The Mad History And Roots Charm Of The Second Stretchiest Left In The World

There is a 3.7% chance that if you were on tour this year, you were from Costa Rica. Not half bad for a country with a population 65x smaller than the US. 

Costa Rican national Brisa Hennessy topped the podium at Sunset and was among 10 surfers in the mix for a World Title at Lowers before Steph swatted her way from fifth to first. Carlos Munoz’s blown shoulder hinge at Pipe ensured his CT campaign was over before it started. That’s just how the tortilla unravels sometimes.

In this episode of Stab and Red Bull’s No Contest Off Tour we take a deep dive into the town of Pavones, home to the second longest left on the planet (only after Chicama, Peru), its rich history, relationship to the war on drugs, delicious local cuisine, flora and fauna, and endearing culture of ‘Pura Vida’ – much more than just a catchphrase found on kitsch items in souvenir shops. 

German Olympian and Stab High contestant Leon Glatzer gives us a crash course on navigating the 900 meters of Pavones wall and best burrito trucks to grab a bite at, while Floridian expat Eva Luna Woodland speaks to the growing number of female surfers raised in Costa Rica making their mark on the world stage. We also learn how the first American extradited on the war on drugs has everything to do with putting Pavones on the map. Finally, local legend and second-generation rib expert ‘Grillo’ closes up the episode with a masterclass on grilling meat. But don’t ask him for his recipe, he ain’t sharing it.

In a time when more coastal towns are losing their soul to overdevelopment, the charm of Pavones comes because of, not in spite of, its total lack of cutting edge infrastructure. As the Cabina sign reads, ‘There’s no WIFI, talk to each other’.