In January 2025, Cape Town hosted the GKA Big Air Challenge, a kiteboarding event created in collaboration with WOO Sports. The competition brought together amateurs and professionals to record their highest jumps across the Western Cape, combining individual efforts into team scores for a brand showdown. Jen Tyler catches up with Liam Dredge to discuss the inspiration, challenges, and standout moments that made this new format such a success!

From 2–9 January 2025, Cape Town, South Africa, hosted the GKA Big Air Challenge 2025, a revolutionary team competition in collaboration with WOO Sports. Open to professionals and amateurs, the event brought riders together to record their highest jumps across the Western Cape. The top five individual jumps from each kite brand’s riders were combined to determine the winning team, with the highest overall score securing victory.

The challenge ended in the Qatar Airways GKA Awards on 10 January, held at Cape Town City Hall. The winning team was awarded a trophy to hold for a year, while the top five riders from that team received WOO sensors. Riders from the second and third-placed teams earned free entry to the awards gala and after-party, adding an extra layer of excitement to the evening.

The competition focused on teamwork, with brand teams competing for the highest combined jump total. Riders had eight days to record their best jumps at any kite spot in the Western Cape. All jumps had to be recorded using WOO sensors, and sessions were required to be uploaded on the same day to be valid.

Riders used their own WOO sensors or borrowed demos, which were available. Once recorded, riders tagged their kite brand to join its team, allowing all kite brands—GKA members and non-members—to participate.

The GKA Big Air Challenge 2025 set a new benchmark for team competitions in kiteboarding, merging technology, teamwork, and skills. With the Western Cape delivering world-class conditions and WOO sensors tracking every jump, the event highlighted the potential for innovative formats to bring the kiteboarding community together.

We catch up with Liam Dredge to learn what happened behind the scenes! 

Hi Liam, I hope all’s going well in South Africa! Can you tell us about the initial idea behind the GKA Big Air Challenge? What inspired it?

Hi Jen, absolutely! The GKA Big Air Challenge was born out of a collaboration between the GKA and WOO, aiming to kickstart the 2025 season in an exciting and innovative way. With its incredible conditions, Cape Town seemed like the perfect location to tie in this event with the annual GKA awards at City Hall.

The idea was to merge WOO’s vibrant community of riders with those already in South Africa. This would bring together amateurs and professionals to compete individually and as representatives of their kite brands. This new concept would create a unique sense of camaraderie and competition both on and off the water.

What were the event’s main goals, and how did you envision it standing out from other competitions?

Our goal was to inspire riders to explore the Western Cape, discovering new kite spots they might not have visited before while challenging themselves with big jumps. We wanted this event to go beyond individual performance—it was about fostering organic teamwork.

Cape Town offers a variety of incredible locations if you’re willing to venture beyond the well-known Blouberg Beach. The week-long event window and unpredictable wind forecasts pushed participants to think creatively. For example, the Duotone team found perfect conditions at Elands Bay—a spot famous for surfing but less so for kiting—and achieved some of the event’s most impressive jumps there. Since the challenge, seeing more riders have started visiting and kiting at this location is exciting.

How did you decide on the format and structure for the challenge? Were there any unique features compared to other Big Air events?

The structure was designed to be simple, inclusive, and accessible to riders of all levels. Together with WOO, we envisioned a brand battle that allowed everyone—not just professionals—to contribute to their team’s score.

The format was straightforward: riders had one week to log their highest jumps using the WOO device, upload their results via the app, and ensure their sessions took place within the Western Cape. Each brand’s total score was based on its top five highest jumps, with only one scoring jump per rider.

What set this event apart was its inclusivity. Regardless of skill level, any rider had the chance to rank highly and represent their brand. There was no qualification process, rigid rules, or waiting for specific conditions. This openness encouraged over 200 kiters to register their jumps—a brilliant turnout.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while organising the event?

Working with Arlin and the WOO team was an absolute pleasure; our vision aligned perfectly. However, the 2025 season in Cape Town hasn’t been the strongest for wind, and that did cause some concern when looking at the forecast during the event window.

That said, the beauty of our format was its flexibility—participants could kite anywhere in the Western Cape. If you’re willing to find the wind, Cape Town always has it, and this adaptability helped make the event a success despite the lighter conditions.

How did you choose the location and conditions for the challenge? Did the weather cooperate as planned?

Our goal was to encourage participants and brands to seek out the best conditions within the Western Cape. While the weather wasn’t ideal, it encouraged riders to explore lesser-known spots like Langebaan, Hermanus, Elands Bay, and the iconic Blouberg Beach.

While we didn’t get a classic 35+ knot “Cape Doctor” day that might have produced jumps exceeding 30 meters, the results were still impressive. Given the conditions, the top three brands achieved outstanding combined scores exceeding 100 meters.

How did the riders react to the event concept? Did they enjoy the format? Did you receive any feedback about potential improvements?

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Riders appreciated the format’s simplicity and the opportunity for anyone to contribute to their brand’s score.

We’re excited to plan the next Big Air Challenge, whether back in Cape Town or Europe. While the current format works well, we’re open to making minor adjustments based on rider feedback and the location. Arlin and I will definitely be brainstorming ideas to take the next event to an even higher level.

How do you feel the event went overall? Did it meet or exceed your expectations?

We’re incredibly proud of the first GKA Big Air Challenge’s outcome. It was thrilling to see the leaderboard constantly evolve as scores came in from various locations.

Linking the event to the annual GKA Awards evening added an extra layer of excitement. We also worked with a talented local designer in Cape Town to create a stunning trophy, which will be updated each year with the winners’ names. For a first-year event, I’d say it exceeded expectations, and I’m excited to establish this challenge as a must-attend event in the kiting calendar.

What were your most memorable moments as the lead organiser?

The most rewarding aspect for me was watching the daily results roll in and seeing the stories unfold throughout the week. When a project comes to life after months of planning and teamwork, and you witness its success, it’s incredibly motivating.

With this event, we’ve set a strong benchmark, and I can’t wait to push the limits even further for future Big Air Challenges. I’m already looking forward to brainstorming new ideas with the team!

The Results

1st - Team Duotone 121.3M

2nd - Team FLYSURFER 112.1M

3rd - Team CORE 104.0M

4th - Team Naish Kiteboarding 93.9M

5th - Team North Kiteboarding 92.9M

6th - Team Airush Kiteboarding 65.4M

7th - Team Lacuna Kites 63.3M

8th - Team Cabrinha 55.3M

9th - Team Reedin Kites 51.9M

10th - Team Ozone 51.5M

11th - Team Eleveight 51.0M

12th - Team F-ONE 28.7M

13th - Team Slingshot 22.3M

14th - Team GONG 20.0M

15th - Team Harlem Kitesurfing 16.1M

16th - Team Ocean Rodeo 15.8M

Max Height - Duotone Riders

1st Matteo Lazzaretti 28.0M

2nd Tommie Klop 27.1M

3rd Ross Dillon Player 23.3M

4th Andrea Principi 22.8M

5th Kimo Mahmoud 20.1M

Max Height - FLYSUFER Riders

1st Hugo Wigglesworth - 25.5M

2nd Julian Zens 23.5M

3rd Ivar van de Kamp - 21.4M

4th Luca Ceruti - 21.4M

Max Height - CORE Riders

1st Maarten Haeger 24.3

2nd Hendrik vd Eems 21.6

3rd Angely Bouillot 20.7

4th Patrick Haller 19.6

 

Videos

GKA Big Air Challenge - Cape Town 2025 | Overview Video
By Jen Tyler
Italian/Egyptian Jen Tyler grew up on the sandy beaches of the Red Sea and has been on the IKSURFMAG & Tonic Mag team since 2017.

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