Third year in a row - North is the official kiteboarding sponsor of Red Bull King of the Air 2021

North Kiteboarding is proud to announce our continued partnership with Red Bull South Africa, as the Official Kiteboarding Sponsor of Red Bull King of the Air 2021 – for the third year running!

King of the Air is the most extreme kiteboarding competition worldwide and it’s safe to say it is not for the faint-hearted. All the elite Big Air riders around the world to come together to compete in one of the most extreme kite spots in the world, Blouberg, Cape Town. Primed with the relentless Cape Doctor South Easterly winds and huge kickers, it’s the perfect big air playground.

Like everything in 2020, things were a bit different for riders to be accepted into the event this year. Rather than the top five, only the top three riders from last year were given a place automatically – two of whom were our North team members, Nick Jacobsen (runner up) and the King himself, Jesse Richman.

For everyone else, in order to compete, they were to submit a video submission of their biggest, most badass kite loops and tricks possible. We are proud to share that Marc Jacobs was awarded a place through his video entry and Tom Bridge was given 1 of 3 wildcards into the event. Read more about North’s team in KOTA here.

This will be Tom Bridge's first competition representing North & Mystic and we have no doubt he'll put on an incredible performance.

The wind window is from 30th January – 14th February 2021, where all of the Big Air legends will be in Cape Town, ready to send it to extreme heights.

North Brand Manager Mike Raper is extremely proud to be supporting such an important event for the industry once again.

“Partnering with Red Bull for The King of the Air is a wonderful opportunity to push the limits together of the growing discipline of Big Air. Watching the riders push themselves and challenge others to their most extreme, is honestly thrilling. As the gear improves, the riding does too, and it’s been incredible watching the industry progress. I’m extremely proud to be the official kiteboarding sponsor of this famous event.”

“Given the year we’ve had, we are lucky that the event is able to go ahead safely. We are hoping for some strong winds during the wind window, to see the 2021 Orbit kite fly to new heights. We’re are excited to see all the kiting community come together to tune in to the live broadcast.”

Last year, as thousands of people lined Kite Beach in Cape Town, the North Team claimed a full sweep in one day as the Cape Doctor blew 30 knots. Riding the infamous Orbit Big Air Kite, all three riders took a prize home, with Jesse Richman taking 1st place. Read all about the incredible event last year here.

This year, crowds won’t be permitted at the event due to coronavirus restrictions however we’ll be on the ground giving you live event updates, rider profiles, competitions and giveaways. Stay tuned @northkiteboarding.

You can ride like a King too. Get yourself excited for KOTA 2021 and try or buy the 2021 Big Air collection at your local North Kiteboarding dealer here.