Ultimate X 2012 - Event Wrap Up & Video

Girls & FMX Bikes are always a great combo! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

Now that the dust has settled and we have all recovered from the heat wave that was last Saturday, I can finally put to paper my thoughts on the 2012 Ultimate X. I dont need to get that verbose or even write a whole soliloquy - bottom line is, Ultimate X 2012 was bloody marvelous!

The event has grown every year, but this year saw a massive jump. A large part of this had to do with the new Skate and Bmx park. The levels of riding in the park were simply mind blowing. The best skating and Bmx I have seen in a very long time.  (Dont believe me, just take a gander at the video below!) Many of the local riders were a little intimidated by the course, due to the fact that we dont have a park this size in the Cape. This needs to change in order to up the level of riding. Guys like, Greg Illingworth (Bmx Winner), showed that they have been riding overseas in massive parks, with their flow through the course and utilizing different lines on every run.

Big Park meant big tricks! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

Instead of having a huge bunch of riders in the FMX, the organizers chose to keep the field tight and had the two best guys in Southern Africa. This was a great decision. Nick de Wit and Alistair Sayers put on an amazing Fmx display that had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. Multiple backflips, huge extensions and the showmanship only guys who have performed on the World Stage could bring to the event. Ultimate X brought the best and we were all stoked to see it!

The Huge crowd loved the Fmx. (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

The Wake boys put on a show, but the Jetski is a problem. The wake slows things down and not having a high extended rope certainly limited the size of airs off of the kicker. Rumor has it that their is going to be a cable system for next year. We can but hope, it would be epic. There were no huge problems on the day. We witnessed amazing riding and all in all the event was an incredible success. I am really looking forward to seeing what they come up with for next year. Ultimate X in Jozi? (Who knows what could happen...)

Talk about close to the action! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

Ken Block launches 2012 Rally Car & Schedule

In a word, I am super "Amped", for 2012 and more of Ken Block's antics in his Ford Fiesta Rally Car. The man responsible for the now infamous "Gymkhana" videos and of course DC Shoes, will be taking on the World Rally Cross championship, Rally America, X Games and another Gymkhana World Tour. I am looking good for X Games and hope to meet the man while I am there. Never one to take himself to seriously, Ken launched the new cars with the help of comedian, Nic Swarsdon. Good to know Ken can laugh at himself...



 

Jeb Corliss meets Table Mountain while Flying

A while ago the net was abuzz with Wingsuit master, Jeb Corliss, crashing on Table Mountain. The video was kept off of the net till now and here it is. What amazes me the most is not the actual crash, but that he managed to control it and actually survive. He ended up with two smashed legs, but it could have easily been his life.

 

LenTen Megaloop Challenge - The Video

Lewis Crathern wowed the judges to win the first ever LEN10 Megaloop Challenge (Photo: Red Bull/Kolesky)

The first ever Len10 Megaloop Challenge went down last Friday at Big Bay. I was there and the kite guys were busting big Megaloops. Red Bull always put on a good show and definitely know how to host the guys watching. Check the video and press release below. NB - Ruben went out for a demo just before the final and on his first jump had one of the biggest wipes I have ever seen!! Check the video!

Brit pulls out all the stops to win ‘Mega’ kiteboarding event in Big Bay, Cape Town 

The wind was pumping and kites were flying high as Lewis Crathern wowed the judges to win the first ever LEN10 Megaloop Challenge in Cape Town. Crathern, from Worthing in the UK, went up against Sam Light (UK) and Gianni Aragno (ESP) in the final. “I was just stoked to have been in the final with two of my best friends. A megaloop isn’t the easiest trick because you have to try and get height while trying to get your kite as horizontal as possible. I’ve been coming to Cape Town to kiteboard for the last six years and I love it here. The people are friendly and the weather and wind conditions are perfect here,” he commented. Brainchild of Red Bull Athlete and ‘King of the Megaloop’ Ruben Lenten (NED), the LEN10 Megaloop Challenge saw 24 participants compete in a format new to kiteboarding competitions. Ruben remarked: “All the riders and spectators were excited about the format which gives the guys time to pull their best moves and score high. I’m happy that such a big crowd came down to see the guys pull some gnarly tricks and see some pretty epic wipeouts too – which is just as much part of kiteboarding as landing the trick.” Participants were scored on the height, technique and the style in which they executed the megaloop with. LEN10 Megaloop Challenge winner, Crathern and the other finalists had decided before they went out for the final to split the prize money – it wasn’t about the prize but rather spending a good day out doing what they love. He does, however, walk away with a one-of-a-kind trophy and a photo shoot with renowned South African action sports photographer, Craig Kolesky. Ruben Lenten is keen to bring the competition back even bigger in 2013 and throw himself into the mix. “We’re going to push the limits of kiteboarding even more.”

Captain Kai's World on 2OV Fm - Show 25 Podcast

It was an action packed weekend in cape Town, starting with the Red Bull Len10 Megaloop Challenge on Friday. Ruben Lenten joined us in studio to talk about the successful first time event. Saturday saw the best X festival in the history of our dear South Africa, with the Ultimate X 2012. The best of our nation's FMX, Skate, Wake and BMX stars entertained the crowd for a massive prize purse and I had Red Bull Athletes Buddy Chellan and Jean Marc in studio to chat about the event. Dustin from Skull Candy joined me in grilling the boys!

Download the Podcast here - Captain Kai's World Show 25
(Right click and Save As)

The Africa Project Roadshow

Jason Hearn's 'The Africa Project' documents the beauty and potential of the African coastline.

For those that missed out on the premiere of The Africa Project, held in Cape Town at the end of last year, you'll be stoked to hear that Jason will be bringing the stoke to a town near you soon.

The Africa Project roadshow kicks off in Mossel Bay on the 28th of February, before drifting up the coast and stopping by most major towns along the way. (See schedule below for dates that they'll be in your hood)

The Africa Project is supported by Oakley and O'Neill and at each of the stops they will be giving away one pair of Oakley Frogskins Sunnies, as well as a pair of O'Neill Jordy Freak boardies - so make sure you're there.

DVD copies of the movie will also be available at each of the venues, and you can grab yourself a copy of this epic flick for R300.

Look out for the Africa Project Roadshow coming to a town near you:

Mossel Bay – Tuesday 28 February 2012
Venue: Big Blu Tapas Bar - 7:00pm for 7:30pm start
Complimentary snack platters will be available
Contact Jake Nel on 084 308 1404 for more info

Plettenberg Bay – Wednesday 29 February 2012
Venue: Surf Cafe - (2 screenings) 16:30 to 6:00pm and 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Contact Blue on 082 807 0895 for more info

Jeffreys Bay - Thursday 1 March 2012
Venue: The Mexican Restaurant - 7:00pm for 7:30pm start
Contact Warren Dean on 082 574 7642 for more info

Port Elizabeth - Friday 2 March 2012
Venue: Chingadas Mexican Cantina  - R40 entrance includes a plate of Nachos - 6:30pm for 7:00pm start
Contact Josh on 083 459 2260 for more info

Port Alfred - Saturday 3 March 2012
Venue: Round Table Clubhouse - Time: 7:00pm
Contact Warwick Heny on 082 491 2020 for more info

East London - Sunday 4 March 2012
Venue: Buccaneers Bar and Restaurant - 7:00pm for 7:30pm start
contact Harold on 043 743 5171 for more info

Durban - Wednesday 7 March 2012
Venue: To be confirmed

Spex takes Pipeline DK Title for the Saffers

Sacha "Spex" Specker pretty stoked with his first win on the IBA tour. (Photo: IBA/Trouville)

If anyone was ever bothered to ask me about Spex, I would have told you he is one of the greatest waterman I know. Whether dominating on his bodyboard, surfing equally well, diving or swimming for shots, the guy is dam good! (He also dates one of the world's best female surfers.) He is a patriotic Saffer and the nicest guy you will ever meet. So I am very stoked that he took the DK podium at the Pipeline Challenge. The contest had insane waves with huge performances by the world's best. Check the other day's highlights as well!

As the only non-Hawaiian in today’s dropknee final, South African, Sacha Specker, was a clear underdog. He had been in a final twice before but never tasted victory, until today. He sat slightly wide of the Hawaiians and went about picking off waves that were running along the inside reef at Pipe. “It’s an incredible feeling winning this event. It’s a bit of a dream still. I think it’ll kick in tomorrow, when we play the Aussies in cricket”, said Specker. The Hawaiians, Miles Kauhaahaa, Bud Miyamoto and Kainoa Mcgee, put on great performances in the rounds leading up to the final, weaving their ways through the tricky barrels at Backdoor and Pipe. Kauhaahaa rode the highest scoring wave of the event- a long barrel at Backdoor. Miyamoto had the highest scoring wave of the final-a long deep barrel at Pipe- punctuated with a cutback that threw buckets of spray over the back of the wave. He was unable to find a back up wave and came second to Specker by 3.91 points.

 
 

Rockstar 69 Calendar Shoot 2011/2012

Seems you cant run an American Energy Drink brand these days without doing a sexy Calendar shoot. I brought you the other American brand's shoot earlier this year and it was so popular, I thought I must bring you this one too. Sure to brighten up your Monday morning...

Len10 MegaLoop Challenge - Waiting Period starts today!

Ruben Lenten showing the plebs how to MegaLoop (Photo: Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar)

Every summer Ruben Lenten (NED), professional Kiteboarder and King of the MegaLoop, descends on Cape Town for the prime summer and wind conditions. This year sees Ruben, together with his friend and fellow Kiteboarder Aaron Hadlow, challenge 24 amateur kiteboarders to compete in the LEN10 MegaLoop Challenge in Big Bay, Blouberg .  

Big air equals a big score.

 

“A megaloop is when you go full circle with the kite – right through the power zone. As judges, Aaron and I will be looking at the style, height, length, enthusiasm and speed each kiteboarder executes their MegaLoop with”, says Ruben.  

In true kiteboarding tradition the best wipeout will be also rewarded. As the competition requires wind speeds upwards of 30 knots a window period from the 16^th to the 26th February 2012 has been secured to ensure optimal wind conditions. (

The Captain's Tip - conditions look amazing for Friday 17th!)

The winner on the day will take home R10,000 and a photo shoot with renowned action sports photographer Craig Kolesky. 

 

Eager challengers are encouraged to head to www.redbull.co.za for more information.

 

Ruben Lenten (NED) was just twelve years old when he took up the sport of Kiteboarding. With no kiting schools around in the early days of the sport, Ruben had to learn the hard way – taking four long months of crashing and swimming back to shore to get up (and stay up on the board). Once he got the hang of it he knew that this would be a way to express himself and started riding as much as he could. Soon, at the age of 14, a coach (Former Dutch National champion, Steph de Jong) and a sponsor recognised Ruben’s talent. This gave him the opportunity to start travelling and developing skills faster. Within three years he competed on the highest level and was the Number 2 Kiteboarder in the world – second only to one of his now best friends, Aaron Hadlow. In 2005, Ruben took top honours in Red Bull King of the Air in Maui, Hawaii where he competed in the big air format against his legendary watersports athlete Robbie Naish, and defeating Robbie right on his home turf. Right before the start of the 2006 World Tour, Ruben had a serious crash leaving him injured and unable to compete in the first few events of the tour. With him unable to score points to keep his ranking, he decided not to compete but rather focus on freeriding and finding new challenges. Since then his focus has remained on, as he puts it, “doing some pretty gnarly tricks with my kite”. He’s all about big air and loves riding in the strongest winds. “I’m pretty stoked to have kiteboarding as my job. The ocean is my playground, what more could I ask for?” Ruben is dedicated to pushing the sport and developing kiteboarding gear as much as possible, all while doing some pretty extreme stuff on his kiteboard. 

Follow Ruben Lenten on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RubenLEN10 and on 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RubenLEN10. 

His new website www.rubenlenten.com will be live soon with more crazy action, stay tuned!

Captain Kai's World on www.2ov.fm - Show 24 Podcast

With the Ultimate X event coming this Saturday, thats pretty much what we spoke about on the show, with a lot of good tunes for your listening pleasure. I had Dylan - or MR Cape Town - as he is more commonly known, Rupert von T, the commentator on Saturday, Markus from Ultimate X and a short visit by hopeful weather girl, Amy, or Good Guerrilla. Red Bull's Buddy Chellan was supposed to join us, but went missing in action - he probably found a new dirt track line and got distracted.

Really looking forward to the Ultimate X this Saturday and I will have FMX star, "Sick" Nick de Wit in studio next week, for the event wrap up.

Download Show 24 PODCAST HERE

Check out the Ultimate X Teaser from last year...

 

Wilko Whiplash in Sumbawa

Wilko has been hot and cold on the WCT, but when he has fired it has been a pleasure to watch. He thought he would prepare for the start of the tour later this month, with a short trip to Sumbawa in Indonesia. There, he proceeded to annihilate every wave, whether left or right, that came across his path. Trust me on this - Wilko is going to surprise some folks on the WCT this year!



For more from Wilko follow his blog - Out 2 Brunch

Bruce Irons surfs Teahupoo Blind

Bruce Irons is a tube riding freak. We all know this, yet he feels the need to rub our faces in it by paddling into thick and juicy tubes, backhand, with a blindfold on. Just watch how he drags his hand to feel where he is on the face of the wave, so he can adjust his line. Beautiful to watch.

Bruce Irons is so comfortable at Teahupoo he can ride the tube BLINDFOLDED! How about you? Wanna know the secrets to the somewhat mystical art of BACKHAND TUBERIDING?
(Wanna know where to place that shoulder, that hand, how to apply the brakes with a leg or a butt? How to grab your edges on the takeoff and square up inside the hole?) It's all in the latest issue, out now!

Stab Magazine

Film by Chris Bryan
Stills by Morgan Maassen and Domenic Mosqueira
Surf forecasting by Magic Seaweed
Blindfolds by Sam Elsom
Underwear by Tweeds
Clip by Shinya Dalby

Ultimate X 2012 Preview - Win Ticket Hampers

Get ready to be happy people, because Ultimate X is back and it is going to be bigger than ever. Every year the event has improved and every year it is blessed with the hottest day of the year. So get your best X gear on, pack the sunblock, take your liver pills and start amping on the 18th February 2012!

This year the event has an R80'000 prize pool for the BMX, Skate, Wake and FMX crew. That is by far the most cash at any action sports event in SA ever and it will ensure that only the best riders are competing for your enjoyment. Last year the highlight was definitely the FMX show and with both "Sick" Nick de Wit and Alistair Sayers confirmed for this year, you can expect backflip mayhem at the V&A Waterfront.

COMPETITION
I have a marvelous prize pack from the lovely guys at Ultimate X to give away:

2x Tickets To ULTIMATE X 2012 (Incl the After Party at Zula)
The Good Life DVD (Their Xtreme Sports Show On Supersport)
Truth Soul Armor Tee (http://truthsoularmor.com/)
A Pair Of Lundun Sunnies (http://lundunworld.com/)
A Pair Of Zipz Shoes (http://zipzshoes.com/)
Red Bull Bulletin Magazine
Red Bull Energy Pack
DC Key Chain
Sticker Pack (DC & FOX)

To win, you simply have to Tweet myself (@KapteinKai) and Ultimate X (@Ultimate_X) that you are now following us on Twitter (Obviously we will check if you are.) and tell us which event (Skate/Wake/BMX/FMX) you are most amped to see. (Hot photos always help, though they have no bearing, haha)

Winner will be announced my my radio show, Monday 13 February, 8-10pm on www.2ov.fm

Find out more by following Ultimate X:
Ultimate X Website www.ultimatex.co.za
OSP Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/Old.School.Productions.South.Africa
Ultimate X Twitter @Ultimate_X_
Computicket Link http://online.computicket.com/web/event/ultimate_x_2012/517430574

Check out the Highlites video form last year!

Red Bull Supernatural 2012 - Travis Rice wins! Check the video

Travis Rice wins his own contest... (Photo: Red Bull)

Travis Rice, not content with changing how we all film Action Sports and specifically Snowboarding, created the Red Bull Supernatural event. To say it will revolutionize competitive snowboarding would be a grave understatement! Of course, inviting 18 of the top boarders in the world did not count for much, because Travis decided to win his own contest. He is the best, there is no denying it. The bulk of the video footage will only be available after the network special in the States, but here is a taster or 2...

Waiting for Lighting - the Danny Way Documentary

I have been waiting a long time for the Danny Way documentary! The man has led from the forefront of skating for over 2 decades and introduced the world to the Mega Ramp concept. Many of his peers have been documented and had their stories told over the years, but finally we get to see the whole Danny Way Story in - Waiting for Lightning.

I will definately be hoping for South African premiers of this film and will keep you guys in the loop!

Mutant Pipeline on Day 3 of the Volcom Pipe Pro 2012

Monster Pipe Tubes were the call for the day! Balram Stack from NY charging... (Photo: ASP)

 Day 3 of the Pipe Pro and it was one third carnage to two thirds mutant tubes! The Saffers woke up to monster Pipeline and the chirps were flying thick and fast on twitter and FB between the North Shore and South Africa. We had three guys in Round 3, Shaun Joubert, Brandon Jackson and Rudy Palmboom. None made it through the round, but watching their heats it was easy to see they tried their best. The waves were huge, scary and all over the show and none of the boys let team SA down. Personally, I would have been terrified just sitting on the beach, where a number of spectators got washed into the shore break! The final day will be posted as soon as the web video goes live.

The Best of Winter X Games 2012

WOW - that's my first response at this year's Winter X Games. There were so many firsts from Shaun White's perfect 100 score in the Men's Superpipe leading to his 5 Peat, also a first. Then there was the first ever Snowmobile Frontflip for Gold and let's not forget that horrible double backflip attempt that ended in tragedy. Here is the "Best of' video for 2012...



All of these amazing rides, runs and wins were not enough to take my number 1 highlight, which in 2012 went to one man, Mark McMorris. He became the first person to win double Gold at Winter X, by taking out both the Slopestyle and Big Air events. First up was the Big Air where he pulled the first ever Triple Cork in competition...



After the highs of this win, Mark decided it was not enough and he had to ride one of the biggest and cleanest Slopestyle runs of all time. Check out the incredible scale of the giant rail transfer, followed by huge airs over the kickers. All of this added up to the Gold for Mark...



An amazing event and I cannot wait for the Summer Games of 2012!

Winter X Games 2012 - Worst Wipe, Justin Hoyer Snowmobile Crash

Ok, so there were many major wipes during the course of this year's Winter X Games, but this one had to hurt the most. Justin Hoyer, attempting the double backflip on his Snowmobile, gets the rotation all wrong and nose dives it to getting rolled over. He tries to get up and walk away, but clearly more damage than he thought. Good news is, he has been discharged from the hospital.