The wind blew the riders into action right away as the riders began to set up their quivers and were blasting their zone-in playlist upon arrival.
We promptly picked up right where we left off, planning to power through as much of the ladder as the conditions allowed, with the women’s heats running between the men’s, intending on preserving all of the athlete’s energy throughout the day to ensure their best performance.
Although the wind was nuking beyond expectations, bearing in mind this was a Freestyle competition the judges tried to maintain the Freestyle element as primary as they continued into the Mixed format applied the previous day (7 trick attempts, best 4 counting: 2 Freestyle 2 Big Air).
As the battlefield became gnarlier by the second, by round 3 the Judges called the riders into a skippers meeting to adapt the criteria to the dominating Levante, leaning more towards Big Air favoured elements.
But that didn’t last for long. The gusts made it extremely difficult for the riders to claim the stage. By heat 7 the wind now gusting beyond measures, the judges decided to adapt the rules once again, completely blowing the remaining elements of Freestyle out of the focus. This is primarily for the safety of our brave competitors!
New rules: PURE BIG AIR! 3 Big Air tricks count in the final score.
Watch Thursday’s highlight video here:
More strong wind is forecast for Friday!
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THE KITEWORLD MAG INSTAGRAM ALSO HAS UPDATES
