Newsfeed: Kitesurfen

Adventure Sports Inc. (ASI), the owner of Maui-based water sports company Cabrinha, is taking over Dakine's hydrofoil and wind-related products. ASI reached an agreement with Marquee Brands, the global owner of the legendary Dakine brand, to take over the company's kitesurfing and windsurfing segment. Dakine is currently operating in the snow, surf, bike, and wind sports market, producing backpacks, accessories, technical bags, apparel, and gear for those business sectors.

The athletes that will compete at the 2021 Red Bull King of the Air (KOTA) have been announced. The world's most famous big air kiteboarding competition will run at Kite Beach in Cape Town, somewhere between January 30 and February 14. The all-star list features local favorites, previous event champions, and up-and-coming young guns.

Milo is a communication device that lets you talk with friends while kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, skateboarding, BMX, snowboarding. This hands-free, modern walkie-talkie allows action sports enthusiasts to chat in a closed group and doesn't need Wi-Fi or cell signal to operate. Milo combines wireless networking, audio processing, and hardware and is simple to use.

Henning Nockel has taken out the first-ever King of the Wing at Gunzenhausen, in Germany. The event run by the newly-founded Global Wingsports Association (GWA) had good wind conditions for wing foiling's first official debut. The King of the Wing 2020 was a perfect all-around contest with race and freestyle competitions for the seasoned wing-foilers, as well as a wing festival and rider meet-ups that brought the community together.

As a professional athlete, artist and brand owner, depression, insecurities, anxiety, self-doubt, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and epilepsy have played a huge role in who I am today. It's given me strength and courage to push through boundaries, but it has also plagued my road to success, competitions, relationships, and ultimately, happiness. I see it in people, friends, professional athletes, and successful people all around me, and most of them won't dare open up when I try starting a conversion, for their fear of crying, looking weak, feeling uncool.

The organizers of the Red Bull King of the Air (RBKOTA) announced major changes in the qualification process for the 2021 edition. The competition, which is expected to run at Kite Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, will showcase 18 big air kiteboarders in early February. The roster will feature the top three finishers from 2020, and two or three winners from Fly To Red Bull King of the Air satellite events.

Sylvain Hoceini broke the nautical mile speed sailing world record at Plage du Rouet, in La Palme, France. On July 15, at 8:40 pm, the French kiteboarder rode his kite at 39.11 knots (44.88 miles per hour) during the 2020 Prince of Speed. Hoceini improved by 0.08 knots last year's record set by American rider Rob Douglas at 39.04 knots (44.93 miles per hour).

The sport of kiteboarding will make its Olympic debut with foiling equipment. As a result, athletes will compete for medals using hydrofoils and specific foil kites licensed under the Formula Kite class rules. International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) invited kite industry manufacturers to submit equipment for validation by the Technical Committee.

Liquid Force (LF) announced the closure of its kiteboarding division. The sports company founded in 1995 by wakeboarding pioneers, Tony Finn and Jimmy Redmon, has pulled out of the kitesurfing industry. The Hood River office has been closed on June 30, 2020, with all customer service and warranty issues managed out of the office in Carlsbad, San Diego.

Nick Jacobsen has jumped off a 60-meter-high crane mounted on a massive cargo vessel, in Demark. In 2011, the Danish kiteboarder jumped off the shipwreck in Table View, Cape Town, South Africa. Nine years later, Jacobsen was finally able to perform his Crane Jump 2.0. It was a longtime dream that saw the light of day aboard "Leap Heart."