10th Red Bull King of The Air | 2022 Dates
Fri 29th Jul, 2022 @ 9:00 am
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The dates for the 10th annual Red Bull King of the Air have been announced, and this milestone event will be bigger and better than ever! Find out more about the video entry deadline and process, as well as the all-new Porsche Golden Ticket, which will determine who you will see participating in this epic event!
Red Bull King of the Air 2022 is just around the corner, and the excitement is building! The event is the world’s premier Big-Air kiting contest, featuring the world’s best Big-Air riders from around the world. As soon as the weather window is optimal from 24 November to 9 December 2022, Kite Beach in Cape Town will host the event, as usual! Be there!
In the early 2000s, the event was held in Hawaii but moved to Cape Town in 2013. To earn the crown, riders have driven the sport of Big Air kiteboarding to the limits of amplitude, variety, execution and difficulty grade of tricks.
The event has been at the forefront of Big-Air kiteboarding innovation throughout the past decade, and the 10th edition will be no different. The prestigious affair will feature a fleet of 18 of the world’s most extreme kiteboarders. The 17 of the 18 will be made up of the Top Three finishers from 2021, Fly-To Red Bull King of the Air satellite events winners, and video contest entrants (the number of slots here will be determined by the ‘Fly-To’ results).
Riders who have already qualified are 2021 champ Marc Jacobs, three-time champion Kevin Langeree who finished second in 2021, and third-placed Stig Hoefnagel. In addition, Colombian Beto Gomes won the Fly-To Red Bull King of the Air qualifier event at Cuesta del Viento in Argentina to gain his spot.
While Gomes will be a new face in the event, it is perhaps the final slot that is the most exciting and will be taken by a rookie, thanks to a great initiative by event partner Porsche. Three riders will qualify for a special heat in Cape Town, winning a spot in the final 18.
“We’re really working to promote the progression of the sport and want to showcase that in the 10th edition bigger than ever before,” explained Sportive Director Sergio Cantagalli. “A big part of that is to bring new talent into the field, the sportscar brand Porsche – now in their second year as an event partner – is well aligned with this so we’ve worked together to build a special entry process for another rookie.”
According to Cantagalli, it will be called the Porsche Golden ticket. It will open to video entrants between 16 and 25 who have never competed in the contest. Porsche and Red Bull will cover the costs of all three candidates during their stay and thus hope to encourage video entry participation by more diverse kiteboarding talents worldwide. Besides the winner of the ‘Porsche Golden Ticket Heat’ who will earn a spot in the competition field, all candidates will still benefit hugely from the overall experience.
Video judging will be the same as the usual video entry process. During the final selection process, the Red Bull King of the Air judges will analyse each video clip on the same judging criteria as they would in a live performance of Red Bull King of the Air.
The video contest is underway, and big-air kiteboarders who think they have what it takes to compete with the world’s best aerialists in an extreme air contest are invited to submit a one-minute video of their biggest airs here. The submission deadline is September 30 2022, with the final announcement by October 14.
Entries are open to any riders, male or female, from anywhere in the world – Good luck!
