Watch: Stab High China Presented By Monster Energy, Day One
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And this is why you can’t argue with our judging panel: Chippa Wilson was not supposed to surf in the event. He asked us if he could sit on the sidelines and judge instead. We initially obliged. Then, after a few last-minute withdrawals, we needed to fill more spots. So he agreed to jump back in, then fucked everyone in the Sudden Death round up with a 42-point f/s big spin. Photo: Ryan Heywood
Watch: Our First Day Of Chinese Airspace Exploration, In 14 Minutes And 20 Something Images
A recap of sorts.
Stab High // Nov 13, 2026
Words by Brendan Buckley
Reading Time: 4minutes
Every edition, the hour before Stab High starts is reliably chaotic.
We allocate an hour for competitors — yes, all of them — to warm up on advanced turn waves. Unlike the official practice day, when they hit the air section during their scheduled slots, this session is a free-for-all. Eager Bottlerockets and Ladybirds chop it up with 36 grown-up men, all of them trying and largely failing to disguise their nerves. The question of who has priority never gets close to finding its answer.
Meanwhile, we scurry around getting set for our various roles while praying that the broadcast doesn’t crash our site. Somehow, here behind the Great Firewall, it didn’t this time.
Want a play-by-play recap and full video replay of what went down over the next nine-ish hours? Head here. Or, those with more compressed attention spans can scroll our IG for the biggest moments.
Or, perhaps you want something straight down the middle? Then watch the highlight video above and browse the photo gallery from the warm-up and Day One below.
See you tomorrow at 8 AM local time. That’s 5 PM in LA, or 11 AM in Sydney.
Bottlerockets and Ladybirds, class of (late) 2026. Photo: Dasha Nosova
Luke Lopez’s boards didn’t show up until last night, and he’d been riding Peeta Kenworthy’s in the warmups. With familiar foam back under his feet, he began to launch the most inverted airs out of any of the Bottlerockets. The final tomorrow is not to be missed. Photo: Nate Lawrence
Luke, met by the ever-inquisitive Caden Francis. Photo: Ryan Heywood
We’ve got a full portrait series coming. Until then, here’s Hainan’s own Jerry Tianyu. Photo: Ryan Heyood
Patti Zhou has the b/s full-rote on lock. But here, she tries something a little more straight and forward. Photo: Nate Lawrence
And yes, Miller-May Berg is landing these. Photo: Nate Lawrence
Want to see something unique? Koa Smith’s got you. From the start of the practice sessions right on into the main event, he’s made it expressly clear that he wants to put down a Superman rotation. Photo: Nate Lawrence
One minute you’re reminsicing about the NSSA days, next minute you’re caught between two shakas. It can happen to anyone, and it happened to Parker Coffin. Photo: Dasha Nosova
Something tells us the judges might be drawn to straight-up height when choosing the Monster Air this event. If nothing else, that would bode well for Curren Caples’ checking account (Routing Number: 4151860, Account number: 735207, Wells Fargo). Photo: Nate Lawrence
This is the exact cruel moment in which our contest becomes a contest instead of just a place you go to drink beers with your friends. Photo: Ryan Heywood
Or, if it pans out, the Monster Air for height thing might be good for Timo Simmers too.
Unsurprisingly, Jadson Andre has had the best energy and has the entire Men’s division group thread constantly demanding that he come hang out with him. Photo: Ryan Heywood
Ryji Masuda, doing what he is uniquely capable of doing on a surfboard. Photo: Nate Lawrence
A few of the Bottlerockets decided to jump in the water for a closer look at the men’s heats. One of them, Phoenix Talbot, let neither a lunch tray sit idle nor the last bit of a wave go to waste. Photo: Nate Lawrence
Our judges operate on a basis of tough love. Should Loci’s stalefish flip have been enough to get him into the semis, despite the lack of a clean grab or landing? Some might feel that way. But the judges know exactly what he’s capable of, especially after his warm-up sessions like this. And they know that asking for his best is indeed the best thing for all of surfing. Photo: Ryan Heywood
It’s terribly convenient when your judges’ names and faces are right out there in broad daylight, and they happen to be responsible for forcibly bringing air surfing to where it is today. Photo: Nate Lawrence
Dion Agius, an administrator of tough love. Photo: Nate Lawrence
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