The Pick Up: The Greatest Show On Earth Starts Tomorrow

The Pipeline Masters start tomorrow and we couldn’t be happier to experience it on the sand, in the flesh. Even beyond the looming world title scenarios, there’s something extraordinary about witnessing this event firsthand. The buzz of the on-beach atmosphere, the sea spray in the air, the communal giddiness sparked by an approaching set — all invaluable experiences for a true surf fan. 

And the forecast for the event looks… interesting. The waves are pretty fun today, with morning offshores and plenty of residual swell in the water, but it’s far from perfect Pipeline. Over the next 48 hours this swell will dissipate, followed in a few days by a coupl’a big, windy sons of bitches. While the quality of these swells remains uncertain, the consensus is we’ll definitely have solid waves in the event window. It will most likely be a scrappy, survivalist-type year at the Pipeline Masters.

For those of you who, like us, can’t fucking wait for this thing to get started, keep in mind the Pipe Trials will have to run before the main event. The Trials feature 32 of the world’s best Pipeline surfers, including 12 Volcom Pipe Pro qualifiers, the Trials defending champ (Finn McGill), the VTC leader (Griffin Colapinto), four Hawaiian regional QS surfers, four Hawaiian International QS surfers, four Billabong wildcards, four Hawaiian standout Pipe performers, and two Vans wildcards. 

Some of the standout trialists include: Jamie O’Brien, Shane Dorian, Jack Robbo, Barron Mamiya, Dusty Payne, Bruce Irons, Mason Ho, Koa Rothman, and Billy Kemper — guys who could easily throw a wrench in the title pursuits of John or Gab.

Let’s get this party started. 

And here we extend another red hot welcome to “The Pick Up” a Stabx Vans Joint!