Maxime Chabloz, two-time kitesurfing freestyle world champion

Maxime Chabloz has won again. The Swiss rider, based in central Switzerland, has just claimed his second kitesurfing freestyle world title, two years after the first. And the winter won't be a quiet one: he has also earned back his spot on the Freeride World Tour.

Guajiru, a final stop under high tension

It all came down to Brazil, at Ilha do Guajiru, from 21 to 24 October 2026. It was the last stop of the season, and a first for the tour at this spot in the north-east of the country: 24 men and 14 women made the trip, in a highly competitive atmosphere.

Maxime started well, winning his first round, which sent him straight through to the third. The suspense peaked in the semi-final. With a few seconds left, he was only third, and therefore eliminated. He then pulled out a Double Half Cab on his very last trick, enough to climb to second place and advance to the final. That run was already worth the world title.

The job still had to be finished. In the final, a Slim 7 gave him the edge, by a very small margin, over Egypt's Karim Mahmoud. Mexico's Anthar Racca completes the podium.

A season built step by step

The season opener in Mexico had ended with a third place. Then came Borkum, in Germany, in early June: Maxime took control of the final from the very first exchanges and won it with a BackMobe 7 scoring 9 points, for a total of 33 points, ahead of Davi Ribeiro, Finn Flügel and Karim Mahmoud.

At Guajiru, one big name was missing: Germany's Finn Flügel, the defending champion, didn't make the trip. In the overall standings, Maxime finishes ahead of Karim Mahmoud and Davi Ribeiro.

Back in 2024, in Qatar

His first title dates back to the end of 2024, in Fuwairit, Qatar. He had finished second at the stop, which was enough to take the lead in the overall standings, which he had been topping by a hair before the event. At the finish, he simply said: "I'm world champion, that's all I'm thinking about." He has been riding for F-ONE for more than ten years, since his teens.

And now, snow

What makes Maxime's career truly unique is that it doesn't stop at the water. He is also a top-level freeride skier, and he has already been world champion: in 2022, in his first season on the Freeride World Tour, he won at Ordino-Arcalís, at Kicking Horse and at the Xtreme Verbier, before taking the title.

The following seasons were tougher, and he went back to the Challenger circuit to win back his place. In 2026, he won the Nendaz stop there and strung together some great performances. He secured his qualification for the 2027 tour on the very last run of the qualification day. He will therefore be at the start of the 2026-2027 winter, barely a few weeks after his kite title.

One rider, two world titles in disciplines that have almost nothing in common: on the water, you need technical precision and great consistency in your tricks; in the mountains, you need to read a face, pick your line and accept the risk. Managing to aim for the top in both is rare, and it says a lot about his ability to question himself.

On the women's side, Bruna Kajiya was imperious

On the women's side, Brazil's Bruna Kajiya won all three stops of the season and claims her seventh world title. At Guajiru, Spain's Claudia León finishes second, and France's Phoebe Rocher takes third place in her first final.

On LetsKite, you'll find the spots, schools and shops to get into freestyle, or simply to come and watch the best.

Sources: GKA Kite World Tour · blue News · GKA, Borkum · Freeride World Tour, 2027 qualifications · Freeride World Tour, profile · MACKite Boarding, 2024 title