I am with you Toby Cannot and Not wanting to is exactly how I ride these days.. I love big powered kites and huge air ,long hangtimes and the super soft landing only Big Kites can provide... Or I take my small Kites and ride waves My knee cannot take the freestyle landings or big jumps with small kites...
I really liked the videos of the event I saw its nice to see the Freestyle guys go huge!! I think your style would have been great in the event and Dimitri M would have rocked this event since D can ride a 6 or 16m the same way and is one of the best at jumping big.. Maybe he would not have won it ,but He would have had those young guys taking notice for sure!!!! Dimitri is the first guy I ever saw try a true Kiteloop the year was 2001 he was riding Cabrinha then and we where competing in a competition together in Hatteras in his heat he jumped over 30' high then tried to loop the kite 12m C underneath himself.. Needless to say he destroyed the kite but was so Crazy to watch back then!!!! Later Ted B

this was judged:

70% height
20% style
10% variety

Dimitri would have won it looking at the tricks shown.
He does huge kiteloops, great boardoffs and one foots, stylish grabs. He is used to fly, and uses the time in the air to show style. He does not dangle!

Even though i personally dont like boardoffs, I have to agree with you here. Seems silly they didnt invite Dmitri with Big Air being emphasized so heavily. He would definitely do some stuff none of the other kids could do, which would be great to see.

Anyone else disappointed with the RedBull video edit? Feels like they show very little footage, its hard to get a feel for who did well and who didnt. Would have liked to see more wipeouts too, for instance the richman toeside edge face slap looked great....

Well, I saw better videos out there.
The one at the beginning of this topic was nice, since it showed the highest jumps, which were very impressive.

And I wonder the selection of the riders...boots for big air contest?
Didn't expect much stylish tricks besides the megaloops.
These riders know low, powered tricks with a short airtime.
Most cannot make look the high and long hanging tricks stylish, as we see. From few I saw some cool stuff in vids before, like Shawn and Kevin.
Look up Dimitris videos, now that is a show with style! High and lots of variety with style!

Eddy Lansing also goes huge with style...and some more riders.

Well, great riders out there, but next time get also some big air specialists. Then we will see who is the real king!

And great that RB did this event again, really important for the sport to let people dream again!

sorry but these toby / dimitri would've won comments genuinely wind me up - not to mention a bit of an insult to the people who actually competed...

First off - 'making nice videos' is a world away from competition riding. Toby of all people ought to know that following his so-called airstyle world championships.

Second - this 'can't / don't want to' argument works both ways. Does anyone genuinely think Youri is incapable of doing a boardoff? or that a deadman is beyond Sam's abilities? Or do you think maybe they chose not to?

With the judging - it wasn't just 'height' - it was:

70% Height and Extremity (Risk - Speed
- Angle of the kite - Tricks - Loops)

so with each trick the judges were weighing up not just the height - but also 'how extreme was the risk' 'how extreme was the angle of the kite' etc...

honestly got nothing against oldschool stuff - its fun to do and can be fun to watch - but c'mon lets not pretend it's in the same league as the genuinely difficult / scary shit...

Listen, I am not talking about me competing there. I am not a big air rider, I am Airstyle, that is a difference. Although I would always jump high in any conditions and compete against anyone in height. But I don't want to risk anything with megaloops etc.

I have biggest respect for the high jumps and specially megaloops they show.

But I expect more to see, because I don't look at it as a normal spectator.
I look at it with the knowledge what is possible.
I look at it what can be done in this airtime and how the style is.
For me this is important, since I try to make tricks as stylish as possible.
Dangling is something a trick shouldn't have. So yes, I critize, hoping next year I will see amazing high tricks with perfect style. I do this to push the kids to train it and be able to show the world an outstanding show. 90% of the riders attempting don't train big air, they are free/wakestylers, hence the boots.

And I want to see guys like Dimitri, since I know they do this everytime they go out, and know how to make it look stylish, with lots of variation.
Don't you think the event will win if the dedicated big air boys start their show?
Give them the chance!

And be sure, if an event like this is in 20-25 knots I will kick ass. Just not 30+ for my age
Unfortunately Capetown is not right for me on all aspects! But good for others, so let them have it !

Its King of the air, not duke of the air or princess of the air but KING!

As in balls to the wall 30, 40 or 50 knots whatever the most wind they get in the holding period is.

Its crank it up and bust as huge as possible, and thats precicely what went down.

Not float as long as you can, or pose as pretty as you can, or juggle or whatever. Red Bull is kinda all about amplitude..... this is not news!

Its great to have it back as an event and its great that its not watered down. Dont like it hold your own event where you can kick ass in 20 knots all you want. I find it hillarious to read the build up to it with lots of trumpeting about this is it, the best return of real kiting, exactly what we have been missing, blah, blah blah. Then after its over, its all shoulda coulda woulda.

Look at the old king of the air videos, then you will see what I mean.

I hoped for a big air freestyle, with all styles of the sport.
So yes, I was dissapointed. I cannot be? Or maybe it was just a bad selection of the footage shown?

But, if just big air got counted, then it is ok, the air was huge!

And yes, great to have events like that. Still, next time I want to see some big air riders as well, then you might understand what I mean!

Do you know Marco Kloeppel? Not? That guy you want to see for sure as well...they will rock the bay!

We seen other footage with those riders they can bust all kinds of board offs, dead man's, board flips, board passes, you name it, they have done it before. 70% is way too much emphasis on height. Should have been 30%. Making it 70% meant whoever jumped the highest was gonna win.