Ruben Lenten demonstrating big air has no limits after jumping a total lenght of 94 meters next to a tugboat in Cape Town

November 17, 2022 / Kitesurf

Ruben Lenten:

On a particular afternoon whilst on holiday in Bonaire I got a phone call from a production house with the question, how big do you guys actually jump with Big Air kiteboarding?

They had a cool project in mind to better showcase what speeds, heights and distances are involved when performing our tricks. We quickly assembled a team consisting of Janek, Lasse, and myself to take on the challenge.

In order to put things into perspective we found the right vessels to race and jump. It showed that we as kiters are quite maneuverable and can accelerate very quickly and fast. On the rib we didn’t stand a chance of keeping up with Lasse on the open ocean.

Once we got on the water and kited far out towards the tugboat, the ship just kept getting bigger and bigger. With a total length of 94 meters, we were able to cover the full length. The wind wasn’t super strong and I was riding my 10m Edge V11 for this challenge but we had quite some power and plenty of fun.

Jumping over things always adds a layer of risk and adrenaline. It’s very scary, especially when it’s in the open ocean and the water is really rough. It was super challenging to pick a takeoff spot but you just had to commit and send it for the best. I was stoked to get a nice megaloop right over the boat.

After jumping the length and height of the tugboat we got an invite to kite closer to the huge container ships. That was even more impressive to kite next to such a large ship, wow. There was no way we would reach the height of this ship and its containers but we definitely had fun flying next to it. Some epic shots!

Check out the full video here: https://win.gs/ShipJump

This video hopefully gives the general public a better idea of what we’re doing out there, and what speed, height, and distance goes into some of the tricks at the Red Bull King of the Air. The event is coming up again soon, and the world’s best riders are here in Cape Town already and hungry for a win. Stay tuned for more action then, and make sure to check out the livestream here: https://www.redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-king-of-the-air/

Photos: Craig Kolesky / Red bull

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Ruben Lenten demonstrating big air has no limits after jumping a total lenght of 94 meters next to a tugboat in Cape Town

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