. That’s eight years of practice in smooth water and reliable wind to help keen the senses, no wonder he’s at the top of the world tour! Recently the guys from NP Surf and Cabrinha have picked him up too, putting their own touch of professionalism to his movies, as well as handing him lots of free goodies to ride.

Speaking of movies, this one below was shot in Brazil earlier this year, before Liam left for the PKRA freestyle event in China. Brazil is fast becoming a staple location in the freestyle film makers bag of tricks thanks to less crowds than Spain, with the same (or arguably better) flat water and wind on demand. Conditions certainly looked good here though, with Andre Magarao on hand to film for him, Liam is throwing down hard. Now, with the PKRA event over for 2013, attention is being turned to what’s bound to be the biggest party kiteboarding has ever seen, with the PKRA announcing their first stop in 2014 will be Nitro City in Panama. They’re not messing around either, it’s only in a few months time, from the 18th to 23rd of February 2014.

Will Liam continue to snap at the heels of his rivals Alex Pastor and Marc Jacobs? Or will he blow them out of the water and emerge as the 2014 world champion? Watch the video below to find out for yourself…