New Quik Fest Bank Just Dropped
Think: 2004 Bruce and Andy final on low, kegs on the beach on high.
Sand is a granular material made of tiny chunks of rocks, minerals, and organic matter.
It plays an essential role in creating some of our favorite waves. But the trouble with sand is that it moves, and few surf towns are more keenly aware of this than Hossegor, France.
Largely thanks to a 4,500-meter-deep sea canyon that points its finger at nearby Capbreton, a little stretch of beach called La Graviere has made itself world-renowned. When the sand is right, high-tide teepees explode very close to the shore. But when the sand’s not there, neither are the beloved teepees.
After a few years of dormancy, La Grav came belching back to life last winter. It behaved like this for weeks at a time. “It was the best winter we’ve had in ten years,” said David Berthet of RipItUp, who has almost certainly pressed the little red button on the camera more than anyone else in that zone in the last decade.
From September 19 – 27, La Grav will host the 2026 Quiksilver Festival, along with La Nord, which is a few hundred meters away. Chuck the scaffolding right between the two and you’re sorted.
La Nord is less finicky. With the right wind, big enough swell, and low enough tide, there is almost always a good wave out the back. But the sand has shifted recently. It’s brought the La Nord peak closer to shore, given it a better left, and lessened the swell requirements to get it moving.
“We’ve had some early season swell, and the bank has been really fun. There are fun lefts and rights with powerful walls. It’ll be good for turns and even some airs. It actually feels similar to the bank we had for the Quiksilver Pro France in 2004, where Andy beat Bruce in the final,” says Quik Fest comp director Miky Picon.
Ie: see below.
Bruce — who was a 24-year-old rookie in that final — will be back this year and competing in the festival. This year’s invitee list also includes: Clay Marzo, Noah Beschen, Eithan Osborne, Lungi Slabb, Matt Wilkinson, Michel Bourez, Macy Callaghan, Zoe McDougall, Maud Le Car, Milla Coco Brown, Juliette Lacome, Coco Ho, Frankie Harrer, Kash Brown, Hughie Vaughan, Mikey Wright, Kai Odriozola, Francisco Ordonhas, Noa Dupouy, Sam Piter, Kylian Guerrin, Joan Duru, Marc Lacomare, Dylan Donegan, and Wiggolly Dantas.
Another perk of La Nord/La Grav is the proximity to Hossegor’s nightlife hub of Place des Landais, which is home to the Quiksilver Festival’s other half. Yes, this event is a surf comp. And yes, in its first three years of this event, we’ve seen world champs thread tubes, Olympic Gold Medalists stomp airs, Marzo be Marzo, and the GOAT remind everyone that he is in fact from Coco Beach, Florida.
But each year, the event has proven that surifng well in a contest and enjoying oneself are not mutually exclusive pursits.
Quik invests heavily in the music side of the affair. This year, they tapped Ed Banger co-founder Pedro Winter to curate the lineup. There’ll be four nights of live music at Place des Landais, with plenty of smaller concerts, signings, film premieres, and parties on the off-nights. And, you can attend all of it for free. See the full schedule here.
While it’s still too early to see a forecast, Miky offers one last word to those who want to succeed at this bank:
“Bring step-ups.”
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