Worst spot on Tour?

Yeah, I guess my golf reference wasn't fully explained. I just mean that they aren't going to show up at your local course that has sub-par greens and isn't perfectly groomed and ready for pro players... Not all courses are the hardest, correct. But they at least all LOOK great, and it makes the golfers look great. Surfing is obviously different because there are factors at play that decide the fate of an event, IE swell...

And boy, as a guy who almost got completely skunked in Hawaii for a 2 week trip, I understand that even the North Shore during the winter can fall flat out of no where... It happens.

I have seen terrible HB before. Teahupoo has been super small before (But Pat Gaudauskas still landed the first rodeo ever on tour)... SO i get it, its a crap shoot anywhere...

But when dealing with the numbers, its is far more likely for HI, CA, OZ and many of these places to have the proper swell window... Its almost mathematically impossible for a 2 week stretch of flatness in season for any of those places....

Im just saying, pull the HB tour stop, and another US one and hold them in INDO where we can all enjoy...

And by saying "Florida doesn't deserve" a tour spot, that could be taken the wrong way... Its not about "deserving anyhthing"... Its just about swell and geography... If you have good swell more times than not at a given part of the season, then hold an event there...

But I don't anticipate seeing the Winter X Games going to Ski Liberty in PA just cause they have snow and a little mountain. You gotta let people showcase their sport in the right places.

But yeah, we generally agree. And all in all, like I said, everyone involved in the NYC event called it a "success" by the end of everything. Im just saying it got really dicey and close to being a flop. As someone who wanted to see it in OB SF, I was kind of rooting against them. But yeah, it worked. Its just could have been a lot better IMO.

But then again, Mitchell (I think) was talking about how the tour came to Ocean City MD way back in the day for an event... That would have been SICK to see those guys tearing up the waves I grew up on for sure... Its like a novelty thing... How they got paid to go there, not sure... But I agree its always sweet seeing guys surf on your surf... Thats why I loved the trestles event. Its such a great wave. I have had so many sick days out there, but then you see the kellys and the micks come out and hit the same spot you hit all the time, and its like "damn, i didnt even ever think to approach a wave here like that, or a section like that" or watching their speed and how effortless their paddles are, and how much deeper than normal they take off....

its a great learning experience for sure. cool to see.

 

They need a cold water spot that's world class. That's a tough one though because usually tide differences are so huge and waves can be fickle in a lot of cold spots. Regardless, having these guys battle it out in Norway at a head high freezing-azz point would be pretty sick.

 

there is still nothing I would rather see than the world's best absolutely defy death at chopes and pipeline. Everything else is cool and all, but I'll be screaming at my laptop over big sketchy pipe.

 

Yeah seeing those dudes up close and how they surf your local spot is incredible and humbling... Remember Balaram in that event? He's been the best guy in LBNY since he was a little kid...
He had Kelly in round 1 and Mick in round 2 and they smoked him.

 

Yeah, at least he got to surf against two world champs at home. Thats pretty cool

 

Chile maybe? Its gets crazy and big down there and they have some cold water points and stuff....

Depends on what you consider cold water... Norcal Cold? Or East coast cold? Maybe up in BC or off Washington's coast... A cold water event would be cool.

But every year they do the CA triple crown and they call the one at Steamers Lane "The Cold Water Classic"... I would say the water is about 50.

 

Next time you think your lineup is overcrowded thank the ASP and professional surfing in general.

 

Yes... but when the events come to a wave near you, I love it cause all the other good spots are empty for about 2 weeks while everyone is drooling over the ASP event.

You know where my favorite place to surf was every year during the Lowers event?

Blacks. Cause it was the lightest crowd all year....

But i get your larger point... media, hype, promoting surfing and now crowds.

 

Touche on me.

 

I'm talking Arctic Circle cold. Norway would be awesome, Iceland, maybe Scotland or Ireland when it's huge. Somewhere legitimately freezing with water temps well below 50. I want everyone to be wearing 5 mils, boots, gloves, hoods.

 

If I could re-write the rules of the ASP, I would do it similar to the Eddie. Have a window of a couple weeks per event, and if the size and conditions aren't good enough, no contest. I think I'd require at least head high surf for the contest to be a "go"

 

Ireland would be very cool... But it's far from arctic.

 

I like where you are coming from. But those guys from the islands, and central AM and a lot of the pros consider California the frozen abyss as far as water temps. I don't think half the world tour would compete in the event. And if they did, the would know what to do. Guys that only put on 2 mil wetsuits a couple times of year because of the tour stops wouldn't do very well wrapped in 7mil, hoods and gloves. It would be hilarious.

I could be wrong here, but I don't think there is even a tour stop currently that requires booties based on water temps. Some years in CA I wouldnt wear booties all year. It bottomed out at 56-57 degrees and with a good wetsuit, my feet would never get cold enough for it....

Can't think of a booty requiring tour stop, no?

 

couldn't agree more.every year every event.they rush to finish it and afterwards its the swell of the century.last yrs goldcoast final finished in somewhat crappy to good kirra.the day after and the next few doors were the best days of kirra since the 70s.also the last 3 pipemasters,they all finished in decent surf,but the very next day it was epic.

 

who cares about comps brahs...we should only care about waves we are shredding. dont lose touch with the reality of our own surfing. dont try to be like the pros, create your own style and finesse. what do the prosdo for you? nothing...thats right, dont embrace there competition in a (SPORT) more like a lifestyle for a lot of us. people laugh at us east coast shredas, even know the most dedicated come from here. surfing 30 degree water up north, cali boys wouldnt even paddle out, hell south carolina temps would scare them in winter, besides central and northern cal. be proud of the east coast and mean mug them in (their) line ups, after you caught a wave magically float back into position. this is our heaven on earth.

 

Word blasters.

 

Yeah but the surfers would never go for that... They want to surf good waves, but they also want to get paid.
There's no way they are going to fly around the world not get paid if the waves are surfable.

 

Agreed. The tour already has large windows for waiting periods and they are all scheduled according to seasons of the best swells and weather conditions. You have to remember, these athletes are people too. They have families, contracts and stipulations. They aren't trying to sit in random parts of the country the entire year long waiting for waves. It would cost their sponsors a lot more money. Putting these guys in hotels all year with vehicles and money... Not everyone on the tour is loaded. They are living the dream, but not everyone is Kelly Slater...

I think the ASP does an admirable job with the tour planning and execution. I just think some of the spots on tour are questionable... No one wants to see mediocre beach breaks that they surf all the time. No one cares if you can land an air on a closeout beach break. Everyone on tour can do it. Its supposed to be mind boggling, pushing the limits.

If I had it my wave, the 10 tour stops would be as follows, in any order:

Pipeline, HI
Teahupoo, Tahiti
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
J-Bay, South Africa
Uluwatu, Indonesia
Trestles, CA
Rincon, CA
Superbank, Australia
Cloudbreak, Fiji
Pavones, Costa Rica

Throw in one final championship matchup at Shipsterns bluff and call it a day.

The above list provides so really big really heavy waves as well as spots like Pavones. I would love to see the tour guys ride a left hander for 5 straight minutes and see what kind of "runs" they could put together on one wave....

Just my thoughts, but that is a fair list. Maybe take the one of the CA events away to spread the love elsewhere, but I think that is what the tour should look like. No sh*** waves on the whole lineup.

 

zach, i completely agree with your list. i would be insanely stoked on that tour. and as for a cold water spot, go to iceland or ireland.