Danish Open Freestyle Day 2 – A New Format Takes Off
Intro
Day 2 of the Danish Open Freestyle delivered something entirely new: the launch of an open freestyle format tailored for B-level riders — a concept designed to lower the entry barrier and open up the discipline to more sailors.
In this format, every move counts — from fast tacks and power jibes to hand drags, sail flips, chop hops, old-school tricks like body drags and upwind 360s, and even one or two new school moves. Riders who consistently land advanced tricks are encouraged to enter the A-division, but the B-format allows anyone with basic control of their board to compete, making freestyle more accessible than ever.
Despite being held for the first time, the format attracted both participants and attention. With four registered riders and a curious crowd on the beach, the interest was evident. Spectators, fellow sailors and even newcomers asked when the next event would be — a clear sign that the concept has potential to grow the community around both freestyle and wave sailing.
Photo: Melina Schütt
B-Rider Elimination Highlights
The single elimination final saw Henrik Aalborg Nielsen bring powerful chop hops, extended hand drags and clean power jibes to the water. But it was Philip Hohwy who edged ahead with a solid performance, landing clean helitacks and controlled chop hops to claim the top spot.
Photo: Melina Schütt
In the double elimination, German sailor Ida impressed with the biggest chop hop of the entire B-division, drawing applause from the judges. Despite this standout moment, Ruben managed to take the win in their heat by waterstarting out of an airjibe in the final seconds — a move that proved decisive.
Photo: Melina Schütt
Ruben continued his strong performance in the battle for second place against Henrik. Despite Henrik’s consistency in big chop hops, Ruben edged ahead with a broader move set.
This brought Ruben to the double final against Philip, where he put down an upwind 360 from the footstraps, duck gybes, and more high-scoring chop hops. Philip responded with an aggressive strategy, going for an airjibe — a move he had not yet landed in free sailing. It came close but not close enough, handing Ruben the victory and forcing a super final.
Photo: Melina Schütt
In the final heat between the two, Ruben opened strong with a clean airjibe, securing the win in the double elimination and overall victory in the B division.
B-Division Final Results
1. Ruben
2. Philip Hohwy
3. Henrik Aalborg Nielsen
4. Ida
Supersession – All In for the Crowd
To close out the day, a 30-minute supersession invited all riders to go all in — with the goal of delivering the most crowd-pleasing move.
The water was quickly filled with action: flakas, burners, skopus, airjibes, and even backflips off the board. In the end, the session turned into a duel between Mathias Vingaard and Rasmus Oegelund.
Mathias threw down some of the most technical combinations of the event — burner funnels, huge skopus, air shaka, and close attempts at Kabis and shove-it spock konos.
Rasmus responded with his own burners, airfunnels, airflakas, flaka-shaka, and near-landed no-handed grubbies.
But it was Rasmus big kono landed close to the crowd that sealed the deal. The crowd loved it, and Rasmus was crowned the Supersession winner.
Photo: SurfersLounge
Looking Ahead
With the success of the B-division format and the energy from the supersession, Day 2 proved that freestyle can be more inclusive, more creative, and more connected to the sailing community than ever. This is just the beginning — and the interest from both new sailors and spectators points toward a strong future for the sport.
Stay tuned for more events and new opportunities to join in.
Full Day 1 recap: Danish Open Freestyle Day 1 – Full Power in Denmark – Dansk Brætsejler Organisation – DBO