Watch: Vans Stab High Indonesia, Presented By Monster Energy, Episode 2 - Stab Mag

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

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Watch: Vans Stab High Indonesia, Presented By Monster Energy, Episode 2

Spin to lose. It’s straight air time.

cinema // Nov 4, 2022
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Watch more of Vans Stab High Indonesia, Presented by Monster Energy here, Episode 1Episode 3, and Episode 4.

The “spin-to-win” maxim is about as worn out as the first-gen FCS Mark Occhilupo signature model fins that are still tucked away somewhere deep inside your parents’ garage. 

Your 2022 Class of Ladybirds. All photos Jimmicane.

It is, of course, a reference to surfing’s most popular flight path: the air reverse. Hated by some, loved by others, landed by thousands, the air rev can be considered the hallmark of semi-good surfing at any beach worldwide. At Vans Stab High Indonesia, Presented by Monster Energy we made them (temporarily) illegal. 

Go big. Go straight. Advance to the next round. Easy enough, right? Noah Beschen knows the deal.

As explained in Episode 1, we’ve got a new format this year that pushes surfers to do different maneuvers during different rounds throughout the event. Round 1 is all about straight airs. You can spin if you want, but you won’t get scored. For what it’s worth, the rotation that led to some of surfing’s highest-ever airs — the alley-oop — was also banned. 

Going straight ain’t easy. Rasta Rob pays the piper.

We get to watch a full Round 1 of Ladybirds, then get into the men’s side of competition. Some competitors still opted for illegal spins, ‘cause you can’t tell an air surfer how to live their lives. As the swell pumps, we also see some accidental tubes — how inconvenient, when you’re trying to get to an air section and the wave keeps trying to encapsulate you. Ugh. 

Nervous laughs. Only eight men and six ladybirds will advance to the next round.

Vans Stab High is a contest disguised as a video series, but it might as well be a summit on air surfing. Nuance is explored in depth and with candor. We get to learn how the best air surfers in the world really feel about airs. 

Episode 3 of Vans Stab High Indonesia, presented by Monster Energy, drops Thursday, November 10 at 6pm PT. You can watch Episode 1 of Vans Stab High Indonesia , presented by Monster Energy HERE. .

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