The 5 best places for freerunning in Astypalea, Greece
Red Bull Art of Motion is going down in Astypalea, Greece. Here are the best places the athletes found to throw out their moves for their People’s Choice Award submissions.
The 16 elite athletes at this year’s Red Bull Art of Motion were tasked with exploring the island, scouring it for epic spots to shoot their best video to share online for people to vote on.
They came up with these top five must-see spots for anybody looking to train in Astypalea, Greece. Head to www.redbullartofmotion.com to see what they threw down and vote for your favourite video for the People’s Choice Awards! Here’s a little sneak peek!
Lilou Ruel making good use of the staircase section at the Windmills
This location is easy to find, located right in the heart of town and iconic on this idyllic island paradise. The eight white towers with their signature red rooftops themselves offer very little other than a nice tall wall to kick off. But the stone staircases winding around them make for a fantastic playground to start off any good training day.
Shea Rudolph of the US put the intricate compact set-up to good use with a lengthy line, capped off with a silky smooth gainer precision step down into a gorgeous flare cast away.
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Shea Rudolph
In the injury-enforced absence of brother Aiden, Shea Rudolph will throw down for both at this year's event.
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2. Sea View
Archie Aroyan hits a signature air form at the Sea View spot
While almost any location high enough on the island offers a beautiful view of the Aegean, there's one particular corner right near the top that’s got a set-up worth turning away from the ocean and towards some epic rooftop lines. A narrow staircase and multiple waterfall set-ups, as well as a good variety of gaps, make this a dream spot for any freerunner.
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Dominic Di Tommaso
Known for viral social media posts, Dom Di Tommaso has redefined the street scene in freerunning.
The UK’s Ed Scott used the big roof gaps on the backside for a massive side flip precision, while Archie Aroyan and Greek hometown hero DK put the tight wall section to good use busting out double fulls and stylish flow combos in both directions.
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3. The Hills
Lilou Ruel catching some air between rooftops at the Hills
Not far inland from Sea View is a gorgeous testament to classic Greek architecture in a spot known as the Hills. Originally built as part of a church, the series of arched rooftops were eventually divided up and passed down between local families for generations.
Now they're open to the public and perfect for some super-technical gap jumps and descents. Bob Reese filmed an epic side flip over the biggest gap that put him right into a slide down one side, while others found unique precision on the ledges along the front side.
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Bob Reese
Known for creative flips in sketchy places, American Bob Reese is a freerunner unlike any other.
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4. Astypalea Palace
Noa Diorgina with a classic layout from a wall at the Astypalea Palace
Not to be confused with the castle at the top of the island, the Astypalea Palace is actually a hotel! If you want a hefty roof gap connected to a tight alley spot, or a set of walls worthy of a game-changing double kong, like Travis Verkaik hit in this spot, then this location has more than enough for all of your needs. A spot like this can keep an athlete of any level happy for a light warm-up session or a full-on banger shoot.
Krystian Kowalewski and Lilou Ruel look over the city from the Castle walls
While this iconic piece of architecture doesn’t offer as many freerunning options as you might hope for, due to its ageing walls built centuries ago, the pieces that are left offer some of the most stunning views of the whole island.
Press your handstand at the top for a guaranteed quality social clip, or lay down a run on the large open terrace that covers the island side of the rooftop.
If you have the dedication to wake up early enough, it has a sunrise view worth braving the challenging ascent to the top. Just be sure to check your surfaces and respect this historic environment!
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The vote
Voting for the People’s Choice awards was open until June 12th at 2pm CEST. Head to www.redbullartofmotion.com to watch the submissions from all the contestants, like this:
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Miranda Tibbling
Swedish freerunner Miranda Tibbling during the exploration challenge at Red Bull Art of Motion 2022.
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Then, on Sunday, June 12, tune into the livestream on @redbullfreerunning Facebook and Tiktok at 3pm CEST! All the athletes will compete in a combo style event. They have 3 attempts to hit their best trick in under 10 seconds!
Stay tuned on @redbullfreerunning Facebook and Tiktok for clips from the first two days of competition.
