Kelly's Back on top...
Is 2016 Kelly's year? Put him in good waves and he's nearly unbeatable.
How good was that comp?! Better than 70% of the CT comps. Good commentators, good production, great waves.
just looking at the results......Ricardo Christie from japan?
All of the above carpetman. Love watching the Volcom and the pipe specialists.
That was epic watching today! Pipe as good as it gets and some gnarley stuff going down. How were some of those 10's thrown down especially that Jamie O one and Makai McNamaras one after he dropped in? That's when a claim is fully justified me thinks!
zenagain wrote:All of the above carpetman. Love watching the Volcom and the pipe specialists.
Stu would have you believe that they actually don't exist :)
Epic conditions for this comp. Great to watch.
Rabbits68 wrote:zenagain wrote:All of the above carpetman. Love watching the Volcom and the pipe specialists.
Stu would have you believe that they actually don't exist :) Epic conditions for this comp. Great to watch.
Eh? I can't even remember what I argued on this one Rabs.
Can you fill me on what I said, then I'll assume the position with utmost conviction and we'll go at each other.
Great final,guttsy stuff,Kelly would be stoked winning and proving that his own designed boards work and are durable cause he copped a flogging on a couple of heavy waves .Final had it all.Good stuff.
stunet wrote:
Rabbits68 wrote:zenagain wrote:All of the above carpetman. Love watching the Volcom and the pipe specialists.
Stu would have you believe that they actually don't exist :) Epic conditions for this comp. Great to watch.
Eh? I can't even remember what I argued on this one Rabs.
Can you fill me on what I said, then I'll assume the position with utmost conviction and we'll go at each other.
Haha!! Yeah let's go! Nah it's all about peace these days......
It was during one of the Pipe contests a while ago & the usual banter arose about wildcards & "Pipe Specialists" and you rightly pointed to the stats that these "specialists" never win comps etc. Do they really exist etc. You were pretty adamant that they don't exist, comp or no comp.........
I think Stu was saying (and I agree with him) that the Pipe specialists (locals) don't often do well in the Pipe Masters against the best surfers in the world. Of course they are are going to do better in the Volcom Pipe Pro against other pipe specialists and QSers and a minimal number of world tour surfers. But guess who won the comp, a World Tour surfer
eel wrote:I think Stu was saying (and I agree with him) that the Pipe specialists (locals) don't often do well in the Pipe Masters against the best surfers in the world. Of course they are are going to do better in the Volcom Pipe Pro against other pipe specialists and QSers and a minimal number of world tour surfers. But guess who won the comp, a World Tour surfer
I'm tellin ya Eel, don't say those two words mate, "Pipe Specialist". Stu will have ya :)
Rabbits68 wrote:eel wrote:I think Stu was saying (and I agree with him) that the Pipe specialists (locals) don't often do well in the Pipe Masters against the best surfers in the world. Of course they are are going to do better in the Volcom Pipe Pro against other pipe specialists and QSers and a minimal number of world tour surfers. But guess who won the comp, a World Tour surfer
I'm tellin ya Eel, don't say those two words mate, "Pipe Specialist". Stu will have ya :)
haha I should have used inverted commas: "pipe specialists"
It really means - locals who surf the wave well but can't hold a candle to most of the world tour surfers
yeah, except that is bullshit.
Just ask Joel Parko who knocked him out of his Title race in 2009.........
anyone remember Gavin Gillette?
Yes gavin Gillette kauai
I hate to be mr poopy pants but if thats as good as pipe gets its a glorified cloesout with the odd smoker.
Plenty of waves are less shifty and more perfect than pipe imo. That one of McNamara was good but i thought would happen more often for pipe and its reputation i would say.
They also didnt seem to be sitting very deep. lots of unridden from near second reef that could have scored highly.
DOnt get me wrong its one of the best comps of the year, its just a very shifty wave even on "the best day in two years". doesnt compare to padang padang imo.
Imagine surfing a wave that shifty and high chance of closing out with 80 other pros and future world champs.
Are you tripping groundswell Padang dose not even rate against pipe. Padang has a easy take off
lucky to be 0ne third of the size about a quarter the power and as predictable as all indo waves.
Just perfect. Padang is a great wave but any good surfer can surf it easy as.
Pipe you have to be really really good to surf it and it will kill you on impact alone there is no easy
waves there. Have you even seen it or surfed it?
As for pipe specialist doing well Johnny Boy Gomes, Jamie Obrien, John John before wct and there is more ring a bell.
Just saying the good ones are few and far between at Pipe. Lots of closeouts and slowing down to get pitted rather than driving through as fast as you can go. Some rifle off perfectly just most either closeout or barrel too slow to get deep. Gnarly takeoff for sure.i dunno im being mr poopy pants though just seems like a long wait for the smokers at pipe and it cant handle the crowds that it gets.
I mean it doesnt compare to the predictability of padang where ,most waves hit the same spot and dont closeout.
But i love watching the comp there. Just wish it didnt closeout as much as it does.
The wind made it look heavier in the arvo too. heavier than it seems from shore.
I dont know i guess its rating the surfers own judgement and insight really well for waves which is good.
Id just hate to surf it with the regular crowd out there, with so few good ones compared to the number of people.
By the way where was Mick Fanning? Was he in the contest? knocked out or back in oz?
evosurfer wrote:Are you tripping groundswell Padang dose not even rate against pipe. Padang has a easy take off
lucky to be 0ne third of the size about a quarter the power and as predictable as all indo waves.
Just perfect. Padang is a great wave but any good surfer can surf it easy as.
Pipe you have to be really really good to surf it and it will kill you on impact alone there is no easy
waves there. Have you even seen it or surfed it?
.
These are from just one of my secrets in indo, much heavier than pipe, size for size. It gets bigger than 12 foot hawaiian very often but youd be crazy to surf it bigger than 5-6 foot. It only closes out half the time then ends up on dry reef at then end. Longer barrel than pipe too. Heavier drop obviously.
Pipes gnarly
that's the challenge with pipe isn't it? fine line between the wave of your life and drilling of your life.......potentially death? I reckon watching pros & "specialists" surf specific waves diminishes the intensity and quality of the wave imo....
Groundswell……………….South Sumatra? If so I found that wave mega sketchy, amazing but the bottom is insane.
Not having surfed it I could only guess as to why pipe is so lorded after:
a) it is unpredictable, it has different faces , moods, take of spots, reefs (a lot of people like this variety)
b) It can offer lefts and rights (and straights :P)
c) Its a phenomenon that these 10-12 foot lines march into a seemingly straight beach and then the bathymetry / reef set up warp the swell into crazy but makable 'pipes'
d) You can earn a very good living by just surfing that wave
e) You could kick start a career by chucking yourself over the ledge and getting out of a few (see Kai MaCNamara)
I'd have to agree with Stu (if he did in fact downplay the pipe 'specialists')…..the guys on the 'CT don't get there by accident. They are unbelievably well rounded and skilled surfers and it doesn't surprise me that most years guys from Lennox Head, Basque Country, Florida, California, Sunshine coast etc smoke these 'pipe' guys………….I guess its shiftiness does lend itself to sheer luck during comps which we have painfully seen in many (including the last) pipe masters. This Jan / Feb window for pipe seems much better, reef fully cleared of sand. They seem to keep scoring for this contest.
You guys are on crack.....Pipe Specialists almost invariably do well, especially in real pipe.
Mason Ho this year. Not on Tour, recognised modern pipe specialist. How far did he get?
...JOB, Bruce
staitey wrote:Groundswell……………….South Sumatra? If so I found that wave mega sketchy, amazing but the bottom is insane.
.
Yes south Sumatra. On facebook i pretended it was in Java though just so all the boogers dont crowd it out. But its probably crowded now. Yes the crevices and shape of the reef is pretty sketchy. I always wore a steamer. My mate you can see in the second shot wearing a helmet. Im paddling out in the channel in that shot.
Not worth going to south sumatra for but you can get some decent tubes there if you're bored of the other waves.
freeride76 wrote:You guys are on crack.....Pipe Specialists almost invariably do well, especially in real pipe.
Mason Ho this year. Not on Tour, recognised modern pipe specialist. How far did he get?
Looks like they've completely dominated, Past 9 years winner and final 4, spot the Hawaiian.
2007 Bede Durbidge (Pancho Sullivan, Dean Morrison, Parko)
2008 Kelly Slater (Chris Ward, Timmy Reyes, Ace Buchan)
2009 Taj Burrow (Dane Reynolds, Dean Morrison, Kelly)
2010 Jeremy Flores (Dane Reynolds, Kelly, Kieran Perrow)
2011 Kieran Perrow (Parko, Kelly, Michel Bourez)
2012 Joel Parkinson (Damien Hobgood, Josh Kerr, Kelly)
2013 Kelly Slater (Parko, John John and Mick)
2014 Julian Wilson ( Gabriel, Josh Kerr and Ace Buchan)
2015 Adriano De Zousa ( Mason Ho, Gabriel and Mick Fanning)
What are the attributes that make someone a "Pipe Specialist"? Given the topic is about KS, is he an example?
This might help Rabs.
Haha!! I think you've nailed it :)
It's just a term that gets used a lot, some believe it, some don't. I suppose I'm just curious to hear others opinions on the specifics in regards to it. Some say you have to be a "local", if so that rules KS out etc.......
I think the so called "Pipe specialists" are the guys that live there that pretty much have only made a name for themselves from surfing Pipe. JOB is a prime example. Kelly and John John are world tour surfers. They are certainly specialists at Pipe but also at a bunch of other waves where they have made a name for themselves. At the end of the day, the World Tour Surfers generally do better at the Pipe Masters than the so called "Pipe specialist" wild cards. They are the world's best surfers for a reason.
Look at the list that Staitey put up. I don't think there is more than 1 "Pipe specialist" (ie. local Hawaiian) in the semis or better from the past 9 years. Pancho was still a world tour surfer. So if these "Pipe specialists" are so good Freeride, why cant they reach the pointy end of the Pipe Masters?
I don't think it matters too much where they finish up, it's just that they're pretty awesome to watch on their home turf. They may not take out the likes of the top 10 or so tour guys but they give the lower ranked tour guys a good run for their money out there.
Has anybody noticed that old baldy has gone back to a more regular type of board? Longer and narrower.Gone are the shorter, thicker and wider things of the past and bingo wins straight up. I have no idea of material used thou.
And that what makes Pipe great its unpredictable and some unknown super surfers can get a bomb because it dose not always break in the same place. Try and get a bomb of a Balo out Padang with every bomb take off is in the same place.
Think I heard the commentators say olBaldy was wearing Volcom boardshorts...........why not wear OuterKnown ?
Same parent company so I don't suppose it matters. Does Outerknown make surf shorts anyway?
Thought he may have pushed his Econyl recycled nylon range of boardies.
Has anybody noticed that old baldy has gone back to a more regular type of board? Longer and narrower.
Gone are the shorter, thicker and wider things of the past and bingo wins straight up.
I have no idea of material used thou.
And that what makes Pipe great its unpredictable and some unknown super surfers can get a bomb
because it dose not always break in the same place. Try and get a bomb of a Balo out Padang with every bomb take off is in the same place.
thermalben wrote:Same parent company so I don't suppose it matters. Does ON make surf shorts anyway?
Yep
Well that seems a little odd then! Surely he carries a couple of spares in the glovebox.
evosurfer wrote:Has anybody noticed that old baldy has gone back to a more regular type of board? Longer and narrower.
Gone are the shorter, thicker and wider things of the past and bingo wins straight up.
I have no idea of material used thou.
Evo, pretty sure his boards are his new brand made by Firewire designed by Greg Webber in Epoxy LFT
...Of the QS