It’s been all kinds of windy down here in the Cape these past few weeks, and don’t even get me started on conditions in and around the Vredehoek area.

Not that everyone views the wind as a nuisance, with the world’s best kiteboarders headed our way to compete in the Red Bull King of the Air 2016.

The window period for Red Bull King of the Air opens this Saturday, 30 January 2016. The event, widely considered the most extreme kiteboarding competition in the world, will see 24 athletes meet in Bloubergstrand’s Big Bay battle it out for the illustrious title.

With its origin in Maui, Hawaii in the early 2000’s, 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,   and 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 (GBR) and 2013 champ Jesse Richman (USA) come back year-after year, really has gotten the local scene to push harder to make it into the top twenty-four competing in Red Bull King of the Air,“ he says. “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 sixteen-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, head HERE or follow @RedBullZA for updates.

Good to see someone making use of the wind whilst the rest of us struggle through the streets battling the elements.