Red Bull King of the Air gets the Green Light
Right now, there’s 24 international level kiteboarders sitting in their hotel rooms (or at a bar somewhere) waiting. They’re waiting for the most insane conditions ever experienced in a kiteboarding competition, and those conditions look like they’ll be on today for the Red Bull King of the Air competition.
The Red Bull King of the air is all about huge jumps, powerful kiteloops and massive kahoonas. No, not of the Best variety, we’re talking kahoonas of the manly variety.
What could be better for the sport, than 40 knot winds, perfectly aligned kickers rolling in and the backdrop of Table Mountain. The latest iteration of Red Bull's King of the Air has been moved from Maui to South Africa for a reason. Big name riders like Ruben Lenten already flock to Big Bay when the wind is on, because the conditions are so perfect for huge airs, kiteloops and even board offs.
Riders invited for 2014 include Lewis Crathern, Aaron Hadlow and of course Ruben Lenten. Amidst a heap of new up-and-comers like Oswald Smith from Mauritius and Stuart Downey from South Africa, the seasoned professionals have their work cut out for them. Sadly, there’s no Australian’s in the running. Ewan Jaspan’s invitation must have been lost in the mail, luckily because he’s currently out of action with a shoulder injury.
For those who did receive their invitations, this year riders will be tracked by special sensors, which record exact heights for each jump. Not only does it take an extremely accurate recording of the height, location and speed, it can publish it to the internet in real time so you can watch at home! This live stream can be found here as long as the event is running. So keep checking back to see if it’s on!
We’ll bring you the pictures, movies and results from what’s going to be the biggest kiteboarding event of 2014, the Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town, South Africa.
WELLINGTON POINT, QLD
