GKA Kiteboarding World Tour: The ultimate combination

by GKA 19 Mar 2018 01:31 AEDT

Jesse Richman, mid-kite loop double half cab: the shape of things to come! © Tracy Kraft-Leboe / Naish

In 2018 the GKA Kiteboarding World Tour will stage a series of World Cup events that will put the wow factor and spectators' enjoyment at the heart of the action. Wild and dynamic performances will take the best of all aspects of twin-tip freestyle kiteboarding and at the end of the season World Champions will be crowned: let the Air Games begin!

The essence of the tour is to find the most complete twin-tip rider out there, however the basis of each judging category primarily calls for as much height as possible. After that, the show will come down to each rider's interpretation and how they want to display their vision for where an all-round show of explosive riding can go in the given conditions.

The category breakdown:
Tricks will be judged over four categories and at the end of the heat (four riders per heat) each rider's best three tricks from three different categories will count.

The categories:

Regular jumps (spins, grabs – anything goes, as long as it's high)
Board-offs
Kite loops
Handle-passes

By developing a format with four different and diverse categories the visual show will always be dynamic, explosive and exciting. By allowing riders to omit one category of trick, there's still scope for them to specialise without having to sacrifice their own distinct riding styles, so we expect to see some of the sport's biggest stars throwing down in their own trademark style.

Imagine Carlos Mario's double handle-passes off big kickers in Cabarete mixed with Jesse Richman's kite loop double half cabs. Picture the huge hang-time of Tom Hebert's insanely high board-offs in front of thousands of people on the beach in Tarifa up against the flow of Kevin Langeree's massive inverted kite loop back rolls.

Could Aaron Hadlow realise yet another World Championship by combining his undoubted ability to adapt to all aspects of twin-tip kiteboarding – whether the conditions are calling for adaptation towards more powered technicality or high wind artistry?

One male and one female rider will prevail and this tour will bring together the world's best riders to open all our eyes to what's possible when inspiration from all corners of the twin-tip spectrum merge as one into Air Games.

Conditions
The competition will run in any winds of 15 knots and above, so riders need to be prepared to switch up their performances. As the winds increase, the overall height factor will score more highly, while at the lower end of the wind scale, judges will be rewarding more technicality, while still expecting as much height and amplitude as possible.

Staged at some of the most iconic kiteboarding competition venues, expect classic kiteboarding conditions that will ignite the imagination of people all over the world and at the same time inspire true kiteboarders, too.