Kitesurfing
Why Andrea Principi wants to go more extreme at Red Bull King of the Air
Fearless, instinct-driven and fuelled with pure passion for kiteboarding, the bold Italian athlete is riding at the leading edge of big air riding – all while he sets his sights on a third title win.
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Andrea Principi rides on instinct. There's no script, and no repeat button. What sets him apart is simple – he has a plan in his mind and heads out on his kiteboard, reads the wind, hits the water, and then just commits. And that's when the magic really happens.
"... strong wind that makes you feel like you can go to the moon."
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
Now considered one of the most progressive big air kiteboarders in the world, Principi's risk over repetition mindset, combined with raw talent and unshakable instinct, has propelled the 20-year-old Italian to the leading edge of the sport. Over the past few seasons his performances alone have shifted the pace of progression, setting a new standard at the top of the sport.
The 2024 Red Bull King of the Air champion is gearing up for another run at the title this year and admits he's feeling dialled in and motivated to see just how far he can go at the next instalment of the world's most extreme kiteboarding competition in November.
Catch up with the Italian rider ahead of this year’s Red Bull King of the Air finals in South Africa to find out why chasing the edge doesn't always come easy, or without risk – and why nothing about staying on top is guaranteed.
The 2024 Red Bull King of the Air champion is hungry for another win
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
I think what separates a winning rider from a ‘normal’ rider is just what’s inside you. You really need to dream to win it
A supercharged rise to the top
It's hard to imagine another person on the planet who lives and breathes kiteboarding like Andrea Principi. Inspired at 11 to pick up a kite by his mother and fuelled by the legends of the sport ever since, his elevation to champion status has been fast, fearless and nothing short of iconic.
In less than a decade of kiteboarding, the Italian rider has gone from rookie to redefining big air riding. By the age of 19, he'd already realised his dream by claiming a historic win at the 2023 edition of Red Bull King of the Air, delivering a groundbreaking performance that scored a then-unprecedented three 9s from the judges.
Since I was a kid, my dream was to compete at Red Bull King of the Air
"I think Red Bull King of the Air is THE competition. It's the one everyone looks forward to,” Principi explains. "Since I was a kid, my dream was to compete at Red Bull King of the Air. The vibe on the beach is something special – so many people come to watch, the atmosphere is insane. And then the conditions can get insane, too, with big, big waves and strong wind that makes you feel like you can go to the moon."
The following year, battling gusts up to 40 knots and swells over three metres high, Principi might have felt at times like he could launch into outer orbit. Channelling the raw power, he made it a stunning back-to-back win with another unfiltered, fully charged takedown of the 2024 Red Bull King of the Air title.
Andrea celebrates his 2024 win with his mum, who first inspired him to ride
© Paul Ganse / Red Bull Content Pool
"I think what separates a winning rider from a 'normal' rider is just what's inside you," Principi says. "You really need to dream to win it. Like, winning has to be your only way of life. You need to give your all for it, train for it all year and then, if you really know that you've given your best, then you can go for the Red Bull King of the Air win. It comes from inside you. I really like to win, so I just go for it."
This hunger to win just keeps growing. But if there's one thing you need to know about the Italian protégé turned pioneer, it's this: Andrea Principi isn't interested in winning titles by playing it safe. Winning is about the whole process: the progression, pushing limits and seeing just how far you can balance risk with reward.
With Red Bull King of the Air specifically, it's not just about the glory of winning the world’s biggest event, but everything you have to do – and how far you are willing to go – to earn that iconic title.
48 min
Red Bull King of the Air highlights
Watch the biggest airs, epic tricks and historic wins from Red Bull King of the Air 2024 in Cape Town.
Riding on instinct
Principi has a talent like no other for finding the balance between harnessing power and riding untamed. Once out on the water, the Italian is no longer doing what's expected, but exploring what's possible in that exact moment.
Cape Town is ready to serve up some serious action
© Wayne Reiche/Red Bull Content Pool
In fact, the big air champion doesn't generally go into a heat with a rigid trick list. Where other top-level riders might have a clear plan of attack, he prefers to read the wind, trust his instincts and commit to what feels right in the moment.
"I have a plan more or less," he says. "But at one point it's just about the flow and going for it, you know? Like when a gust comes, my mind just switches on and I go for it."
With each competition, Principi's intuition on the water seems sharper than ever and his enthusiasm for the sport – and for winning – remains sky-high. The source of his loud, infectious enthusiasm appears to be a deep confidence, fuelled by trust in his own instincts and tested in the place he feels most at home: out on the water, harnessing the elements.
So stoked: When Andrea's constant grind pays off, the buzz is uncontainable
© Nick Muzik/Red Bull Content Pool
When a gust comes, my mind just switches on and I go for it
So far, that uncurbed confidence has translated into results, with his ability to ride on instinct and with precise execution barely faltering this season. Heading into the Red Bull King of the Air final in Cape Town – and with a spot at Red Bull King of the Air Qualifier Denmark coming soon – he's riding high after a season stacked with podium finishes, including a 2025 Lords of Tram GKA Big Air Kite World Cup win in Barcares, France.
"My 2025 is going pretty well so far. I'm really stoked about my Lords of Tram performance. I went to France and the wind was insanely strong. Getting the win in those conditions really made me feel positive for the next competition and I feel really in shape," he admits.
Training to harness the chaos
While this in-built confidence and instinctive approach has become one of Principi's biggest strengths – allowing him to make split-second decisions and adjust on the fly in conditions that shift from one minute to the next – behind the spontaneity is a clear sense of timing, awareness and technical ability.
Andrea has had a strong 2025 season and feels in great shape
© Gianfranco Tripodo/Red Bull Content Pool
Even in unpredictable conditions, he rides with confidence because he's spent years learning how to respond rather than react by bringing a next-level commitment to training on and off the water.
"When I'm going for a new trick, training helps me a lot," he explains. "I try to be ready for anything."
That readiness is key. Principi's instinctive riding style means he often commits to tricks mid-air, depending on the gust or how much height he gets. His physical prep gives him the ability to adapt in an instant, absorb sketchy landings and stay in control when less experienced riders might crash out.
I don’t know where the limit will be, but I think it’s still quite far away. Every day I go in the water, I get inspired and create a new trick
The Casati factor
That drive to stay physically and mentally honed doesn't happen in isolation. For Principi, one of the biggest motivators has always been the presence of other riders who are also pushing the boundaries of the sport. While he's seen as the big air kiteboarder to beat right now, he faces relentless competition from a whole generation of top-tier riders, including some very close to home.
Mutual respect and rivalry are elevating the sport
© Paul Ganse/Red Bull Content Pool
"The Big Air scene has switched up so much, especially with Lorenzo Casati and Jeremy Burlando. We started to push each other. We brought something new, a completely different style of kiting. Flying as high as possible, taking out the boring air – that's what my style was. I started kiting for that and then everything just came naturally, and the kite world changed so much," he explains.
Principi and fellow Italian rider Lorenzo Casati have trained and competed side-by-side, pushing harder not just for personal progression and podiums, but to keep pace with one another. At 16-years-old, following a second place finish at the Cold Hawaii Games in Denmark the year before, Casati was crowned Red Bull King of the Air 2022 after clinching the win in Cape Town. Principi has denied him twice since.
Off the water we're probably best friends, but in the water we fight
In the seasons that followed, the pair have shared podiums, traded big air titles and generally shaken up the kiting world between them. Their fierce rivalry out on the water isn't based on bad words or bitter defeats, but a huge respect for what the other brings to the sport.
"We've known each other for years," Principi says. "But in the water, we really fight for it and give it our all on both sides. It's pretty fun because we progress a lot when we kite together. We used to train together all the time. Off the water, we're probably best friends."
Casati’s latest accolade, an overall 2025 GKA Big Air Kite World Championship title, makes him the biggest threat to Principi's bid for a Red Bull King of the Air hat-trick this year. But for home, the focus remains simple: "For now, it's just about training and mindset."
Principi, Casati and Ceruti on the Red Bull King Of The Air 2024 podium
© Wayne Reiche/Red Bull Content Pool
My style of riding looks like control, but sometimes it's about not control. I just go for it
Touching the sky
Alongside riders like Casati and Burlando, Principi has helped shape a bold new style of big air that’s more extreme, more technical and more creative than ever. Titles aside, when it comes to what’s next in big air, Principi doesn't speak in terms of limits – because as far as he's concerned, there aren't any yet.
"I think big air is being shaped by us," he says. "So, I don't know where the limit will be, but I think it's still quite far away. It really is so hard to guess what the next trick will be, because every day I get in the water I get inspired and create a new trick."
The very concept of no limits – and the adrenaline and innovation that come with it – is what keeps the young and super-talented rider motivated at the very top of his game.
My riding is special, I think, because I can't go in the water and do the same trick twice
In fact, the thought of honing the same tricks day after day doesn't appeal to this off-the-cuff rider and it's not an approach he finds fun or useful. His biggest motivation and rush comes from those moments of harnessing pure energy and making the most of a single, unique opportunity.
"My style of riding looks like control, but sometimes it's about not control. I just go for it and I think this is the really good part of kiting. Sometimes, you get an insane gust and you fly 100m further than expected. And then you’re improvising a trick and being creative."
Every session on the water brings something new and inspiring
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
When you're in the moment and pushing limits, it's not without its risks however – something the 20-year-old rider is supremely aware of: "The tricks are getting more dangerous. Now, you really need to think hard when you try something new, because it might be really, really dangerous. It might be really sketchy trying something new, especially in very strong winds, but that's the point that I really like," Principi confesses, describing the balance between riding on adrenaline and nailing the technicality of a trick.
"You know, in a way we're going higher and more extreme very day," he laughs.
Big air, big dreams
Principi reserves his final thoughts for the future stars of the kite world, leaving these clear and simple tips for those looking to rise to the top: "For all the young riders who one day want to compete in Red Bull King of the Air, I just give them these tips: never stop dreaming, because you can never dream too big, and keep working, just having fun and progressing every day in the water. Someday, I'm sure your dreams will arrive."
Andrea believes you can never dream too big
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
Catch Andrea Principi and the world’s best big air kiteboarders battling it out in Cape Town at the Red Bull King of the Air finals, currently scheduled to take place between November 22 and December 7, 2025.
You can also catch him in action during the Red Bull King of the Air Denmark Qualifier in Nørre Vorupør, an area famed for its fierce winds and intense westerly swells that's also known as 'Cold Hawaii'. The Qualifier'' weather window runs from September 5 to October 5 and you can check out the Red Bull King of the Air Qualifier Denmark event page for the latest info.
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