Stab High x Monster Lands In The Coastal US, 36 People Land Airs
Watch: Poolside presented by Kona Big Wave.
Two types of people in Virginia Beach at the moment, it seems: those who’d love to spend a day in the sun, nitpicking aerial surfing, and those who are wondering why the fuck there are so many strange-looking people milling about town.
The Vans Ladybirds opened the day for us, and two things were remarkable here.
One: Every single one of them landed an air. And two: Zoee Bradshaw has found another gear. She made the final in Sydney after putting up the second-highest wave of the semis. On her second wave in Virginia Beach, she landed a proper roter for a 41, then came close on a few more that would have gone higher. She’s clearly the surfer to beat tomorrow.
The Yeti Bottle Rockets were up next. Frankly, it was a much slower affair. Only four of the surfers completed airs, which made the judges’ job rather easy. King Nicol played into the nominative determinism thing, landing on a 30-point backside rev on the left before bettering himself with a 40-point full ro on the right. Moses Hennings had a few close calls on airs that would’ve gone excellent — if he sticks one tomorrow, King’s job won’t be so easy.
Then, it was on to five hours of men’s surfing. There was a lot to digest, but we’ll keep it as simple as possible.
Lennix Smith put up an excellent score on the right, for a 40-point full-ro with a slob grab. He held the lead until Harley Walters did a similar thing backside for a 41. Loci Cullen was just behind them, with a 39-point stalefish full-ro. It feels likely that he’ll make the final.
Judd Henkes, Levi Slawson, Jett Schilling, Rasta Robb, Ian Crane, and Shane Borland all landed airs that, while impressive, don’t warrant too deep an examination. Crane and Borland were tied and had to have a surf-off, which was won by the former.
The day reached its zenith on the last two waves of the Qualifying Round, thanks to Luke Swanson and Hughie Vaughan. Neither of them had landed an air up to that point. They were the last two surfers before the Sudden Death round. And, they suddenly found themselves at the top of the leaderboard. Just watch.
Notably, two former Stab High champs — Eithan Osborne and Chippa Wilson — didn’t land airs. Eithan spent all of his lefts attempting the NBD he unlocked in practice.
The day finished with a Sudden Death round, which sent 22 surfers home without so much as a Virginia is for lovers mirror ornament.
Two spots in the semis up for grabs. Desperation in the air, and some damn good watching. Jackson Bunch and Kepa Mendia won by frontside full rote. None of the airs would arrest your scroll, but they didn’t need to. The boys got the job done.
Finally, here are three things we expect tomorrow: Blazing sun, packed house, $60k in prize money leaving our account. Care to join?
Day 2 schedule (all times EST)
11 am – 1 pm: Men’s semifinals
1 pm – 3 pm: Ladybirds and Bottle Rockets finals
3 pm – 5 pm: Women’s and Men’s finals
Stab High is presented by Monster Energy with support from Vans, YETI, Quiksilver, Kona Big Wave, and Sun Bum.
