By Stuart Nettle

On the 8th of December the 2009 Pipeline Masters begins, the last competition in a year that has been as dramatic as they come. Much has been written about the world title the showdown between Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson, however I thought it was time to take a look at the third character in this play, the Pipeline itself. Many times since pro-surfing began the world-title has come down to the wire at Pipe and we're going to look at a few of the best. Today it's the 1998 Pipeline Masters, an event where patriotism came to the fore and surfing's two superpowers - the USA and Australia - squared off. Australian's Mick Campbell and Danny Wills lead going into Pipe, with Kelly Slater from the US once again the dark horse. If there's one thing more remarkable than Kelly Slater's surfing ability, it's his staying power. Rather than firing in a blaze of glory for a few great years he's managed to maintain his A-grade ability over an incredibly long period. Thus far he has seen off three generations of surfers as they've qualified, competed and then retired from top-tier competition. When Slater first qualified for the tour in 1992 he was competing against the old-school carvers like Carroll, Potter and Elkerton, all of whom were exponents of a back-foot heavy and distinctly Australian style of surfing. As they began to retire the so-called 'Momentum generation' started filling many of the World Tour ranks. Rob Machado, Conan Hayes, Rob Williams and Kalani Robb became his running partners and the pro-surfing spotlight began to shift further away from Australia toward California and Hawaii. In reply to the US domination, Australians began to rally behind the patriotic cause. Photographer Paul Sargeant formed a group called LMB that aimed to unify Australian surfers on tour and re-establish their numbers on the top-tier. Whether a result of LMB or not, the mid to late 90's saw a push coming out of Australia being led by Danny Wills, his wingman Mick Campbell and the slightly younger Taj Burrow. All three of them qualified for the World Tour in 1997, though Burrow relinquished his position to spend more time on the WQS. Wills had a stellar run through the middle of the 1998 season, winning consecutive contests in Japan and taking the lead. Campbell however hadn't won a contest but his consistency allowed him to overtake Wills leading into Hawaii. Slater was third and Californian Shane Beschen fourth. All four were title hopes going into the Pipeline Masters though, of the four, Beschen was the only one who couldn't control the outcome. Even if he won Pipe he still had to rely on the early losses of other surfers to claim the world title. Campbell was in the best position. According to ASP statistician Al Hunt, even if he got a 17th (second round loss), Wills would need a fifth (quarter final finish) and Slater would need a third (semi final finish) to overtake him. In the weeks between the second last event in Brazil and the Pipe Masters, Wills and Campbell returned to Australia. Slater went straight to Hawaii. The two Australians - rivals and training partners - begin a gruelling training regime that includes running sandhills. Slater went and surfed Pipe. When competition began Campbell appeared unprepared for the size and power, blowing two standard drops in the second round and getting bundled out with a 17th. The statistical scenario proposed by Hunt became reality, and the competition was on between Wills and Slater to see who could finish highest. Both progressed through the third round. Then Wills came up against Slater's good friend, Hawaiian Ross Williams, in the fourth round. If Wills were to win the title would be his, regardless of where Slater finished. Wills got off to an early lead but Williams caught him by way of two solid Backdoor pits. Wills sought out the lefts but they were peaky and without much wall, while Williams concentrated on the longer offerings at Backdoor. With two minutes to go Wills needed just a 6.6 to regain the lead and win the heat, and hence also win the world title. He was agonisingly close. A left stood up outside the reef, and his countrymen on the beach also stood to cheer him. Wills dropped in late and looked to have it covered, yet as he went to turn backside off the bottom he lost his edge. The board went straight, Wills landed on his back and...that was it. The heat was over. The path had been cleared, however the title wasn't yet Slater's. To win he would have to beat close friend Rob Machado in a rematch of their 1995 title-deciding heat. Wills' fate rested upon Machado winning. The spectators on the beach were split along national lines but there was nothing the Australians could do except pray that Machado won. For his part Machado kept Slater honest. Before they paddled out Machado told him, ' I hope you get the waves'. The intimation being, 'I'm not going to roll over for you.' Pipeline was six to eight foot and offshore, the perfect setting for a heat of such gravity. It became, as it should, a gluttonous barrel-fest. Slater caught seven Backdoor chambers, one a ten-pointer, and two Pipe caverns. Ten minutes in and he was already throwing away 7.5's. Machado locked in on the lefts and rode out most of his waves, but he just wasn't in the game. Slater was hunting and prowling and putting on an awesome show for the spectators irrespective of their citizenship. Slater's surfing, and his worthiness as the champ, could not be denied. Wrote Paul Sargeant in Tracks: "There was pandemonium on the beach, everyone mindlessly stoked with the surfing they'd witnessed and stunned by his capturing of his sixth world title. He was simply magnificent. Amid unrestrained hoots, applause and cheering, the pair were chaired up the beach." In the August 2003 issue of Waves Slater wrote of that day: "That world title in '95 was special [see the last Surfpolitik article] but it was eclipsed by '98. '95 was against friends, '98 was country against country. It was my fifth title in a row, and my sixth all up. In a way it gave me everything I wanted and strived for in life. Not long after I went through a tough period. I was directionless, thinking the wrong things....but that day was a special and happy time". Even though Slater had sealed the world title deal it's worth replaying the final of the 1998 Pipe Masters. Slater got dusted by a young Bruce Irons in the semis. Irons progressed to the final where he met Jake Paterson. Having had two compatriots pushed aside for Slater's title win the Australian's were looking for redemption. They pinned their hopes on Paterson. The hard-charging West Australian is always a chance when it's big and thick but he didn't underestimate the 18 year-old Irons. And rightly so, Irons had made it from the trials to the main event final on the back of fearless and stylish barrel riding. He kept Paterson within range for the majority of the final. Then, with one and a half minutes to go, Irons pounced. He paddled into a long righthand runner, received an excellent score and took the lead. His timing seemed perfect, the ball game seemingly over. His friends on the beach rose and cheered as Irons straightened out, headed for the beach claiming the win. Paterson sat alone and with barely seconds remaining a six foot right popped up outside the reef. He scraped hard and got to his feet moments before the hooter sounded. With the heat over it all came down to this wave. He put all his weight forward, pumped once and then set his line as the lip pitched. The seconds ticked. The knockout punch came with Paterson getting spat onto the shoulder and flying in glee over the back. Irons' shoulders dropped, Paterson was the Pipe Master.