“That Was Sick Man”: Youngest Surfers’ Hall of Fame Winner Kai Lenny Uses His Surfing Skills to Drop Double Backflips With Snowboarding Superstar Travis Rice

Every time Kai Lenny gets on a wave, one thing is clear: the man would do well with a snowboard. The way he twists and turns his way through the water, whether intentionally or unintentionally, mimics the movements of a professional snowboarder. In the videos that he posts on his social media, Lenny is seen regularly conquering mountainous waves and indulging in body-contorting water acrobats.

Despite being the youngest surfer to be inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame at the age of 26, there’s one thing that Kai Lenny has always dreamt about doing. A double backflip while riding a wave sounds pretty epic, but still remains a dream for Lenny. The 30-year-old surfing icon has turned to his snowboarding hero, Travis Rice, to take some valuable lessons.

How surfing helped Kai Lenny excel at snowboarding

Kai Lenny is a Red Bull athlete, and Red Bull TV released a teaser of the trip that the surfer took to Alaska to meet the legendary snowboarder, Travis Rice. In the video, Kai Lenny drew parallels between surfing and snowboarding, and said, “The similarity between drawing big lines on a big wave to drawing big lines on a massive mountain, it’s pretty much parallel.” It is this similarity that helped the Hall of Famer perform so well in the snow.

When Lenny went to the peak of the mountain from where the pair was going to drop into their track, the Hawaii native was flabbergasted by the height. To Rice, he fervently said, “What the hell? You ride this?” Well, Rice sure does. Travis Rice, who is another Red Bull athlete, is famous for making trailblazing snowboarding videos that defy all genres. He is also #13 on Snowboarder magazine’s list of the 20 most influential snowboarders of the last 20 years. Unsurprising, that Lenny chose this man to show him the ropes in Alaska. In fact, watching Travis Rice perform some uber-cool tricks on his snowboard completely blew Lenny’s mind.

Read more: “That’s What Dreams Are Made Of”: Clip of America’s Surfing Favorite Kai Lenny Tackling the 50-Foot Jaws Leaves Netizens Awed

He exclaimed, “That was sick man!” Kai Lenny visited the snowy mountains of Alaska with one single goal. He wanted to do something extraordinary, and out of the box. Just like he told Rice, “It’s always been about doing something that no one’s ever done before.” The surfer wanted to touch realms that others are scared to venture into. And that’s what he did. While Lenny was not able to get the cleanest double rotation, he was still able to do double backflips, a feat that definitely impressed Travis Rice. This, however, is expected from someone who won his first title when he was 13 years old.

The ‘Aquaman’ who shreds at sea every time

Born on October 8, 1992, in Paia, Maui, Hawaii, it seems like Kai was destined to be in the water since his parents named him. In Hawaiin, Kai’s name translates to “sea”. His parents were ocean enthusiasts, who moved to Hawaii to be near water. Their upbringing reflects in Lenny, as he sure loves the water. Lenny learned to windsurf at six, surf at seven, and kite surf at nine.

When he was 16 years old, Lenny was introduced to the waves of Jaws by Laird Hamilton, who calls Kai the “Renaissance Kid.” These waves soon became his favorite to ride. The 8-time SUP World Champion is also known for being passionate about the environment and even conducting regular beach cleanups. With his glittering career record and his prowess in the waves, one thing is for sure, Lenny will achieve his dream of performing a double backflip in the water someday.

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