Slater x John John x Mick: The best Pipe Masters heat ever? - video
The best surfer ever takes on the current best free surfer and the current best competition surfer, who also happens to be going for a world title. It's hard to recapture the anxiety and exultancy in highlight reels but the sheer skill of all involved makes this heat worth watching again.
Comments
Awesome heat..
Good to see they showed the waves not made also.
It's funny, when you are watching people like Kelly and John John surf those waves you just always assume they will come out. Despite knowing that it's damn near impossible to come out of some of them, it is always a bit of an anti-climax when they don't emerge standing up.
I'd say this heat, and the semi-final between Kelly and John John at Chopes are the best heats I ever remember watching.
Was watching it live while at work and that was a hell of a heat. There were a few super-deep waves that were not quite made, I suspect each aware that they were going to have to pull out something special to win and just fully committing.
Fanning's second wave surprised a little in the scoring, slightly higher than I expected but not higher than I hoped, but justified in the replays. Super-deep and took the only chance for exit.
Slater nearly took it from him with 10 seconds left on the clock. Super-critical take off, loses his board mid air and re-connects, makes a big back door barrel and needs just over 9 to take the heat, but just misses. On replay, as critical and nasty as the wave was, it didn't provide a deep or long barrel and he just falls short.
Somehow Fanning produces in spite of his brother dying that day/morning.
Condolences to Fanning family. I'm not one to get too much into fandom, but I hope Mick wins or at least gets the world title.
He's had some farking year. Tough man. Win it Mick, then go home and have a good cry.
Owen badly injured, Bede Durbidge fractured hip, serious shit going down at this event.
Happy xmas and new year to you all. Good health.
And same to you as well Batfink.
I watched the above heat in the office then drove straight to Bondi where I watched a group of asylum seekers graduate from their 'surfing class'. They'd had six lessons, improved markedly over that time (so said their instructor), and today they were rewarded with a certificate and a hearty BBQ on the hill at north Bondi. 'Twas wonderful stuff.
Spoke to one fella from Persia (not Iran) whose never heard of Mick Fanning or Pipeline but said he "loves big waves" while pointing to a not-too-small tree for a guide to how he likes 'em. Already talking the talk...
I grabbed a snag, answered a lot of questions, then wished them well as I made my exit.
Now it's Mick I'm wishing well for tomorrow. What a day it's gonna be.
Shame Zoseas fucked up the live webcast and put in a clitchy ad inside the last 10 mins, while Mick help priority and a set was approaching. Like, seriously, WTF?
The idiots did it last year too, and I haven't watched much all year, got into it today and they did that shit again. Serious, it's LIVE sport, leave the ads until there is NO ACTION, fucking idiots.
Stu, maybe worth investigating the link with the cable TV and Fox Sports deal with Zoseas as I'm starting the think they have to have x space between ads to fit in with the broadcast schedule of the network(s). I could be wrong.
Either way, they fucked up a good live sporting moment and then didn't reply Mick's wave on return from the ads ... idiots, fucking idiots. Zoseas really have fucked up professional surfing. Time for a "rebel tour"?
i'm with batty, but reckon slatts got a 9 and a bit easy with that last wave...
as if you could begrudge that rip on tho, could not write that script, nobody would believe it
so heavy for mick and his fam, i'm still shaking my head in disbelief!
my 2c from a long time lurker 1st time poster
Yeah me too on slaters last wave. Thought he got the score easy compared to other waves in the heat. Great to watch and hopefully tomorrow is still pumping
Parko and Richardo at jbay = heat of the year.
maybe, but who's gonna remember that in 6 years (or days) time
Good comments from everybody above but best pipe heat ever? Arguably best pipe heat in a CT contest but not best pipe heat ever. I'd have to say 2012 Volcom Pro when JJ won it in the last 10 seconds over Jamie O. Even with a perfect 10 locked in JJ was still trailing Jamie who had two solid 9's. Heat was almost done and dusted when JJ scratched into a gaping pit and got spat out on the hooter for a 9.9 something. That was incredible but also for the fact they'd been going wave for wave in 8-10 foot pipe was pretty spectacular. Kai Barger and Nate Yeomans were the other two in the heat and they both were sitting on high 8's as well, but having it come down to the wire like that was a real nail-biter.
In my opinion, that was the best pipe heat ever.
PS Go Mick. What a year.
overrated last wave of kellys imo. catching edges sliding out even if deliberate, not deep not long. not higher than what he scored.sliding sideways into a tube is rad but he was scored correctly imo.
agree
Slater's last wave was a great drop and that's certain but he didn't get that deep in the tube. So going on how the judges had been scoring deeper, longer tubes up in the 9 point range, well I can see how Kelly didn't get the score he needed.
GO MICK!!!
I thought he was underscored a little that drop was freak material in degrees of difficulty maybe not super deep but as deep as the wave allowed perfectly positioned and fully out of view, clean exit (with style/a humble claim) if he had pulled that last turn it should have been somewhere between a 9.5 to 10, maybe 8.5 without pulling it.
That said i was happy to see Mick win that heat and wasn't complaining at the time.
BTW. I like that Kelly often goes for a last turn at pipe/backdoor, even if not pulled a little should be added like 0.5 to encourage this and a full point or so should be added for a proper turn, so many times there is a section or nice shoulder for a carve but guys just flick off or claim..i guess because unless its a huge turn it won't add more to the score.
It's just as good watching it again a day later. Can't argue with you zenagain, think I know the heat you are talking about.
Once performance gets to that level I don't mind to much which is called the better heat. Both are pretty close to as good as it gets.
No doubt, pumping pipe is a phenomenal theatre.
Awesome heat, awesome comp, so much going on. Should've been slaters heat IMO, chased that wave down, barely made the drop and styled out of a huge pit, admittadely not as deep as others but scoring highly on all other criteria should've been enough.
Yeah, no doubt Slaters last wave may have changed the heat result but thankfully didn't change the contest / title result.
I just read a comment on FB that made me re think Kellys last turn.
Did he not pull that last turn on purpose?
It seems crazy to say that, Kelly is such a competitive beast,i don't even know if it is possible.
But even when i first saw it i thought WTF he almost seemed like he didn't try to hold on and ride out of it, or maybe he just lost control.
Im not convinced but a small part of me thinks maybe he threw it for Mick.
But that said i am a one eyed Kelly fan.