The Pick-Up: Kelly Slater’s Surf Camp For Losers And A World Title Conspiracy Theory

Welcome to this Thursday Edition of The Pick-Up, filmed on location* on the North Shore Oahu for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

On this episode, Tiph Cazalis, our French baguette, is back in the studio and joined by Ashton Goggans and Alex Knost. 

The Vans World Cup of Surfing got underway on Monday, in groomed, dreamy conditions, but won’t run again until probably Sunday, swell permitting. 

We discuss Al’s knew full-length, Tan Madonna, which screened at Haleiwa Cafe last week to a packed house, and which Al worked on with photographer and filmer Nolan Hall, as well as on of the most widely loved shooters in the game, Mr. Jimmy Jazz James. 

This season, the “Spawn of Joel Tudor,” as Al calls young Tosh, has been putting in his time on the east bowl at Pipeline, picking off wide runners on a handful of curious little tube shooters, including a pair of teardrop Bonzers Al shaped him. We look at Tosh’s workable Pipe quiver and talk with both Al and Joel about watching the 15-year-old sharpening his teeth here on the rock.  

Also on this episode, Mike Ciaramella’s wildly complicated conspiracy theory regarding the women’s World Title Race, and Kelly Slater considering taking all the best East Coast guys on a trip to coach them competitively “so maybe they can learn to win a fucking heat…” 

This is The Pick-Up. 

*You wouldn’t believe how curious people are here on the North Shore about where, exactly, that fucking yellow kitchen is. Lips sealed!