It’s been over a year since the Waco pool’s conception, and still nobody has landed an acid drop from the tippy-top of the wall. 

JOB did one off the corner, as have several imitators, but never has a person stuck a proper freefall from mid-wall—not even in our Acid Drop event at last year’s Stab High (though Cheyne Magnusson, Harry Bryant, and Mason Ho got mighty close). 

This year, we’re bringing the Acid Drop back. It’s still gonna be hosted by Vans and Nathan Fletcher (today’s his birthday!), but there will be a slight alteration from 2018. Instead of jumping off the high deck right away, surfers will have to work their way up a set of raised tiers to complete the ascending circuit. 

Picture this: Tier One is four feet above the top of the wave. If the surfer completes an acid drop from that platform, they move onto Tier Two, which is six feet. If you make that, it’s onto Tier Three, which is eight feet, then to the top of the wall, which is 10. If a surfer fails to complete a tier at any point, they’ll be eliminated from the event but can still choose to attempt the high-wall drop for fun. The last surfer standing wins ($$$).

Capiche?

Our hope is that, by being able to work their way up the ladder, we’ll see the surfers increase their skill and confidence to the point that they can make the mid-wall drop with ease. But, as we saw last year, there will inevitably be some carnage. That much we’re sure of. 

Scalp a ticket to Stab High here.