Kelly Slater – OUT injured That sneaky bastard managed to steal the first wave of the day at the super-hyped KSWC event, despite his 6-months-out-of-the-water foot injury. He’s still a chance for Pipe, but I wouldn’t expect to see him in Europe. Nat Young – IN as injury replacement We wrote that ‘Nat hasn’t … Read more
Sorry for the lack of a Trestles wrap-up; we’ve got some bigger things going on behind the scenes and something had to give. Watch this space though; we’ve got something pretty big on the way… All of our France projections and stats are taken from 2014-2017 WSL contest data. Some 2017 rookies include data … Read more
The trials are a distant memory, the forecast is depressingly coming into focus and the metrics have been updated; let’s wax the top of our feet and wade out over the cobblestones: Conditions The WSL forecast doesn’t look good, and Nick Carroll’s overview is even worse; there’s some remnants of swell possible on the opening … Read more
All projections and stats are taken from 2014-2017 WSL contest data. Some 2017 rookies include data from previous WSL events, but many do not have relevant results in significant categories, including data for this particular venue. Their modelling is much less reliable and they may have skewed projections due to their averages being heavily influenced … Read more
Kelly Slater – OUT Yep, nothing’s changed; broken foot, moonboot, maybe Pipe, don’t count on it, etc. If you’re curious about how the GOAT’s going and want to delve into the mind of Mr Slater, then try this. Nat Young – IN as injury replacement Nat hasn’t been able to break out of R3 … Read more
“All the crumbs make a loaf of bread” – J. Smith, 2017 Rant Is there a more entertaining individual in pro surfing right now than Jordy Smith? I think not. He’s an incredible surfer, yes, but he’s also a world-class claim choreographer, a heart-on-your-sleeve emotional roller-coaster, a universal icon for hair stylists everywhere. And now, … Read more
The trials are done, the forecast is coming into focus and the metrics have been updated; let’s do this: Conditions The WSL forecast doesn’t looks fantastic. There is the potential for the WSL to run the first few rounds on a mild-mannered SSW swell in the first 3 days, possibly getting us past R4 if … Read more
Here’s the latest regarding the upcoming Billabong Pro Tahiti (August 11): Kelly Slater – OUT This is just a formality, as even mainstream news outlets have been reporting Slater’s foot injury since he pulled into a close-out during the J-Bay contest. If this is news to you, then you’ve been avoiding surf media for … Read more
Tahiti now has the unenviable task of following a truly epic J-Bay contest; one that provided a spectacle for fans and managed to raise many surfers’ AHS for 2017. Mind you, Tahiti can wow fans with the best of them. The success of this contest will depend on the conditions, just like your fantasy team. … Read more
“That’s the best conditions I’ve ever seen” – Kelly Slater consoling Conner Coffin after his re-surf loss to Jordy Smith. Rant *I sincerely apologise for the lateness in publishing this piece; my bastard internet providers have some sort of infrastructure issue and are making me wait a week before sending out a technician. This … Read more