King of the Air starts at Hoʻokipa

In October 1999 a new contest was held on Maui, with the finals at Hoʻokipa, the break where windsurfing’s Aloha Classic, which decided the wave world title, had been held since 1984. The idea came from Joe Koehl, a sail designer on Maui. It was about one thing: who could jump the highest and most spectacularly. A Honolulu newspaper previewed the Red Bull King of the Air that month, with preliminaries near Kihei and finals at Hoʻokipa; some later accounts, Wikipedia among them, date the first edition to 2000.

Robby Naish was the long-time winner, until in 2005 a very young Ruben Lenten beat him in the final. Lenten made the megaloop his signature move: steering the kite around in a tight circle while flying high above the water. From 2003 to 2005 there was also a women’s title, won each time by Susi Mai.

After 2005 the contest stopped. It returned in 2013 in Cape Town, where riders are judged on the height of their jumps, the variety of their tricks and their style. Big air had become a discipline of its own.