Can A Team Of CTers Beat Freesurfers, Poorly Slept Australians, And The Local Heavies In Hossegor?
This year’s Quiksilver Festival is about to start. Here’s what you need to know.
If you believe in a divine creator, you’d have to think she made it clear that she wants the Quiksilver Festival to exist.
When it debuted in 2023, it was greeted with a week’s worth of overhead swell, offshore wind, and sunny skies. We saw three 10s, compliments of Josh Kerr, Marc Lacomare, and Jeremy Flores. Speaking of Jez, he helped curate the list of invitees — then went out and smashed them all with his teammate Michel Bourez and won the thing.
Magnifique etc.
Last year, the surf didn’t cooperate as much as the year prior. Still, Clay got a couple million people to tolerate the use of slow-mo with his signature move. And, if anything, 2024 proved that this thing ain’t just about surf. Days were shoulder-to-shoulder with people on the beach, and nights were generally turbo-charged. At one point, during an outdoor party in the pissing rain, the power went out mid-set from DJ Shimmy. The outage only caused the crowd to get wilder.
That’s the energy the Fest brings.
This year’s edition is about to start. The waiting period is the 20th – 28th. Here’s a refresher of how it works, who’ll be there, and what else is cooking around the event.
Who’s coming?
34 surfers, broken into 17 teams of two. This list might change a little bit and is subject to a few potential surprises (cc Griffin Colapinto and Kelly Slater), but here we are:
Team 1: Jeremy Flores & Marco Mignot
Team 2: Alan Cleland & Kanoa Igarashi
Team 3: Clay Marzo & Noah Beschen
Team 4: Mikey Wright & Jai Glindelman
Team 5: Adrian Buchan & Matt Wilkinson
Team 6: Zeke Lau & Leonardo Fioravanti
Team 7: Dusty Payne & Kai Lenny
Team 8: Lungi Slabb & Hughie Vaughan
Team 9: Joan Duru & Marc Lacomare
Team 10: Eithan Osborne & Jackson Dorian
Team 11: Michel Bourez & Conner Coffin
Team 12: Kilian Guerin & Sam Piter & Noa Dupouy
Team 13: Luis Perloiro & Thomas Debiere
Team 14: Milla Brown & Sky Brown
Team 15: Coco Ho & Zoe McDougal
Team 16: Vahine Fierro & Kohai Fierro
Team 17: Maud Le Car & Aelan Vaast
Hell of a mix, wouldn’t you say?
How does it work?
Ever been caught between a gravel pit and the naked asses? If you accept rough translations of French, that’s where this year’s venue is. Plage des Boiteaux is right between Les Culs Nuls and La Gravière. What’s the bank like? Let’s ask comp director Miky Picon.
“Man, it’s been incredible. On low tide, it’s a super hollow right out the back with a few different sections that can connect all the way. And it doesn’t need too much swell to start barrelling. On high tide, it’s a left and right peak closer to the beach. It’s a really good bank, because it allows for a lot of different types of surfing.”
They’re looking to run four or five rounds of surfing, with the option to run multiple rounds per day. Each round will have a theme. Potential themes are barrels, combos, turns, and airs — but this will all depend on conditions. Oh, and there’s one theme they’re looking to introduce this year that’ll really mix things up: Synchronized surfing!
Yes, the teams will be tasked with taking off on the same wave and hoping for the best. It kept happening naturally in the years prior, so the Quik team decided to make it official this year.
Got it? Now here’s how to win.
-Each round will consist of nine heats of four-ish surfers (see above about surprises).
-Each surfer’s best wave from every round will count.
-After all rounds are complete, each surfer’s lowest individual score from a round will be discarded.
-Whichever team has the most points wins.
Is it going to pump?
One thing is for sure: You can never trust a long-range Northern Atlantic forecast.
One week ago, it looked like it was going to be on the cook. Two days ago, it looked grim. Right now, it’s hard to rule either option out.
But we at least have some clarity on the next few days. Saturday and Sunday look small (2-3 foot faces) and textured. On Monday, we’re looking at a storm pushing in and bringing a bunch of rain, wind, and swell with it. There could be fun waves on Tuesday, but then it gets small for Wednesday on Thursday.
By next Saturday — no joke — one forecast is currently showing 8-10 foot faces with offshore wind and another says 2-foot with an onshore breeze.
So let’s just see what happens. And, worst case, there’s plenty more happenings to keep you busy. Here’s the schedule.
How can I watch?
Keep an eye on the Quiksilver Festival Instagram for on/off updates and highlight reels. And the Quiksilver Instagram for a bit more fun. Hughie and Lungi won’t be harassing people with a somewhat phallic loaf of bread this year, but they will still be guiding you through the invent with the help of a French friend you may remember from the Pick Up in Hawaii a few years back.
We’ll also be on site, writing daily reports and getting busy on social.
So, let the games begin.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up