With its origin in Maui, Hawaii in the early 2000s, the competition first made its way to South African shores in 2013. The predominant south-easterly wind, most prevalent during the county's summer months, blowing at speeds in excess of 25 knots allows the perfect opportunity for big boosts and megaloops.
The event has also made an impact on the local kiting scene and youngsters like South African freestyle kiteboarding champion Oswald Smith are eager to make a name for themselves amongst the most recognisable faces in kiteboarding.
Smith, who returns to the competition after missing the event in 2015 due to a shoulder injury, has been training hard ahead of the event: "Having guys like defending champ Aaron Hadlow (GB) and 2013 champ Jesse Richman (US) come back year after year, really has got the local scene to push harder to make it into the top 24 competing in Red Bull King of the Air," he said. "I've been working on my overall fitness to make sure I'm ready to take those guys on as soon the wind is pumping and the event gets the green light!"
The 16-day window period is monitored extensively with the Red Bull King of the Air sportive team paying close attention to the forecast winds and wave conditions in order to give the athletes the best possible conditions in which to compete. For daily updates and information on when the event will run, go to www.redbullkingoftheair.com or follow @RedBullZA for updates.
For the second year in a row, WOO will be the official measurement tool for Red Bull King of The Air and will be used to keep the crowd up to date with how high the kiteboarders are boosting. The tiny WOO device - mounted right to the centre of the kiteboard - records a rider's jump height, airtime and landing G force, and sends it across to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
