Freeride is finally beginning to earn the respect it so rightly deserves. Easily the greatest blend of athleticism, mechanical mastery and surf riding skill, freeride is the apex of jet skiing in the surf. Both man and machine must be honed to its utmost limit, and it shows. For 2018, the Monster Energy Freeride Series was an opportunity for a far wider audience to bask in the glory that is professional freeride, and it paid off kingly. This year, Mexican athlete Abraham “Ho” Hochstrasser took the championship held in El Palmar Beach in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo.
The original news release from Monster Energy is below:
Mexican athlete Abraham Hochstrasser took first place at the Monster Energy Freeride Series. This was the third stop of the Jet Ski Freeride World Championship where twenty of the world’s best Jet Ski Freeriders gathered at El Palmar beach in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero. During the three days of competition, judges weighed 50% of the score on surfing and the remaining 50% on aerial tricks and their variations.
Hochstrasser faced current world champion Mark Gomez in the semifinals where he stunned the fans and the judges after nailing a double back flip in the final three seconds of the heat. This was the first double back flip landed in a Freeride competition, securing his spot in the final round with a trick that had never been seen before in an International Freeride Waterfront Association competition.
“It was tough. I got in the bracket with two very good athletes that are competing at the best level right now. I knew that in order to beat Mark I had to do something different and, for the first time ever, I landed a double backflip, something that no one has ever landed in competition”, said Hochstrasser happily, “It was all or nothing.”
Hochstrasser faced French rider Hugo Goirre in the final. These guys left it all out there during the final heat that displayed monstrous tricks such as 360 Off Axis, extended Flex Flip and huge airs.
Hochstrasser knew he had locked in first place after the historical show he put on. Hugo Goirre, from France, and Mark Gomez from the United States got second and third place respectively. With this victory, Hochstrasser is now ranked second in the World Championship rankings, just four points behind first place Gomez. The next stage of the competition will take place in Oregon, US and Japan will follow with the last stop of the Freeride Championship.
Regarding this year’s Monster Energy Freeride Series, Abraham said: “All riders had a great time. I want to thank Monster Energy and the State Secretary of Tourism for their trust and sponsorship of the event, one of the best in the world.”
