Harry Bryant Dumps Crutches, Visualizes Pipeline Pits After Snapping Leg

If Hawaii hosted a Stab Highway, landing an air at Pipeline would likely be a high-scoring challenge. Instead, it’s the basis of the new Vans Pipe Masters, and Harry Bryant is planning to be atop the leaderboard, this time with no bandana and (probably) not naked.

“He’s got to be the most valuable surfer in Australia,” Ryan Miller said of the Stab Highway all-star last year on The Drop, referencing the man’s unique combination of humor and skill, before quickly noting that Stephanie Gilmore might still retain that crown. “From what he gets paid to what he brings to the table, he’s by far the most valuable surfer.”

Harry’s value may have skyrocketed like his leaping ability in recent years, but lately, he hasn’t been feeling 100 percent after he broke his left fibula earlier this summer, the result of an errant air and landing on “dead water.” For a 26-year-old who has made his mark by not appearing to care about his body or the severity of sections he attacks, it’s been a long and arduous process just to stand up on a board. But it hasn’t stopped him from whipping around on a scooter, and that trip to the dump you’ll see in the video might have exercised some demons.

“Some days I wake up and this thing will be throbbing and I’m just like ‘Fuck, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pull this off,’” Harry says. “But it’s such an amazing opportunity and that’s been a huge motivation to get there and feel good.”

Hit play above to watch the air Harry broke his leg on, recall how his parents met in England, how his father was a board caddy during Barton Lynch’s World Title run in Hawaii, and why the Vans Pipe Masters (December 8-20) is one of the few surf events he’s ever taken seriously.