teahupoo – jetzt!

[Anonym]

leute schauts auf http://www.billabongpro.com geiler tag heut..

[Marc]

jo, schaut ganz gut aus.
habe gered heute n presse paket bekommen mit viel text und videos.
git es warscheinlich ab morgen zu sehen.

BE THERE WITHOUT BEING THERE
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BILLABONG PRO TAHITI

MAY 4th-14th 2007
Teahupoo, Tahiti.
Association Of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
$300, 000 USD

Iaorana

“It hasn’t been big in three years, so hopefully this year will be really, really rad. Three years of six-foot waves has been boring, we need to get it 10-12 foot!” And so says three times world champion Andy Irons.

After a couple of years of intense competition, in 2007 the wave at the end of the road is overdue to rain havoc on the top 45 surfers in the world as they chase the ASP’s number one ranking. In a spectacular curtain raiser the talents of the amazing local brigade will be on show as they battle it out in the Von Zipper trials for a coveted spot in the main draw.

With action guaranteed the world’s best are steeling their nerves to take on a wave where reputations are hard won and bodies are broken. From May 4th the spectacular Tahitian landscape will fade into the background as the elite athletes of the Dream Tour shoot it out in an orgy of mind-blowing surfing.

The Standouts

Some guys consider Teahupo’o as a place to be survived, whereas a select few genuinely relish the opportunity to take on the monster. We polled a few of the Chopes big names for their thoughts on the mutant left.

Kelly Slater: When I first start thinking of Teahupo’o I imagine that it’s going to be huge and that I have to go. The pressure’s on and you can feel the excitement and adrenalin. I try not to psych myself up for it too much, I prefer just to get there and see what I’m dealing with. You have to be comfortable to attack any wave to a certain extent, taking off as late and deep as possible without being intimidated.

Andy Irons: My first thoughts are of fear and excitement. I start to think about Chopes as soon as summer comes around, as soon as the first south swell hits anywhere. For preparation I tend to get a whole bunch of boards ready and start thinking about butt dragging. I like to be there for as long as possible. I’ve stayed with Mami and Papi for the past eight years. Last year I stayed on a boat, but this year I’m taking it back to the roots and hopefully that pays off like it has before. I psych, I like to go there hoping to get the biggest tube of my life.

CJ Hobgood: My first thoughts of Tahiti are of wanting to get there. I can’t stop thinking of that wave. Teahupo’o is always on my mind. I start thinking about it and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m not sure why. My approach always changes and you have to make the call before you paddle out, but if it’s big obviously survival is the key. Beside that though, I try to stay agressive

Preparing for Chopes with Taj Burrow

When people think of Taj, their first thoughts are of him Energiser Bunnying all over hi-fi rights. People tend to overlook his hard charging in the Nor-West, North Point bravado and his finals appearance at Teahupo’o in 2003. We asked Teebs what he does when heading to The End Of The Road.

“I always want to make sure I’m confident in my boards. You don’t want to be sliding down the face on a 10-footer. I take the boards that felt best in Hawaii, but if there’s swell at home I’ll try them out a little more at somewhere with a bit of power. Gotta make sure the board will hold in well.

“I normally get there three or four days ahead, and I stay about 45 minutes away. I’ll only surf it a couple of times before my heat. It’s kinda hard with so many guys free surfing it, but I like to try and get a couple of decent ones and then you’re psyched for your heat ’cos you haven’t had that many.

“I definitely want to go over a week early this year and get settled in.
Coming from Bells it’s one extreme to the other in terms of temperature and stuff and the kind of waves you’re riding. It’s a pleasant change for sure though, to slip into boardies and start getting barrelled.

“I stay with a local family, Hira Teriinatoofa and his family, and it’s unreal. They look after us and I’ve been there since day one and I won’t be going anywhere else. They’re really good.

“If it’s huge you don’t want to get grated up on the reef, but I definitely want to get a couple of crazy ones to get psyched for my heat. I feel much better going into my heat if I’ve had a couple of sick ones.

“The trialists rule the place, those guys are lethal. Hira has my number out there, and last year Heirarii Williams went mad, he had the place down. Those guys are definitely a big speed bump.”

Chopper Image and Site Layout

1) The Point: This is where the pros get their PWC lifts to the channel. Also the site compound, the media centre, the VIP area and home to Occy and Bruce Irons. The closest paddle-out spot to the break.
2) The Tower: Where the judges, the web guys, the commentators and the media hang out, only accessible by ski, paddle board or barge. Suicide Scaff 1 and Suicide Scaff 2 are located to the front left and right of the main tower and are restricted to the brave photographer only. All three towers have been washed down by big swells in the past.
3) The Channel: This is the spot you want to be. Grab a few coldies, your rusty old tinnie or inflatable tyre and sit ringside in the best seats you will ever watch a WCT event from. The surfers are so close you can hear their heartbeats and call them into closeouts.
4) The Maonis: Mami and Papi’s place is where Andy Irons and his posse stay every year. The food is unbeatable, there is a small fish farm in the front yard and three steps from the front door will have you staring straight down the eye of a Chopes widow-maker.
5) The Town: This is the end of the road in Tahiti. Normally a barren place to park your Hertz rental, but during the Billabong Pro it transforms into shanty town of local restaurants. Here you can buy the freshest mahi mahi on the island for a minimal fee, relive near-death encounters and show off your new tribal tattoo or staph-infected reef wound.
6) Swells: The best swells for Teahupo’o come from this area, the south. Generated in the South Pacific, the swell hits the reef like a freight train, without the evil west bowl to worry about. Pro surfers dream of waking up and seeing the swell coming from this direction.
7) The Mountain: Responsible for dumping more rain on the village of Teahupo’o than any other part of Tahiti. Also a great place to climb when the swell is flat to check the view or get gored by an overly protective wild pig.
8) Benny’s Wharf: Benny’s Wharf is where all the logistics are organised. The containers full of gear, the PWCs, the barges and the work crew hang out here along with the Cascade the official event boat, and afternoon-beer hangout.
9) Fishing: Tuna and mahi mahi are everywhere; you just have to beat Cory Lopez to the punch. The Billabong Pro Tahiti also coincides with Tahiti’s largest fishing competition, something the locals take VERY seriously. It guarantees bragging rights for 12 months. Last year’s winning sailfish was snared about here, 120kg of arm- yanking fun.
10) Almost But Not Quite: Sometimes you will see crazy rights flaring off this lump, to the left of the Teahupoo break but give it a miss, it’s way too evil and you will probably wind up wearing a coral head for a hat.

THE Rookies

Qualifying for the WCT is kind of a big deal. You make it and emotions pour forth, sponsors beat down your door and mates throw huge parties in your honour. The next day you wake up, and out of the fog of your hangover a scary, scary thought emerges. Next year, you have to surf Teahupo’o. A few of the 2007 rookies let us in on their mind-sets, and how they intend to tame the beast.

Dayyan Neve: It looks intimidating, and it’s a wave to be respected, but it also looks amazing and perfect, and like there’s the opportunity to get one of the best waves of your life.
Kai Otton: I’ve surfed there once before and it was the most fun waves, four to six foot and perfect. On the last day it just kept growing, but it was a bit messy. I’ll be shitting myself definitely when it’s big, but I’m keen as to get it when it’s on.

Luke Munro: I hope I’ve got enough sleeping pills to get through the two weeks, ’cos it definitely gives you butterflies thinking about it. Everyone says we’re due for a giant year. I’ve been there three times before and it was six to eight foot, but really, I don’t think you can get that prepared for when it’s big and ugly, you just have to go.

Ben Dunn: I’ve been to Teahupo’o before, it was 4-6 feet and really clean and fun so when I think about Chopes I think of two different waves. When it’s that six-foot size it’s really fun, then when you see it on video when it’s 12 foot plus it looks scary. I’m looking forward to going there and competing against the other guys. The place itself is really beautiful and the people are really nice.

Josh Kerr: I surfed it in the Trials last year. There was one day when it was about six foot, but I’m psyching for it to get good this year. I’ll get there early and think positive. I’m frothing to prove myself.

The Von Zipper Trials

For a select crew of dedicated surfers, winning the trials in Tahiti is an accomplishment on a par with winning the trials of the Pipeline Masters or even taking out the main event. The Trials are the domain of the specialists; the guys who are glued to Internet swell forecasts and are in Tahiti for every swell. Here are a few of their thoughts:

Danny Fuller:

The Trials mean a lot to me. It’s definitely the gnarliest guys around, the big-wave specialists. It’s a very prestigious event and making it in to the main event last year was the biggest thing ever. A lot of people may have said after last year that I was a little cocky, but the way I was looking at I was surfing with the best surfers in the world out there. Once you make it into the main event there’s only about five surfers that you’re worried about.

I’m not really trying to attack the wave, I’m trying to give the wave a lot of respect. I’ve experienced a lot of trials and tribulations out there, a lot of ups and down, so I constantly want to have a lot of respect for the wave and never try to go outside of my limitations. I’ve been going there since I was 17, and since the first time I’ve been hooked.

Manoa Drollet:
It’s an honour to surf with the best guys in the world. Now most of the guys on the WCT know the wave pretty well and they’re really tough out there. Especially being a wildcard you get the top seeds, usually Andy or Kelly. I’d really love to win the contest; it’s definitely one of my goals, so first you have to win the trials! My approach depends on the conditions.

If it’s big you try and catch the wave and survive, not run away from it too much and try to push your limits. If it’s small it’s like any other wave, you try to perform and rip. Teahupo’o works from two to 20 feet, so you have to adapt and do your best.

Tahitian Timeline/PAST WINNERS

2006: Bobby Martinez (USA)

Rookies Bobby and Fred Pattachia make their first ’CT finals in an-all goofy shootout. Smaller than usual Teahupo’o but it’s still a barrelfest. Wildcards Hira Terinatoofa and Danny Fuller run rampant through the field to make the quarters.

2005: Kelly Slater (USA)

KS records the first-ever perfect 20 score to beat an injured Damien Hobgood in the Final. This came after staging a miraculous comeback to beat Bruce Irons in round four, and then piling on near-perfect scores in the Quarter and Semi finals.

2004: CJ Hobgood (USA)

Hobgood’s win comes at the expense of Nathan Hedge, who dislocates his shoulder in the final. No-one doubts he deserved the win though, locking in a huge 19.84 out of 20 in the Semi-finals. The finals take place in perfect eight-foot barrels.

2003: Kelly Slater (USA)

Slater racks up his first win on the WCT in three years, edging out Taj Burrow in the final.

2002: Andy Irons (HAW)

AI beats Luke Egan in the final to secure the ’CT title he’d been wanting the most at big, big Teahupo’o.

2001: Cory Lopez (USA)

In a goofyfoot shootout Lopes narrowly beats CJ Hobgood in perfect waves to take out his first-ever ’CT event.

2000: Kelly Slater (USA)

The surf in the Trials was monstrous, with Andy Irons prevailing. In the main event the waves back off slightly, but in perfect conditions Slater takes the cake.

1999: Mark Occhilupo (AUS)

One of the key results in Occy’s 1999 World Title was his win in epic Tahitian barrels.

1998: Koby Abberton (AUS)

Koby Abberton narrowly beats Conan Hayes in the final, held in massive surf.

1997: Andy Irons (HAW)

In its first year as an event Andy Irons wins the first of his three Tahitian victories.

Water Patrol

The dozen burly Tahitians jet skiing around the line-up are the Water Patrol. Mainly firemen by trade, the boys moonlight to keep the stars safe in times of madness. Accreditation is required, and with a fitness regime consisting of everything from surfing, and stand-up paddle boarding to traditional Polynesian ocean canoeing, the Patrol run a tight program around the Teahupo’o reef.

Operating in pairs, at any one time three teams are stationed outside the break with another inside the lagoon; their chief priority being the safe evacuation of wayward surfers from the impact zone.

Billabong ship in seven Yamaha jet skis from Australia and provide fuel, oil, a mechanic and all the associated personal protective equipment, including wetsuits, board shorts, sunglasses and US Coast Guard approved PFDs. In his third year on the team, Viri Teiva is the Water Patrol Supervisor, a job that is made tougher when half of his team is busy competing in the trials.

At the start of the day, the Contest Director, Head Judge and Surfer’s Representative meet to determine the level of involvement the jet skis will have. When a surfer is in trouble, there is never a question, a jet ski must assist.

The ski always has right of way in this situation. If a surfer is washed over the reef the ski in the lagoon will pick them up and return them to the outside of the line-up where they paddle back to the zone. On big days when ski assistance is employed full time the Head Judge will determine who has priority to avoid the line-up turning into a jet ski dodgem track.

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