Canada's first-ever kiteboarding freestyle event is coming to Squamish.
The inaugural Kite Clash is set to take over the Spit over the long weekend and organizer Thor Kaze said he's excited to offer something new to kiteboarding fans in Squamish.
"All the guys that do freestyle said they'd like to have an event and I went ahead and created it," he said. "It's four different legitimate competitions and there's no other kiteboarding event for freestyle like this in Canada."
Kaze said the West Coast Open and Canadian National Championship race events that have been in 麻豆社国产for the past six years are great, but don't really offer the best fan experience.
"There's a really strong racing series in 麻豆社国产- it's fantastic, but spectators can't really see a whole lot from the Spit," he said.
He said the freestyle event will be up close and those attending the free event will get to see some spectacular feats of kiteboarding wizardry.
"Freestyle is what gets the crowds," he said. "You will be able to see all of what's going on, the Spit is so beautiful to watch kiteboarding up close."
Kaze said the competitions will all take place on what locals call "the honey hole" - the smooth area of flat water right in front of the spectator area on the Spit. Kite Clash kicks off on Saturday (Aug. 3) with the Big Air competition.
"It's our most popular event," he said, adding that he expects 40 or more kiteboarders to take to the skies. "Some people will be going four to five stories in the air."
Competitors will battle it out in head-to-head heats with the winners advancing to the next round until a champion is crowned. The event continues on Sunday (Aug. 4) with the Canadian Freestyle Championships competition.
"Sunday is where everyone will pull out their most difficult tricks," he said. "They have to be able to do at least seven high quality tricks and land them."
The slider jam and sickest trick competition highlight the event's final day of action on Monday (Aug. 5).
"The slider jam will show off some of the wake-style tricks that are out there now," Kaze said. "There's a few features like a slider, a box and a kicker and this is a judged competition - it's going to be pretty crazy."
He said the sickest trick will see competitors pull out all the stops to wow the crowd.
"Each rider will call out their trick and get two attempts to pull it off," he said. "These are the kinds of tricks that guys have been working on in secrecy all year. It could also be a trick that they won't use in the main freestyle event because it's too risky. Judges score this event based on how dangerous the trick is."
Kaze, a Vancouver resident, has a background in motorcycle riding and motorcycle stunt shows, but fell in love with kiteboarding after realizing that "water hurts less than concrete."
"Kiteboarding is the best sport out there," he said. "With good instruction you can progress really fast and it's something that kids, women and people of all ages can do."
Action goes down at the spit from noon to 5 p.m. on each day and is free for all to attend. For more information on the event, visit www.kiteclash.ca.
