NICK PUSHES THE SWITCHBLADE TO RECORD HEIGHTS

Today, Nick flew his Switchblade to 277 meters (908.8 feet) high in the sky with the help of Team Brunel, a sailing team who competes in the Volvo Ocean Race.

He attached himself to nearly 500 meters of rope, which was dragged behind the 65-foot yacht. Kyle Langford, the trimmer for Team Brunel and a kitesurfer himself, managed the release of the line that towed Nick the whole way up.  Once he reached the maximum length, he let go of the rope and started a descent that lasted 66 seconds including multiple kite loops. 

"We had different signs, and I could feel as I was going up that if I moved my hand, Kyle, who was in charge of the rope, would do exactly what we had planned," explained Nick.

The previous world record of 244 meters (800.5 feet) was set by Jesse Richman in 2013. Back then, the Hawaiian kiteboarder was towed up by a speedboat.

Nick was using his 2018 Cabrinha  Switchblade.

Having recently smashed a similar record for jumping off the Burj-al-Arab hotel in Dubai, Nick has had a fantastic year and received many accolades for his kiting projects.  Who knows what next year will bring.