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Windsurfing's Most Challenging Contest

3 fat storms above 10 Beaufort, 10 sailors, and the entire planet as a stage. These are the breathtaking ingredients for the most challenging windsurfing contest of all time. To guarantee raging conditions, Red Bull Storm Chase is mobile to the max, with two waiting periods and just 48 hours to mobilize competitors and global contest crew on-site before the storm strikes.

 

Contest Details

Two waiting periods

Jan 10 – Mar 22   /   Jul 22 – Sep 10

global playground

7 possible destinations around the globe

only one will triumph.

3 rounds of competition

Hover for Details
Elimination Procedure
Mission 1

Mission 1

10 Competitors: The battle of man vs. man vs. nature begins.

Mission 2

Mission 2

6 Competitors: Narrowing down the fleet of Storm Chasers.

Mission 3

Mission 3

4 Competitors: Who will make the podium?

Mission Schedule
Alert

Alert

Storm above force 10 approaching a destination.

Go

Go

Storm Chasers receive the official go and get ready.

Last Option

Last Option

Last option to cancel in case the storm faded.

Travel

Travel

A though journey begins for everyone involved.

Mission

Mission

Red Bull Storm Chase is ON inside the eye of the storm.

Contest Format

The contest format is simple: 10 sailors compete in the first mission. Six of them advance to mission number two. In the final mission the top four sailors will battle for the ultimate Storm Chaser’s crown.

During each mission, the fleet will be divided into sessions. This is to ensure a manageable number of sailors are in the water at the same time. The number of sailors in each session will be decided by the head judge, depending on the actual conditions on location.

All sailors have to wear safety equipment: Weatherdock GPS-System, ION impact vest and helmet. A Sea-Doo watercraft for rescue will be in the water. Shelter will be provided by a supersized Heimplanet inflatable tent.

Judging Process

Each round of competition will be judged by three judges:

  • Duncan Coombs

    Head judge for the whole competition. His long-standing experience in this position on the PWA World Tour has earned him respect by sailors and organizers alike.

  • Klaas Voget

    Second judge on the panel. Aside from his position as Sports & Athletes Manager for the event, Klaas will be on the judging panel for all three missions.

  • Guest Star

    Third judge on the panel. This will be a different guest star for each mission. Expect to see some guys from windsurfing's hall of fame in this position!

Waves and jumps are scored on a scale from 1 to 10, comparable to the PWA-judging-system. However, there are some notable differences: Focus is on radicalness and height. An extremely high jump without a clean landing can get higher scores than a clean landed one. In order to incite sailors for variety, points will be deducted for having the same move two (-1 point) or three times (-2 points) in the top 5 scored moves.

The constellation of sessions will be drawn by the judges and changes for every session. Competitors will be mixed and drawn by the head judge.

Every sailor will have the opportunity to go out for multiple sessions. Judges will present the actual ranking after every complete round of sessions. The 5 best jumps and the 5 best waves from all sessions during the mission will be taken into the final score.

At the end of the day, the crew, judges and all “non sailors” will vote for the highest jump and sickest wave ride. Competitors will be awarded with 5 extra points for these. If two competitors have the same amount of votes, the extra points will be shared.

Updates and Impressions from the Competition

A global chase for giant waves and wind beyond storm force 10. Join us for the ride of your life!

  • March 23, 2013

    Intermission until mid-July

    As of March 22nd, the first part of the two standby periods for 2013 has ended.

    The hunt for suitable storms will be resumed in mid-July. This intermission has been scheduled since the inception of the 2013 extension, as the probability for suitable storms during this timeframe is very low.

    Read more

  • February 10, 2013

    Ginormous Moves on Mission 1

    It has possibly been the most radical day in windsurfing history. With wind speeds peaking at over 70 knots and angry, 20-ft waves, athletes pulled off ginormous moves.

    Here are four of the most notable ones, stitched together as sequences for your viewing pleasure. Kudos to these guys!

    Read more

  • January 30, 2013

    Ten Who Slayed The Storm

    They say only the strongest will survive, so what does it take to tackle the perfect storm?

    Ireland whipped the Atlantic Ocean into a frenzy and these ten heroes not only managed to push the limits of storm sailing, but actually put on a mesmerising show of sky-high jumps and thrilling wave rides as well. Let's meet them and see what's required to make it such a spectacle.

    Read more

10 Storm Chasers Compete Man vs. Man vs. Nature

These fearless competitors will go head to head in global missions. They emerged as top 10 in the public online voting, after having been shortlisted by the expert jury headed by Robby Naish. Expect them to deliver insane performances in a fierce competition against the elements and each other.

Competing In Mission 2

Eliminated In Mission 1

  • Boujmaa Guilloul M-3 MAR

    radical windsurf huge action big air time massive waves strong wind stormy weather gnarly sea 3.5

  • Josh Angulo CV-1 CPV

    I feel blessed for all the amazing experiences I've had with great people all over the world!

  • Leon Jamaer G-208 DEU

    Thor himself is my Mentor!

  • Kenneth Danielsen D-38 DNK

    Light weight baby

Dropouts

All 50 Shortlisted Sailors
All 148 Registered Sailors

7 Destinations Where Massive Storms Hit Shores

From all suggested spots these wicked destinations have been selected as possible competition grounds for the 3 global missions. All of them are known to get hit by massive storms frequently and also feature different spots for changing wind directions, suitable safety infrastructure and good travel options to get there in time. They are constantly monitored for force 10 storms.

Global Wind Forecast

Please note: This interactive forecast only hints at the contest warning level. The crew is in direct contact with meteorological advisors. Individual destination warning levels will be set in connection with their recommendations. Markers represent destination regions. Specific spots will be chosen during the missions.

Stay in the Loop

Media

For all media inquiries, please contact media@redbullstormchase.com

Press releases, photos and videos are available via Red Bull Content Pool.

Red Bull Content Pool