The World's Top Kiteboarding Events

Kiteboarding is an adventure water sport in which you are using a large steerable kite to pull yourself around on a board on top of the water.

The sport is commonly referred toy as kite boarding, sky boarding, and kitesurfing, according to Air Padre Kiteboarding.

It can get a little expensive – around $2,000 if you purchase an entire kiteboard set up with a kite, bar & lines, harness, board – but the adrenaline rush makes it worth it. Also, you buy the equipment once and that's it. Other than for lessons, you don't spend a lot of extra money (unlike skiing, for example, where you have to pay for the lifts).

Kiteboarding, which can be done in any large body of water, is not yet as popular as snowboarding partially because it requires a broader skill set – you need to know how to deal with the wind – but it's certainly gaining admiration. It will be in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Buenos Aires.

Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational

This is the most prestigious race in the sport. Winning is a tremendous honor for the best professional kiteboarders. The event is nicknames the "world's most progressive kiteboarding competition." It returned to REAL Watersports in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on June 4. The event ends on June 10. Every year during this event, competitors redefine what is possible for riding a kiteboard on sliders and kickers, according to The Kite Boarder.

Annual Miami Kitemasters

Talented riders from all over the world come to this kitesurfing competition in Key Biscayne, Florida every year. The event hosts two disciplines – slalom racing and freestyle – with a Pro men's, women's, Jr and masters divisions on both categories. Miami Kiteboarding, established in 2001, is the most professional and experienced kiteboarding center in the region.

World Championships Formula Kite

The world's best 80 kiteracers are invited to compete for the prestigious title, with open entry for the women's fleet. This year's event will be held Sept. 9-15 in Weifang Binhai, China. The prize money is 50,000 euros ($57,000).

Kite Masters World Tour

The World Kite Tour (WKT) was until February known as the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships. This was part of a new agreement with World Sailing (formerly ISAF) in order to emphasize that the WKT would operate an official ISAF sanctioned kiteboarding World Tour and therefore crowns the kiteboarding World Tour Champions. The WKT now has a new Special Event status.

WKT will open with the Costa Brava Kiteboarding Youth Cup June 27-July 2. The tour officially begins in Tarifa July 20-24, followed by a competition in Germany Aug. 26 – Sept. 4.

IKA KiteFoil GoldCup

There is a kiteboarding war between the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC), now World Kite Tour, and the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA). IKA organizes events in several disciplines, including Course Racing, Freestyle, Wave Riding, Slalom and Speed.

The Kitefoil GoldCup is the World Championship series of the IKA KiteFoil Class. The majority of racing, will be on windward/leewards but we will also incorporate long distance races and crossings.

The race is scheduled for July 13 – 17 in Hang Loose Beach, Italy. Acts will be held in Korea and Qatar. The prize money is 15,000 euros ($17,000).

More readings: 

Water Sports You Must Try This Summer

The Best Scuba Diving Destinations in the World

15 Beaches You Absolutely Need to Visit This Summer