And that's a wrap for the Patagonia Maui Kite and Wing Fest in a weekend full of action, camaraderie and aloha under the sun in the beautiful Kingdom of Hawaii.
The now-famous event was a huge success, welcoming riders from around the world to ride in the birthplace of both kite and wing surfing.
81 athletes showed up to compete in in freestyle and racing wing surfing divisions, as well as in the kite racing and extreme Big Air divisions in what has now become the USA’s premier wind-sports event.
The event went down with its two initial days dedicated to run wing surfing divisions, freestyle and racing, as well as kite races in foil, surf and twin tip divisions. The from wingers put on quite a show! There was plenty of stoke and adrenaline in the air, and all the participating brands put up amazing tent spaces to host and cheer for their team riders. What a pleasure it was to watch DuoTone, Reedin, Armstrong, Cabrinha, North, Dakine, Naish, GoFoil, and Airush all come together and celebrate the love and passion that drives these epic wind sports.
The third and final day was dedicated to run the last part of the wing surfing freestyle divisions in which athletes rode with an insane level of technicality and gave their all to win their place on the podium. To close off with a bang, the wind picked up and allowed the extreme big air riders to go full send and showcase their talent.
¨Jeremy Burlando, the winner of the extreme big air division, was super impressive. Giel Vlugt was definitely the guy to beat as he was the most notable big air rider who showed up to compete. Burlando performed a large variation of super technical and difficult tricks - his sent handle passes were super impressive, as were his double handed handle passes, and the boogie loops that he was doing were all very technical and big. I had never ever even heard of the kid, and was very surprised to see him come out and win”, shares Patri McLaughlin, one of the event’s big air judges.