I don’t respect many pro kiters – they are usually a lazy bunch who sit around wondering what the minimum amount of time is that one must stick around for at a beach clean-up before hopping on a long haul flight. However, I do respect Marc Jacobs. I struggle to imagine a pro rider who tries harder than he does to perfect his craft, which at this moment is Big Air. Did you know that he drops nine kilograms for the King of the Air each year? Is anyone else doing that? No. Is anyone else making the same commitment to Big Air that he does? No. Is anyone else doing as many NBD’s (never-been-done) in KOTA as he does? Yes, but they have already won it multiple times. Keep an eye on Marc Jacobs, because he’s dangerous and his time is now. Why? Well… You can’t separate that answer from the rise of Big Air, the discipline that has given riders like Marc a second wind.
Think back to when you first heard of Uber or Snapchat or any tax dodging millennial mega-start-up that offered an obvious convenience that we somehow now cannot picture life without. Those initial seconds of admiration for the co-founders behind the idea soon waste away into a vengeful rage. Why did I not come up with that? It is sooo obvious. I feel the same way about the rise in popularity of Big Air. Its appeal is hard wired into us. It is the reason we all got into kiting. So why is it only now that it has become the discipline?
Well, until recently we have been tethered to wakeboarding. We have looked to them for our tricks, our direction and our self-worth. But the tethering hasn’t been like a friendly fighter jet offering extra fuel mid-flight, it is more like we are a disgruntled teenager at an ABBA tribute concert with [Ed: no, we don’t usually print links but, trust us, this is worth it…]
