Felix Kersten and Jonas Lengwiler conquered the 2017 Red Bull Ragnarok, held in Hardangervidda, Norway.
It can't get tougher than this. This year, only eight riders out of 350 were able to finish the snow kiting marathon.
Kiteboarders from 29 countries knew what they were facing - 130 kilometers of strong and cold winds, and random terrain conditions. It was the longest ever Red Bull Ragnarok race with an extra 30-kilometer stretch.
The fastest kiters reached speeds of nearly 62 mph (100 km/h), and only the more experienced crossed the finish line. Kersten was one of them, but he needed 3 hours 40 minutes to complete the race in the ski division.
"This was far harder than previous Ragnarok. I'm totally done and totally happy. This was a really tough and crazy race," expressed Felix Kersten, who won his second Ragnarok trophy.
"On the top, we had 40 knots and sometimes in the valley we had almost zero. The best experience is that I'm still the fastest."
Jonas Lengwiler, a former Red Bull Ragnarok fourth place finisher in the skis, started snowboarding two months ago, but that was all he needed to claim this year's title.
It's a tough race, really long and has gusty wind. Every year is tougher; this year with really strong wind. It's nice that I can win. Next year I will start again and try to win with skis, that's my goal," added the Swiss.
On the women's side, British veteran Stephanie Bridge, and Latvian master Aija Ambrasa took the top honors.
2017 Red Bull Ragnarok | Top 3
Men Ski
1. Felix Kersten (Germany)
2. Bruce Kessler (Switzerland)
3. Dominik Zimmermann (Germany)
Men Snowboard
1. Jonas Lengwiler (Switzerland)
2. Sigve Botnen (Norway)
3. Miroslav Schutz (Czech Republic)
Women Ski
1. Stephanie Bridge (Great Britain)
2. Camilla Ringvold (Norway)
3. Camilla Nore (Norway)
Women Snowboard
1. Aija Ambrasa (Latvia)
2. Iris Straume (Norway)
3. Marie-Eve Mayrand (Canada)