After a brilliant 2010 campain, Ramzi Boukhiam born in Agadir, Morrocco and settled in France, earned his first qualification for an ASP World Championship. He will be then 17 years old.

Finalist of the 3rd European Pro Junior event in Canaria Islands at the very beginning of august, and quarter finalist in Lacanau yesterday, the “pearl of the desert” will join the elite of junior surfing along with DC surfer Marc Lacomare and Maxime Huscenot, 2009 ASP Junior World Champion, invited as a wildcard.

The Quiksilver Team surfer from Reunion Island, Maxime Huscenot had caused majorupset last January when he became the first Frenchman to be crowned ASP Junior World Champion (Pauline Ado did the same in the girls category in 2008).

Marc  Lacomare, 20 years old and 2009 Junior European Champion, is also qualified for the ASP Junior World Championship as being the best European junior on WQS tour this year (he recently won the 5 star WQS event in Fistral Beach, UK).

For the  first time, the next edition of the ASP World Junior Surfing Championships will be held in two phases : in Bali on Keramas spot for October 2 to 13 and then Narrabeen, Australiafrom January 8 to 16 early 2011.

“I'm really proud of this film and grateful I had the opportunity to create something unique in surf filmmaking,” said Julian. “I wanted to make a film before I got sucked into full-time competition and demanding schedule that goes along with it. So instead of competing last year, I put my heart and soul into this project because I didn't know when I'd ever get the chance again.”

Directed by Matt Beauchesne at Irons Brothers Productions, “Scratching the Surface” documents the adventures of Julian, along with friends and fellow professionals Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow, Dusty Payne, Mick Fanning and others as they spend a year hitting some of the world's most beautiful surf spots. Destinations include South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, California, Hawaii, France, Spain and Brazil.  A large part of the film was also shot in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia on a boat trip with Dane, Dusty and Taj. “Scratching The Surface” also teamed Julian and Matt with Brain Farm Cinema, whose goal was to evolve the way surf films are made by utilizing helicopters and the Phantom camera, shooting entirely in HD, and incorporating an energetic and unique soundtrack.

“Our goal with this film was to be creative, have fun, and enjoy capturing what it is like to be Julian Wilson,” says Matt Beauchesne. “Julian has a bright and vibrant personality that we wanted to carry over into the film's overall feel. He is living every kid's dream and we wanted to shoot this film through his eyes.”

To get an early peek of this groundbreaking film, the “Scratching The Surface” trailer and webisodes can be viewed at www.quiksilver.com & www.julianwilson.com

The winners in each category get free entry to the 2011 World Heli Challenge. Snowboarders also get free entry to King of the Hill event in Alaska while Skiers receive the same for the return of the World Extreme Skiing Championships, also in Alaska. Congratulations to Travis Rice!

The Tony Hawk & Friends European Tour was a magnificent success in Brighton. After travelling the continent, Tony Hawk and his team Sandro Dias, Jesse Fritsch, Kevin Staab and Neil Hendrix, gave the ultimate performance to celebrate the end of the tour in front of a sell out crowd of 3,300 people on the famous Brighton sea front. Almost the same number again watched Hawk and the Birdhouse riders from behind the ramp on the promenade.

With a number of English friends, Tony Hawk was happy to return to the UK for the final leg of the European tour. During his time in Brighton, the legendary ramp rider and his Birdhouse team made an unexpected stop yesterday at the local skate park, causing huge excitement by surprising local skaters.

Tonight, Tony and friends wanted to finish the European tour on a high performance and therefore the lucky ticket holders that came to support the British skaters (Sam Bosworth, Sam Beckett, Andy Scott, Jussi Korhonen, Alex Halford), Tony Hawk, Birdhouse and the infamous rock group Maximo Park, were not disappointed.

Tony and friends gave the longest show of the tour with a multiple of magical combinations. Tony Hawk and Sandro Dias, with 10 and 5 X-Games medals respectively, performed a sublime 540° together. After the famous 900° in Barcelona, Tony then landed a 720° and 540° ollie on the biggest portable ramp in the UK, owned by Pete King.

Tony Hawk, the greatest skateboarder of all time, tonight made an astonishing performance in Europe's Skateboarding Mecca, Barcelona for the 3^rd stop of the Quiksilver Tony Hawk & Friends European Skateboarding Tour.

In front of more than 25 000 spectators massed on the magnificent Plaza del Mar beach in La Barceloneta, the 10 time X Games gold medallist, along with his friends Jessie Fritsch, Sandro Dias, Neil Hendrix and Kevin Staab and a couple of Birdhouse young riders, surpassed themselves to entertain the massive crowd packed up around Europe's biggest portable vert ramp especially built up for the show.

They all displayed their best manoeuvres : airs and liptricks in both old school and modern styles but the public went mad when the Birdman landed a perfect 900°. After some spectacular attempts, supported by the crowd chanting his name, Tony finally succeeded in nailing the two and a half rotation that he built his legend on.

“It's the biggest crowd I've ever skated for in my entire life” Tony Hawk confessed after the show.

The Tony Hawk European Skateboarding Tour is now heading to the UK for the last stop of the Tour in Brighton on July 21^st.

More information on http://quiksilverlive.com/tonyhawktour10

Australia's Julian Wilson has won today the 6 stars rated Association of Surfing Professionals Sri Lanka Airlines Pro in flawless 4 to 6 feet surf on an epic final day.

Wilson came into this event courtesy of a wild-card from the sponsor and throughout the event he dominated,  continually posting the day's highest scoring rides and took a deserved win over 19 year-old USA surfer Nat Young.

He controlled the final from start to finish and capitalised early by taking wave priority when Young took off on a poor opening wave.

By mid-final Julian Wilson had a solid lead and Young faulted slightly going for some gigantic floating re entry moves that never quite came off while Wilson  continued to build on his lead scoring a 7.4 ride late in the final which left Young chasing an outstanding 9 point ride to bridge the gap.

“I can't believe what an outstanding event this has been for me and all the surfers who have travelled here” said 22 year-old  Wilson after his win. “The waves have been outstanding everyday and in many ways they are similar to the point waves around Noosa where I live – but probably way more consistent."

“I'm back and over my injuries and seriously looking hard at the qualifying series – this result is ideal for me and I'll head to California for the US Open full of confidence.”

It was Wilson best ever performance at ASP level and both look ready to seriously challenge the highest ranks of surfing.

For rights free videos and photos please contact Steve Roberston at this address: steve@surfingaustralia.com or http://www.aspworldtour.com/2010/mediaform.asp

The 2010 European Youth Surfing Championships ended on Sunday 16th of May on Viana Do Castelo beach located in the north of Portugal.

The week started successfully for the Roxy Team thanks to Maud Lecar's win in the Ladies competition. The 17 year old Saint-Martin Island surfer took her first continental victory and brought Team France its first title of the week.

Sunday was the U-18 Men's final and this time a Quiksilver surfer, Dimitri Ouvré, took the European crown in the main event in front of local surfer Federico Morais (Por).

In the Under 16 category, another Quiksilver boy got the ISA Continental title. Vasco Ribeiro (Por) easily defeated french fellows Andy Criere, 2nd and Tom Cloarec, 4th. The Portugese surfer won the final heat with 17,33 points - almost 5 points ahead of Criere.

The excellent 3rd place of Italian Rookie, Leonardo Fioravanti in the Under 14 final (won by Frenchman Nelson Cloarec) is also a great result for Quiksilver Team, proud to have such a promising surfer in the family.

Skatetrip Berlin: http://www.vimeo.com/11043739

New episode of Gastation: http://www.vimeo.com/10668478

Who: Stephen Bell - aka "Belly" - is an Australian former pro surfer, who's now turned shaper, entrepreneur and Surf team manager for Quiksilver International. A charismatic figure from the world of surfing, Belly takes us behind the scenes of the ASP elite tour and follows the stars of the Tour.

When: Three episodes for each leg of the ASP World Tour, which consists of ten events in total (from March to December 2010). Two episodes will go online during each competition, with one at the end of each stage of the "Dream Tour". Latest one is posted on April 8 from Bells Beach with exclusive footage of Kelly Slater's foot injury.

How: Belly's blog is a quirky, distinctly Aussie surf magazine, where Internet users can see highlights from each stage of the World Tour, as well as behind the scenes sequences following Kelly Slater, Jérémy Florès and rest of the world's surfing elite.

Where: From Snapper Rocks (Australia), where the ASP World Tour kicked off in late February with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, and Bells Beach, which is currently hosting the 2^nd leg of the World Championships, to Hawaii, which provides the setting for the culmination of the Tour in December every year, Belly's blog will be taking us all over planet surf.

The schedule for the next stages of the ASP World Tour and upcoming episodes of Belly's blog is as follows: Santa Catarina (Brazil) from April 23^rd to May 2^nd, Jeffreys Bay (South Africa) from July 15^th to 25^th, Teahupoo (Tahiti) from August 23^rd to September 3^rd, Trestles (California, USA) from September 12^th to 21^st, Hossegor for the Quiksilver Pro France – sole French leg of the Tour - from September 25^th to October 5^th, Peniche (Portugal) from October 7^th to 18^th, Somewhere from October 30^th to November 10^th, Pipeline/ Ohahu (Hawaii) from December 8^th to 25^th.

Watch Belly's blog: http://quiksilver-europe.com/link/tv/searchVideos/Belly

His warm-up outing at the RedBull Linecatcher in Vars was rewarded with an immediate victory. And so on to the Freeride World Tour…. The skier from La Clusaz began in imperious fashion with a win in the first stage in Chamonix in late January, and followed that up with a 2nd place finish in the second leg of the Tour in early February (which was actually the postponed inaugural stage, originally due to take place in Sotchi but ultimately held in Chamonix). After finishing further down the scoreboard at Squaw Valley (in 17th), Candide arrived in Verbier occupying second place in the provisional rankings, and with plenty of work to do. Poor weather saw the event delayed, and Candide and the rest of the field were forced to wait until Sunday when the conditions improved. And so, this morning, Candide launched himself, for the very first time, from the Bec des Rosses, a dizzyingly high slope chosen as the starting point for the world's top freeriders to display their skills. With a smooth and controlled run, Candide bagged a third podium finish in four events, and gained the ultimate reward as he was crowned as the very best freerider on the planet, alongside fellow Frenchman Xavier De Le Rue, winner of the snowboard category.

From March 1st to March 31st 2010, Quiksilver and Roxy launch a Picture Contest on the theme “No Water Sucks” and invite the web users to post the pictures they will have taken or created, illustrating the lack of water.
 

Required quality to win: being creative and imaginative!
 
The winner will be the one who collects the more votes from web users through a simple one-click vote system.
2 checks of 1000€ to win for the winner: 1 for you, and 1 to support the project you will have chosen.
 

One posted picture = One planted tree
 
For each picture posted, Quiksilver and Roxy promise to plant a tree. All along the Green Campaign, Quiksilver and Roxy will donate 1€ to the water conservation association for each eco-product bought on their e-trade websites.

PLAY !!! 

SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Friday, March 5, 2010) - Taj Burrow (AUS), 31 has taken out the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover over Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, in rippable two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at Snapper Rocks.



The opening event of then 2010 ASP World Tour season, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast started the year off with a bang, bringing the greatest assemblage of surfing talent in history to one of the most iconic pointbreaks in the world, and the world's best surfers shattered high-performance barriers once again.



"I'm so so happy right now - it's the best feeling on Earth!" Burrow said. "It's unreal. I have a good group of friends with me and my parents are here supporting me. To have everyone cheering me on in the final is really really special."



While the young South African led throughout the first half of the 40-minute Final, it was Burrow who changed the tide with a mid-heat assault, racking up several solid scores in larger set waves amidst the deteriorating conditions.



"I didn't feel like I surfed my best in the Final," Burrow said. "I kind of just did what it took to win. I just waited for the best waves, did a couple nice turns - nothing too wild. I'd rather have taken Jordy's approach - catch lots of waves and just let loose. That's kind of my strategy normally, but it worked fine. Being a bit more patient and ive than usual definitely paid off. But I knew Jordy could unleash and get the big score any moment."



Burrow, who has secured victories in the previous two events entered (Pipeline in December and Burleigh Heads in February), has been in sensational form over the past three months, and will look to continue the momentum in 2010 as he hunts down his first ASP World Title.



"What can I say? I don't know," Burrow said. "I surprised myself really. Obviously, Pipe was the biggest event I could ever win. I was just overwhelmed. I felt like retiring after that event. I just couldn't believe it, and didn't think it could get any better. I guess I've taken the confidence from it and worked on some good boards. Burleigh Heads was a good warm-up. I felt good that there as well - there are fun little rights, and then here, I took a while to get rolling, but I just built up momentum. I felt great out there and here I am on the podium again - it just feels unbelievable."



Smith, who went on a giant-ing spree at the event, eliminating former nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 38, in yesterday's Round 4 before posting the best result of his young career.



"It's my first Final so I'm pretty stoked," Smith said. "It's unfortunate that the waves went kind of dead in our heat there, but we tried our best. It's been a great event though and I'm looking forward to the next one."



Long touted as one of the most dominant forces in the surfing world, Smith had yet to realize his potential in the competitive realm, but if this event's performance is any indication, the powerful natural-footer is a near-certain threat for an ASP World Title.



"I just feel a lot more comfortable with myself this season," Smith said. "I'm having a lot more fun with my surfing and everything seems to be coming together for me. I'm amped with a Runner-Up finish here and hope I can keep the momentum up for the rest of the season."



Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, looked the form surfer of the event yesterday, defeating defending event winner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, with an impressive 19.20 out of a possible 20. However, the young Californian was unable to find a rhythm in today's challenging conditions, bowing out of the event with an Equal 3rd at the hands of Smith.



"I felt pretty good yesterday and it felt like my equipment was finally working," Reynolds said. "Even though the conditions weren't as good today, I thought I could catch an average wave and surf it well enough to get a good score, but that didn't happen. When the other guy gets a good roll going, it's hard to come back - or it is for me anyway."



With his penchant for churning out Earth-shattering performances and a good start to the year, several pundits are considering Reynolds as a legitimate ASP World Title contender, but the humble natural-footer has yet to commit such a goal.



"I've never been in this situation before so it's hard for me to say (in regards to motivation for the ASP World Title)," Reynolds said. "When you're a little kid, everyone always tells you that the ASP World Title is the goal, but there's only one each season and 45 guys going for it. It hasn't been a goal for me yet."



Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, matched his best result on the Gold Coast today, collecting an Equal 3rd (his first in 2006), but the sole goofy-footer in today's event was clearly upset about the deteriorated conditions.



"It's disappointing to finish when it's windy like this today," Martinez said. "We all want to surf when it's glassy, and I'm disappointed that we have to finish today. I did my best to mix it up out there, but it's very challenging out there on your backhand today."



Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover can be found via www.quiksilverpro.com.au


The next stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour will be the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach from May 30 through April 10, 2010.


QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST FINAL RESULTS:


1 - Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.57


2 - Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.56



QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST SEMIFINAL RESULTS:


SF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.67 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.00


SF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.30 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 8.96



ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 5 (After Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast):


1 - Taj Burrow (AUS) 10000 pts


2 - Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8000 pts


3 - Bobby Martinez (USA) 6500 pts


3 - Dane Reynolds (USA) 6500 pts


5 - Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5250 pts


5 - Bede Durbidge (AUS) 5250 pts


5 - Adriano de Souza (BRA) 5250 pts


5 - Kai Otton (AUS) 5250 pts


The opening event of the 2010 ASP World Tour season, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast has consolidated the greatest assemblage of surfing talent in history, and with one of the most iconic pointbreaks in the world firing throughout the day, the world's best put on an incendiary performance.



Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, current ASP World No. 3, proved the form surfer of the day, posting a near-perfect 19.30 out of a possible 20, to dispatch of Luke Munro (AUS), 27, in their Round 3 bout. Durbidge blended deep tube rides with progressive forehand gaffs en route to his emphatic victory, even posting the day's highest single wave score of a 9.93 out of a possible 10.



"I just made that barrel and I just didn't even care what happened after that," Durbidge said. "I just went for it. On the ride back on the ski, I was thinking I probably should have finished that wave for the 10, but it's all good."


A former Runner-Up at the event, Durbidge is one of the most dangerous surfers at Snapper Rocks, and will look to post a strong result to open up his 2010 ASP World Tour campaign.



"All my family and friends and here and there's so much hype around this event, being the first of the year, I would love to win this event," Durbidge said. "It makes all the difference. There's a lot more energy for you, and waves come your way."



Durbidge will face current ASP World No. 14 Kieren Perrow (AUS), 33, in Round 4 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.



Kelly Slater (USA), 38, former nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, negotiated the varying afternoon conditions today, putting in a solid performance against 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 24, in Round 3.



"It's a tough call sitting super deep because you can take off too deep or get one that doesn't barrel and there are a lot of bumps," Slater said. "My first one looked pretty nice, but I couldn't come out and it went from a 10 to a 2, so it's a challenge out there."



Slater has drawn South African wunderkind Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, in Round 4 of competition.



Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, reigning two-time ASP World Champion, continued his searing form through Round 3 today, besting 2010 ASP World Tour rookie Brett Simpson (USA), 25, with an intimate rapport with the Snapper Rocks sand bank.



"It's pretty tricky out there," Fanning said. "It's high tide and I don't really it. I've seen a couple in the heat before with Dingo (Morrison) and Kai (Otton), and then Steds (Stedman) and Damo (Hobgood). I thought I could have sat a little bit deeper and I was lucky enough just to get two waves like a 6 and I got that good one (9.07). I just looked for waves that would allow two turns at the start."



Fanning will take on compatriot Kai Otton (AUS), 30, in Round 4 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.



Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, current ASP World No. 5, put on a clinic in the opening heat of the day, amassing a 16.10 out of a possible 20 to eliminate compatriot and travelling partner Jadson Andre (BRA), 19.


'I feel great to get through that heat and the waves are really fun," De Souza said. "It's hard surfing against Jadson (Andre). He's my roommate and team member and he's a really good surfer. He may be a rookie, but he's really smart and he's a dangerous surfer."



De Souza, who finished Runner-Up in the event last season, is enthusiastic about his prospects at the 2010 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, and is confident that a solid result at Snapper Rocks is possible.



"I would love to go one better this year and win on the Gold Coast," De Souza said. "I have been working really hard in the off season, training and with my boards, and I feel ready for 2010."



De Souza will face current ASP World No. 23 Adrian Buchan (AUS), 27, in the opening heat of Round 4 when competition resumes.



Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.


QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.00 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.46

Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.10 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 13.70

Heat 3: Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.00 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.27

Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.84 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 6.67

Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) 14.16 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 11.26

Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.73 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 13.40

Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) 13.97 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 12.60

Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.74 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 10.43

Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.63 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.20

Heat 10: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.17 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.64

Heat 11: Daniel Ross (AUS) 13.54 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.00

Heat 12: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.57 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.23

Heat 13: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 19.30 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 7.37

Heat 14: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.06 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 12.43

Heat 15: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.37 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 7.56

Heat 16: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.23 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.77



QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)

Heat 2: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)

Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA)

Heat 4: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)

Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)

Heat 6: Daniel Ross (AUS) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)

Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)

Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)

Chamonix again provided the thrills of freeride, hosting the second stage of the Freeride Tour: the Nissan Russian Adventure by Swatch, initially planned to take place in Sochi/Russia, but moved to Chamonix for security reasons and difficult weather conditions. Only the men skiers and snowboarders took part of today’s contest, at the north east face of Aiguille Pourrie at the Flégère ski area. With an extremely high performance level, Candide Thovex finished second and Frenchmen Julien Lopez took victory.

The multiple X-Games medallist skier Candide Thovex is now at the top of the Freeride World Tour Ranking. Once again Candide showed us a very playful line, bouncing down the mountain. He took a more obvious line than Lopez and did not take the highest jumps but he was super fluid and executed all his airs with more speed and landed further down than the other competitors. In the end of the run he pulled off a perfect 360° (a complete rotation), taking about 20 metres of distance in the air, really spectacular!

Copyright: Nissan Freeride Chamonix Mont Blanc 2010 D Carlier

Against the beautiful backdrop of the Mont-Blanc, French Freestyle icon Candide Thovex took his first win in a Freeride World Tour event in Chamonix on 31st of January.

The 50 best freeriders on the planet put on an amazing performance in perfect weather conditions on the 500 metre “Pentes de l’Hôtel” face at the Brévent ski area in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, despite challenging snow conditions.

The most impressive run of the day was the clean victory of French freestyle legend Candide Thovex, debuting in freeride contests, announcing a promising future. After the last few days’ of snowfall the blue skies finally presented a dream like arena for the athletes and spectators of the Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. However, the snow conditions where tricky for the competitors. A lot of the fresh powder was taken down by the first riders and parts of the face exposed rock hard snow, and at times ice. Control was decisive.

Event winner was the famous French freestyler Candide Thovex’s first Freeride World Tour contest, and with his explosive run he secured a solid victory. Thovex chose a unique line down the face, literally flying through the course at full speed, stomping several solid cliff jumps, cheered on by the excited Chamonix spectator crowd. Swedish Kaj Zackrisson is one of the veterans on the tour, and a Chamonix local since 10 years.

“I couldn’t sleep very well last night as I wasn’t really sure of my line, and I felt a lot of pressure this morning. But I went up early and got a good vision of the course. I looked for good snow and a line I could enjoy. I spotted some nice Alaska-like spines with great snow! I chose not to do some tricks and to focus on fluidity. I wanted to come down safe and sound. It has been really cool and the atmosphere is great, which was very motivating at the start. I am really happy of the victory and to share the podium with my friend Tim Dutton who soon will be at his home town in Squaw Valley. I am really motivated for the coming events!” Candide Thovex said.

2 weeks after an amazing win at Reb Bull Linecatcher in Vars (Freestyle/freeride mix event), and several years after his last contests, Candide Thovex is definitely back to business. Watch out.



Huscenot, who received entry into the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships as an ASP International wildcard, wowed spectators and surfers alike today, besting an in-form Jadson Andre (BRA), 19, in the hard-fought Final to claim the ASP World Junior Title.



“This is the biggest day of my life and it’s absolutely unbelievable,” Huscenot said. “It feels like I just won a heat, not the ASP World Title – it’s incredible. Jadson (Andre) is an amazing surfer and the whole Brazilian team rips so hard. I cannot believe it is my day. I am at a loss for words.”



A relative unknown at the international level prior to this year’s showdown at North Narrabeen, Huscenot bested a bevy of the world’s hottest up-and-coming surfers to take the prestigious title and emphatically announce himself as a force on the world surfing stage. 



“I knew I was not a big name coming here,” Huscenot said. “Jadson was the best surfer, doing massive air reverses that I cannot even dream of doing. But I just surfed the best I could and I guess the judges appreciated it. I never dreamed I would be here. I was injured in October and couldn’t surf for a month. But I trained hard and got the wildcard here and once I made it past the fourth round, I knew it was going to be a good event for me. It feels amazing to be the first Frenchman to claim the ASP World Junior Title.”

Check the list of invitees here: quiksilver.com/eddie

Joan Duru, despite an equal 25th place that did not make the Frenchman better his overall regional ratings’ points total, claims his maiden regional title after an exceptional year of performances and results that puts him in position to qualify for next year’s ASP World Tour at this stage.

“It’s great to get the title after such a year,” Duru said. “I am super happy to add it to my career and hopefully things keep going the same way until the end of the year for me.”

Duru, who opened his spectacular season with a win at the ASP WQS 4-Star Protest Vendee Pro in April, peaked with his career best win in the ASP WQS 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro becoming the second French ever to win a major event in France, twenty-seven years after Thierry Fernandez (Lacanau, FRA).

“It was amazing to win that event in front of the French crowds and with all my family and friends around,” Duru said. “It was a great moment for me and it was really special out there.”

Considered a world class surfer by many, Joan Duru not only made big impressions at all events in Europe but managed to secure a series of solid results that have rocket him to a promising No. 9 rank on the current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings.

At 20 years of age only, the former ASP European Junior champion (2006) has been following the footsteps of European leading surfers Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Michael Picon (FRA) amongst others, the goofyfooter building a custom-made mix of explosive progressive maneuvers and massive powerhouse turns.

With two major events coming-up on the world famous North Shore of Oahu in the Hawaiian archipelago, Joan Duru will head next to Haleiwa and Sunset where he will try and seal the deal for next year’s ASP World Tour, his dream.

Since the ASP European WQS Tour ratings include all events sanctioned by ASP Europe from 1-Star to 6-Star Prime, every tour winner has been a qualifier for the Elite ASP Top 45 at the end of each season. Joan Duru is on his way…

2009 ASP EUROPEAN WQS BEST RESULTS
1st, ASP WQS 4-Star Protest Vendee Pro
9th, ASP WQS 6-Star Estoril Quiksilver Pro
3rd, ASP WQS 6-Star Prime O’Neill CWC Scotland by Swatch
5th, ASP WQS 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters
1st, ASP WQS 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro
5th, ASP WQS 5-Star Movistar Ferrolterra Pantin Classic

Check the Interview on quiksilver-europe.com/tv

More info on quiksilverlive.com

SEIGNOSSE, France (Wednesday, September 23, 2009) – Round 1 and the opening four heats of Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France got underway today with the world's best surfers detonating in punchy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) peaks at Les Bourdaines beachbreak.

Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France was treated to some fantastic surfing throughout the opening day of the waiting period, with the world's best surfers letting loose in the playful beachbreaks while the event wildcards stamped their authority as real contenders amongst the ASP Top 45.

Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, current ASP World No. 11, is coming hot off the heals of his best results on the ASP Dream Tour, a 3rd in South Africa and a 2nd in Southern California, and continued to push the limits of high-performance surfing today at the Quiksilver Pro France.

Opening with a blistering 8.83 out of a possible 10 with some rapid-fire forehand surfing, Reynolds then fell behind fellow Venturan Nathaniel Curran (USA), 24, who posted an impressive heat total of a total 15.40 out of a possible 20. Needing a score in the dying minutes, Reynolds detonated another roping righthander for grab and 8.50 and the advancement to Round 3.

"I knew that wave was going to offer up a score for me and all I had to do was surf it as best I can," Reynolds said. "It had a good wall on it and I was able to do a few turns. It's too bad for Nathaniel (Curran) as he was surfing really, really well, but I'm sure he'll do well in his Round 2 heat."

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, current ASP World No. 1, suffered his first setback in an otherwise near-flawless season last event, finishing 17th in Southern California. While the media speculated that a quasi-serious ankle injury was the culprit in Parkinson's poor showing, the Australian showed no signs of injury today.

"Everyone has been talking about it (ankle injury) but I haven't really noticed it," Parkinson said. "It feels fine today and I feel like I have full movement. Obviously, I didn't have the result I wanted at the last event, but everyone has a bad one and hopefully I've gotten mine out of the way already."

With extreme tide fluctuations wreaking havoc upon the consistency of the Les Bourdaines lineup, Parkinson effortless posted excellent scores with both backhand and forehand ripping.


"It's pretty tricky out there but there are definitely some pretty fun ones coming through," Parkinson said. "It can be tricky with the tide changes. The waves looked really fun this morning, but as the tide's dropped, some of the good ones are breaking inside and the others are breaking out the back. Looking forward to a few days off now and excited to get back out there."

Julian Wilson (AUS), 20, led the wildcard charge at today's Quiksilver Pro France, besting veteran compatriots Bede Durbdige (AUS), 26, and Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, inRound 1 of competition.

"I've done a few of these events as a wildcard before and the approach of ‘just go for broke' has kind of gone out the window now. I look at these heats as opportunities to establish myself and good training against these guys. I hope to be up at this level of competition in one to two years and this is great experience."

Joining Wilsonin posting Round 1 heat wins today were fellow wildcards Joan Duru (FRA), 20, and Patrick Beven (FRA), 31.

The afternoon saw some electric surfing as Round 2 moved through the opening four heats, and some big names avoided elimination at the Quiksilver Pro France.

Following the close Round 2 victory of former ASP World Champion (2007) and current ASP World No. 2, Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, another former ASP World Champion in C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, survived one of the most exciting heats of the year.

The current ASP World No. 3, who had all nine of his surfboards stolen his first night in France, was comboed by wildcard Alain Riou (PYF), 26, before snapping another surfboard in the powerful Les Bourdaines shorebreak. Grabbing a spare board he had never surfed before, Hobgood returned to the lineup where he proceeded to tube-ride his way out of the combination situation and to a Round 2 victory.

"We all have a breaking point and a lot of things went through my mind and I was just wondering how much worse it could get," Hobgood said. "I was comboed, my board was broken and I know my back-up one is not even that good. If the ocean didn't turn on I would have had a nervous breakdown (Laughs). But whatever, I am happy to get through that heat."

Upsets continued through the final heat of the day with journeyman campaigner Phillip MacDonald (AUS), 30, taking down current ASP World No. 3 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, inRound 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France. The powerful Australian man-handled the running lefthanders on his backhand, posting an impressive 16.90 out of a possible 20.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

Winning the trials, Alain Riou clinches his wildcard for Quiksilver Pro France, ASP World Tour 7th stop.

The Polynesian surfer, scoring a 15,40 during the final has secured his spot for the main event.

Next call, Wednesday, at 7.30AM

Round 1:

Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 3: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tim Reyes (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Luke Stedman (AUS)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA), Mick Campbell (AUS), TBA
Heat 10: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), TBA
Heat 11: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Chris Ward (USA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 13: Dane Reynolds (USA), Chris Davidson (AUS), Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 14: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 15: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tim Boal (FRA), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 16: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Dayyan Neve (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW)

Check it out LiveWebcast on quiksilverlive.com

Thanks to his qualification for the 1/4 finals of the Santa Surf Pro Junior, Marc Lacomare becomes ASP European Champion 2009. 

More info coming soon.

Surfing trhu to the final via the repercharges heats Flores was the form surfer of the event repeatdedly posting the highest heat scores of the entire comptetion . once qualifying into the Grand Final Flores dominated his 3 opponents with a combination score of  17.12 points , the 2 sufers of USA , Ben Bourgerois and Cory Lopez and the Preuvian Gabriel Villaran were left in need of a exceptional wave to over take the Frenchman .

This win for Flores put the French team into a second place on the overall title to team America
Flores Follows on the footsteps of  CJ Hobgood (USA) winner of the previous ISA games.

Credit Photo: Billy Watts

In the final, the Team Quiksilver surfer Ramzi Boukhiam outclassed his rivals with a score of 7.90 and 9.33. With a final total of 17.23 points (out of a possible 20), including one wave judged at 9.33 (out of 10), Ramzi produced the best series of the entire competition.

At the end of the day, at the spot in Zarautz (Euskadi) and for the final series of the event, the quality of the waves improved markedly. For the first few minutes of the final, Ramzi had some trouble perfecting his moves. But with iron patience, the one they call “Ramzouille” gradually gained in confidence and performed a string of rollers, floaters and cutbacks with increasing ease and a radical style. With seven minutes to go in the series, he confirmed his victory with a wave scored at 9.33 that unmistakeably marked the pinnacle of these two days of competition. The young Moroccan richly deserved his win, having remained unbeaten over the two days of surfing. “I’ve changed the way I approach my series, and now I’m more chilled, I don’t put myself under so much pressure. I try to have fun, just let go and it works!” explained the King of the Groms 2009.

His rivals did their utmost to outsurf him, but all in vain. This year, Ramzi was just too good. Tom Neushwanger and Ian Fontaine performed very solidly at the start of the series, but didn’t get the waves they needed to try and keep up with the leader.
In the repechage table, Portugal’s Fransisco Alves and France’s Pierre Rollet saw their hopes of making it through to the final of the main leaderboard slip away. Ian Fontaine and Tom Neushwanger were able to make the most of every one of their waves, giving their two pursuers little chance. The patience shown by Pierre Rollet, waiting for the right wave to arrive, was ultimately to no avail.
Following this final, World Top 45 surfer Aritz Aranburu and the King of the Groms riders performed an expression session for the spectators. For 30 dazzling minutes, all the surfers let their imagination run free, thrilling the big crowd gathered on the beach at Zarautz. Afterwards, Tahiti’s Kevin Bourez emerged victorious with an ollie pop.
Crowned by the competition sponsor Aritz Aranburu, Ramzi will have a major card to play in the International Final. The reward is a wildcard to compete in the trials for the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2010 and the Quiksilver Pro France 2010.
This evening from 10pm at the Place Munoa square in Zarautz, there will be a special DJ set with Mahara McKay. Later, at 11pm, France’s Joan Duru and Dimitri Ouvré will join Australian Craig Andreson to light up Zarautz for the Quiksilver Air-Show - a unique night-time surfing spectacle, that will see the riders towed out by jetskis, performing aerial moves.
Then at midnight, Helltrip are set to rock the living daylights of the Place Munoa!

King of the Groms final - results
1st: Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra)
2nd: Tom Neushwanger (Fra)
3th: Ian Fontaine (Fra)
4th: William Alliotti (Gua)

Check it out all episodes on www.quiksilver-europe.com

Broadcast schedule for the Euroforce World Tour 2008/2009:

Episode One – Review of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2008 - 21 February 2009
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2009 episode broadcast - 14 March 2009

Bells Beach (Aus) 2008 episode broadcast – 1 April 2009
Bells Beach (Aus) 2009 episode broadcast – 21 April 2009

Teahupoo, Taiarapu (Tah) 2008 episode broadcast – 2 May 2009
Teahupoo, Taiarapu (Tah) 2009 episode broadcast – 23 May 2009

Fiji 2008 episode broadcast – 20 June 2009

Santa Catarina (Bra) 2009 episode broadcast – 8 July 2009

Jeffreys Bay (RSA) 2008 episode broadcast – 2 July 2009
Jeffreys Bay (RSA) 2009 episode broadcast – 22 July 2009

Bali 2008 episode broadcast – 10 August 2009

Trestles (USA) 2008 episode broadcast – 6 September 2009
Trestles (USA) 2009 episode broadcast – 22 September 2009

Quiksilver Pro France 2008 episode broadcast – 16 September 2009
Quiksilver Pro France 2009 episode broadcast – 7 October 2009

Brazil 2008 episode broadcast – 12 October 2009

Mundaka (Euk/Spa) 2008 episode broadcast – 28 September 2009
Mundaka (Euk/Spa) 2009 episode broadcast – 20 October 2009

Somewhere 2009 episode broadcast – 1 November 2009

Hawaii 2008 episode broadcast – 21 November 2009
Hawaii 2009 episode broadcast – 23 December 2009

Credit photo: www.aspworldtour.com

Credit Photo : www.aspworldtour.com

This event showed that new generation is stronger than ever. The fourth place went to José Ferreira (16 years old) that reachs as Vasco his first Open final.

Justin Mujica, the venezuelan surfer living in Portugal for years, national champion in 1999, win the TMN pro final.
The waves had 0,5/1m, Justin was the best athlete from the beginning, showing a high surf level and good maneuvers.Alexandre Ferreira "Xaninho" was second, marking his return to the comp.


Final Results TMN Pro:

1st - Justin Mujica
2nd - Alexandre Ferreira
3rd - Vasco Ribeiro (Quiksilver)
4th - José Ferreira

Credit Photo: Hilleman / ASP

ESTORIL, Guincho, Portugal (Sunday, April 19, 2009) - Marc Lacomare (Hossegor, FRA), 18, claimed the ASP Grade-2 Estoril B! Pro Junior today at Guincho, back-up venue of the 2009 edition where consistent wind-blown three to five foot (1 to 1.5 meter) waves were breaking for the final day of competition. Lacomare, who came out on top of four consecutive battles to take top honours on the final day, defeated Joachim Guichard (DNK), 18, in a thirty-minute decider to clinch 1500 ratings' points and take the lead of the 2009 ASP European Junior ratings.

Marc Lacomare, who was coming straight from an equal 3rd finish in the ASP WQS 4-Star event in France, used his building confidence with great tactics throughout the three-day competition, the French wunderkind finishing his victorious run with the highest wave score of the event, an impressive 9.67 point ride during his Semifinal, a good indicator of Lacomare's current form.

"To win that event is another great step and I am really happy to take the win today," Lacomare said. "The waves were hard, the wind was so strong and it wasn't easy out there so I am definitely happy with that 8.17 ride I got. I injured one of my ankles a bit before coming here and I felt a small pain during the event but I was able to push my surfing and get big scores."

Lacomare, who confirms his excellent form with this win, will now compete in the ASP WQS 6-Star Estoril Quiksilver Pro event starting Tuesday, April 21, on Estoril's surf coast.

"I've been on a good roll for the last couple of weeks and I feel really good before starting in the WQS event coming-up," Lacomare said. "Getting two results in a row definitely helps my confidence and I hope I can keep that good karma going next week. I am so stoked right now and enjoying the surf a lot."

Estoril B! Pro Junior runner-up Joachim Guichard (DNK), 18, was left in need of an 8.67 ride to catch-up with Lacomare's 13.50 point overall heat score and could not find any good scoring potential wave to reach his target and win the event. Guichard, who had to defeat his twin brother Luka in Semifinal No. 1 to advance through to his first ever ASP Pro Junior final, goes home with 1290 ratings' points giving him a solid base to start with for his 2009 ASP European Junior Top 10 campaign.

"Marc (Lacomare) got that 8.17 right at the start and kept the lead all the way through to the end of the final," Guichard said. "It is an excellent result for me, my best ever, and I am happy with that runner-up finish. I will now build on this to try and reach the Top 10 at the end of the year before going on the ASP WQS and take my chance."

Guichard, whose finish rockets him to No. 2 on the regional ratings, will take part in the upcoming Estoril Quiksilver Pro as well where he will be an outsider to count with when he paddles out against some the world's best surfers.

French young gun from Bidart David Leboulsh (FRA), 18, suffered Lacomare's unstoppable form and finished equal 3rd in Semifinal No. 2, still his best result to date and very promising towards his comeback on tour. Leboulsh, despite an average 7.26 point heat score due to his lefthanders' choice, will definitely be much awaited when the tour recommences next July.

"I am a bit disappointed because I did not show any good surf during that heat against Marc (Lacomare)," Leboulsh said. "I thought the lefthanders would give me some good potential to score but it kept closing out while Marc was ripping and I could not answer back."

Leboulsh, who started his career when he was fifteen, pulled back from the tour for the last couple of years focusing on school but the young man secures a strong result in the Estoril B! Pro Junior showing he is ready to get back with serious intentions.

"I had a couple of good results when I was younger on tour and I am definitely coming back in 2009," Leboulsh said. "It is one of my last years as a junior so I am aiming at the Top 5 on the ratings. That result is definitely a keeper so I'll go with it and I am looking forward to surfing again this summer."

Joachim Guichard's twin Luka (DNK) was stopped by his brother on his way to the final, Luka needing a second good wave to keep any hopes alive towards his first ASP Pro Junior final. Luka, who has been following closely his brother's progression in the last couple of years, was not able to find the better waves during the encounter and takes an equal 3rd finish for his 2009 ASP European Pro Junior campaign.

"The lefthanders were definitely harder with the strong wind blowing side-shore and I was not really in reach of the win," Luka Guichard said. "Joachim is more powerful surfer and that made the difference on the set waves when pushing the turns hard. I am stoked for him and that equal 3rd is a great start to the year."

Luka, whose best result before today was an equal 5th in the ASP Grade-1 Pro Junior event in Amado, Portugal last year, bettered his career best and secures a serious confidence boost before the 2009 tour gets back into business in July.

"This is my best finish ever and it is an excellent start for my last year as a junior," Luka Guichard said. "My brother and I are aiming at a Top 10 finish this year then take our chance on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) and see how things go."

News, photos, results and LIVE scoring are available through http://www.quiksilverlive.com

ESTORIL B! PRO JUNIOR RESULTS
Final
1st Marc Lacomare (FRA) 13.50 pts
2nd Joachim Guichard (DNK) 9.10 pts

Semifinals
Heat 1: Joachim Guichard (DNK) 12.67 pts Def. Luka Guichard (DNK) 8.70 pts
Heat 2: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 16.84 pts Def. David Leboulsh (FRA) 7.26 pts

Quarterfinals
Heat 1: Joachim Guichard (DNK) 10.40 pts Def. Marcos Sansegundo (EUK) 7.50 pts
Heat 2: Luka Guichard (DNK) 12.66 pts Def. Medi Veminardi (REU) 11.77 pts
Heat 3: David Leboulsh (FRA) 15.17 pts Def. Joan Duru (FRA) 13.16 pts
Heat 4: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 12.67 pts Def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.83 pts

2009 ASP EUROPEAN JUNIOR TOP 5
No. 1, Marc Lacomare (FRA)
No. 2, Joachim Guichard (DNK)
No. 3, Luka Guichard (DNK)
No. 3, David Leboulsh (FRA)
No. 5, Medi Veminardi (REU)

Results Final U18:

1. Dean Bowen (AUS) - 17.60 Pts

2. Miguel Pupo (BRA) - 15.06 Pts

3. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) - 13.28 Pts

4. Dylan Goodale (HAW) - 11.18

Credits Photos: Watts et Lobo

Credit photo: Narbe

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 6: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.83 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 11.07
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.33 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.84

ROUND 4 UPCOMING MATCH-UP
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) Vs Jeremy Flores (FRA)

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile will be webcast LIVE via www.quiksilverpro.com.au 

Credit photo: ASP/Kirstin

ROUND 1, Results
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.67, Dustin Barca 11.87, Dean Morrison (AUS) 9.70
Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) 17.50, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.83, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 4.93
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.17, Dayyan Neve (AUS) 11.00, Daniel Wills (AUS) 10.67
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.10, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.73, Miky Picon (FRA) 9.06

ROUND 2
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 12: Miky Picon (FRA) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 13: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA)

In a high class final, Markku Koski grabbed Gold with 55.6 points being the third Finn to win a WCS title in this discipline after Risto Mattila (2003) and Antti Autti (2005) had done so before.

Former World Champion Mathieu Crepel from France finished seventh.

More info on http://www.fissnowboardworldcup.com

Fashion tips, cheeky gossips, travels around the world, mood notes, artistic windows, cooking corner... women's minds are now online!
Punchy, Spicy and Smart, the QSW blog is an open web space to let all the women talk free.

www.blog.quiksilver-women.com

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau is the world's most prestigious big-wave surfing event and is the only big-wave surf contest sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the governing body of professional surfing.

Scheduled to take place at the hallowed grounds of Waimea Bay, on the North Shore of Oahu, between December 1, 2008, and February 28, 2009, the event, otherwise known as "The Eddie", requires one day with a minimum of 20-foot surf (Hawaiian scale) in order to run.

Held in honor of the legendary Hawaiian waterman, Eddie Aikau, the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau gathers 28 of the most skillful and dynamic big-wave surfers from around the world as polled by a comprehensive panel consisting of influential watermen, members of the surf industry, and internationally recognized surfing Associations.

The first memorial event for Aikau was held in 1984 at Sunset Beach, two miles north of Waimea Bay. It was won by local standout Denton Miyamura. Following the inaugural event, The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau moved to Waimea Bay, where it has remained ever since. 2008 marks the event's 24th anniversary; in only seven of those years have the waves been big enough and the conditions right to hold the contest.

In the realm of big-wave riding, the name Eddie Aikau commands as much respect as Waimea Bay itself. Aikau was the North Shore of Oahu's first lifeguard, watching over the Bay when he wasn't charging the biggest waves of the winter. Tragically, he lost his life in 1978, at the age of 33, during a re-creation of the Polynesian voyage between Hawaii and Tahiti. In huge seas, the voyaging canoe Hokule'a was capsized. Eddie paddled off in an attempt to reach help for his fellow crewmen. He was never seen again but his spirit and legacy live on.

The complete list of Invitees and Alternates for this year's event are listed below and available online at www.quiksilver.com/eddie. The website also includes photos and video from previous year's events, Invitee profiles and swell updates. Visitors can sign up to receive text updates for the "Official Contest Call" and watch online when the Bay calls the day.

Collectible limited-edition The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau merchandise, including boardshorts, t-shirts, hats, sandals and backpack, are also available in Quiksilver stores.  

Location: Waimea Bay, North Shore, Oahu, HAWAII

Opening Ceremony: Thursday, December 4, 2008. 3pm.

Event Holding Period: December 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009. To be held on one day when surf measures at least 20 feet (40 feet faces).

The Big-Wave Riders: 28 of the world's best big-wave riders, including defending champion Bruce Irons (Hawaii), nine-time world champion-elect Kelly Slater (Florida), and Aikau's younger brother and former champion Clyde Aikau. US$ 55,000 for first place.

1984 (held at Sunset Beach): Denton Miyamura (Hawaii)
1986: Clyde Aikau (Hawaii)
1990: Keone Downing (Hawaii)
1999: Noah Johnson (Hawaii)
2001: Ross Clarke-Jones (Australia)
2002: Kelly Slater (Florida)
2004: Bruce Irons (Hawaii)

After his career best result, a win at The Reef Hawaiian Pro, held at the notorious North Shore break of Haleiwa.  Michel now lies in second place on the WQS ratings.  Gaining essential points in the penultimate WQS event of the year, the Tahitian surfer is now in the safe zone for qualification for next years Dream Tour. 

Michel posted the highest heat score during the event, an 18.96 on his way to his victory.  The Tahitian surfer was overjoyed with the surf and felt right at home in the powerful North Shore conditions. "Everybody was getting barreled I was screaming my head off. It was so sick. I was having so much fun out there and that's what I call a good contest. It means a lot to just (qualify for) the ASP World Tour. I've been dreaming about this my whole life since I started to surf. I've been watching all the best surfers, like Kelly (Slater) and (Rob) Machado, all those guys. And, right now I can surf with them. It's a good opportunity for me and all the Tahitian surfers. I'm stoked for Tahiti." 

Michel has already made his mark in the big league of the ASP World tour.  Surfing as a wildcard in the Quiksilver Pro France event this year, Michel scalped many of the big names on his way to an impressive Quarter final result.  The young surfer turned a lot of heads and can enter the Dream Tour with confidence.  For one thing is certain, on the 2009 Tour, if the waves are ever big, powerful and hollow Michel is going to be one of the most exciting surfers to watch.  His victory in Haleiwa means he also leads The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Series, one of the most prestigous titles available in the surfing world.  He has nothing to lose going into the last events of the year, he is in form, confident and right at home.  Anyone who has seen him surf knows how dangerous he can be, so it will be no surprise to see him shine again before the year is out.

Ibon has begun the winter season with a bang, having already logged some great swells and been recognized for his efforts.  However, for Ibon the best and biggest is perhaps yet to come.  He is the highest rated European in the alternates list for the world's most prestigious big wave competition, The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational In Memory Of Eddie Aikau.  The world famous contest will be held only when the waves meet the minimum 20ft requirement so Ibon will be checking charts for signs of a monster swell.  The location is the infamous Waimea Bay on Hawaii's North Shore, which is the true gladiator pit for big wave surfers and a long way from Ibon's home in the Basque Country.  Ibon will then be relying on invitees above him on the list not taking up their place but, if that happens, he will be ready.

To back up his credentials, Ibon also has an entry into the Billabong XXL Awards.  The XXL event runs for a year and the world's biggest waves are compared and judged.  Ibon has previously had entries after surfing Planeixa and Playa Gris in Northern Spain, but this year he has already upped the ante by scoring a wave called Schrodinger's Left.  The wave was a mutant looking, 20-foot monster!  Judging by Ibon's performance at Schrodinger's Left, if there is any chance for Ibon to impress at Waimea Bay this winter, you can be assured the Basque charger will be the first to go!

http://live.quiksilver.com/2008/eddie

Gabe Davies

Check it out!

After two european ASP World Tour contests, a break allowed the boys to meet into barrels made in Landes.

Jeremy said : " It was so sick ! I think some days I surfed around 8 hours ! "

Check out Jeremy Flores, Micky Picon and Patrick Beven in action.

Bourez, who jumps from No. 14 to No. 8 on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings thanks to the 1875 points' reward for his run in Brazil, will land in the Canarian archipelago for the upcoming ASP WQS 6-Star Prime Santa Surf Pro on the island of Lanzarote with great confidence.

"I am out of the "danger zone" and flying out to the Canary Islands with a more confidence," Bourez said. "I hope I can get a couple more good results and secure more points for my ASP World Tour qualification."

In four events, including the Quiksilver Pro France where he accomplished one of the best performances of his career defeating ASP World Tour No. 3 and 4 Bede Durbidge (AUS) and Joel Parkinson (AUS), Bourez has placed 2nd in the ASP WQS 5-Star Movistar Pantin Classic and 3rd in the ASP WQS 5-Star Rip Curl Pro Zarautz, now adding an equal 3rd to his quest.

The Tahitian charger, former 2006 ASP European Champion, finished best European in the event.

Kelly surfed against the odds to pull one of the biggest comebacks ever seen in surfing history to beat the in-form Taj Burrows.  Taj had two great rides early in the final and his scores of 9.00 and 9.63 put Kelly in a combo situation.  Kelly was left searching for two world-class rides just to save face, nevermind win.  With all the work to do, Kelly laid everything on a rail, in the air and put his turns in reverse to manage a comeback from a seemingly impossible position.   He scored a 9.70 then, in the dying seconds, Taj made the fatal error of allowing Kelly to catch a smaller wave, which proved to put the final nail in his own coffin.  Kelly thoroughly destroyed the smaller wave, surfing with huge, committed and radical turns.   His score of 9.27 met his requirements and he stole the win in true Slater style. 

Kelly Slater had been having a great week.  He won the Surfer magazine Poll for the 11th time.  He scored the first 10-point wave and numerous 9-point waves at Trestles, in what turned out to be one of the highlight locations of the ASP World Tour this year.  Besides the invaluable points, Kelly walked away with a massive 75,000$ cheque due to the additional generosity of the event sponsors.

French star and highest placed European surfer, Jeremy Flores, went into the event recovering from an ankle injury rated 13th but rose to 10th after his fantastic semi-final result.  He earned his quarterfinal spot in the last ten seconds of his 4th round heat against reigning World Champion Mick Fanning.  Jeremy pulled a radical high speed reverse to score 8.5 points.  Jeremy then bettered it with a 9.07, linking fast-flowing combination turns that put Mick on the back foot.  Jeremy said, "To beat the best, there is no better feeling than that."  His semi-final placing matched his best result of the year, a 3rd at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast event.  Jeremy will continue his momentum straight into the next event at his home venue in SW France.

Dane Reynolds (rated 26th before but rose to 20th after the event) was the third Quiksilver rider to make it through to the final day of the event.  He had already pulled out some amazing performances in the early rounds including a 9.77 wave score.  He is renowned as one of the best free-surfers, having just won the best manoeuvre at the prestigious Surfer Poll awards, but hadn't yet put in a contest performance worthy of his level. He said, "I try to do a trick 60 times, make it once and get an award for it!"
 
Miky Picon had a 17th place finish losing out by 0.9 points in Round 3, even though he won his first heat. The result will better his rating and count towards his year-end result.  Aritz finished 33rd and lost to Bruce Irons, the previous event winner.  Both surfers can now look forward to home-crowd support when they compete in Europe in the coming fortnight.

Gabe Davies

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The semis were the tip of the iceberg for a final that had basically everything in terms of gnar and technical prowess. Vans ripper Chris Oliver took the street honours with an array of hammers that included a double backside flip over the entire middle section of the course followed by Ross McGouran and Kris Vile, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. It was seriously close.

UKSA National championships street final

1 Chris Oliver 472 £2,500
2 Ross McGouran 450 £1,500
3 Kris Vile 434 £1,000
4 Ben Grove 424 £300
5 Dave Snaddon 410 £150
6 Tom Harrison 394 £100
7 Dan Wileman 389 £80
8 Neil Smith 377 £60
9 Ben Nordberg 371 £40
10 Pete King 357 £20
 

"I am happy for William (Cardoso) because he surfed really well in the event and totally deserves to win it," Bourez said. "I could not really hear the scores out there but I knew I had to get a second good wave so I waited for a set but it never came. There was nothing i could do but I am happy with that final."

Bourez, who jumps back to No. 26 on the ratings, will be much awaited at all big events coming up including the Canarian 6-Star Prime rated one and the Hawaiian contests where his shallow-reef experience will be a great assett.

"It is a good moment to get back on track as there is still lots of events coming up and it was time I had a result," Bourez said. "The upcoming events usually suit my surfing well so I will be confident for sure. Nothing is over so I will take this one result as a good start to the end of the year."

www.aspworldtour.com

Wanaka

After 48 hours of flights, lost bags and lost car reservations we finally found ourselves in Wanaka. The weather was wintry as ever and snow conditions were looking good. It was one of the best winters for snow in years so we were all amped to get on the mountains.

Like all great plans and when things seemed to have been timed just right, the wild card of weather came in and the sun vanished.  The forecast was good with more and more snow predicted, but after 5 days of trying to chase the sun, we were starting to get a bit edgy.   Were we going to get a good clear day to profit from the great snow or not? All our efforts to find a weather window seemed to be doomed.

The morning of the 6th day finally dawned with better conditions.  It looked like clear skies and 1m of fresh snow. The crew of Travis, Hampus, Candide and Markku geared up and headed to Mt Cook for some well-awaited heli time. The day turned out to be good, but not great, and the team came in with some shots and motivation for the next day.  Meanwhile the rest of us flew around the Southern Alps with Austin, Brian and Mathieu.

Our luck seemed to be changing as the guys had epic sessions the following day. There were plenty of powder landings on a full-sized kicker, which the guys had got together.  The celebrations continued, as that night it was time to hit the red carpet to check out the awaited movie premiere of Travis Rice and associates.

Beginning of the road trip

Saturday morning it was time to head out and explore NZ country. We hooked up with our guide Mike and headed out to try the traditional way of riding in NZ, the club fields. We'd only heard of the wild rumours of nutcrackers and towropes.

Broken river

The sun was out in the morning when we headed straight out to Craigeburn ski fields. It was a beautiful drive up through the forest to get to the parking area. I was happy to see there was a lift, but my joy was cut short, as we were told it was only possible to send our gear up. No worries, it was only a 20 minute hike up to the start of the lifts, at least that's what the sign said. We were to discover after hiking the initial 20 minutes, another sign that told us we actually had a further 20 minutes to go.

We finally made it to the top, only to be greeted by some curious kea birds, which awaited us at the end of the runs.

For those of you who have never seen a nutcracker before, I can tell you, I wonder why most of the skiers and snowboarders on these fields are not missing some fingers. Try to picture yourself locked in a harness with a metal "hook" attached to it. With this metal hook you are supposed to grab hold of the 3 centimetre thick cable while it pulls you up. After a few spectacular slams we seemed to finally start to get the hang of it and were able to get to the top. Even though the snow was not the best, we still managed to find some packed powder pockets and had a fun day on the hill.

The weather was once again turning bad and we headed to the coast and Kaikoura.

Kaikoura
This was intended to be the place for the traditional Maori experience, whale watching and maybe some surfing, but yet again the weather really turned a trick on us. The rain started pouring and didn't stop for three days. We got 250 mm of rain in 24 hours! Flooding and landslides closed all the roads out of town and we found ourselves stuck. Nonetheless we managed to find surf at a right hand point break with no one around.

The roads stayed closed until midday of our third day. We were all expecting to take the scenic boat trip across the Cook Strait, but because of the delays we missed the boat and had to catch the evening boat.

Mt Ruapehu
Next stop was to be Mt Ruapehu and the Whakapapa ski resort. Mt Ruapehu is an active volcano with the most amazing scenery and terrain. We had sent ahead the world famous Nicolas Marduel who was on orders to shape us up a jump using the second volcano as the backdrop.

We had a sunset session and managed to quickly get a few shots in the can. The jump needed to be changed a bit and we were hoping to score it the next day. Unfortunately just like our previous stops, the weather was against us once again. The next day we suffered thick fog.  We waited until sunset for it to clear, but it was not to be.

It was time to bring the snow part of our trip to an end.  We now headed to the coast and the world famous left hand point break of Raglan.   We hoped to score some waves and for once Mother Nature was with us. We were lucky and scored perfect 2-metre waves for the next 3 days.  It turned out to be a great trip with highs, lows and some incredible adventures.
 

Wigolly Dantas (BRA) was the only rider to qualify for the final, finishing 3rd in the Pro Junior of Ericeira.  Tristan Guilbaud recorded his best performance in the Pro Junior events finshing 7th.
'I'm really stoked to be in the semi,' he said.  'I caught good waves and I surfed at my top level.  I can finally leave a contest with a feeling of pride.  I used to be frustrated but not here!'
Maxime Huscenot lost in the quarter finals in a hard heat against Wigolly Dantas and Charles Martin, the eventual winner of the contest.
Maxime is still leading the rankings but his fellow competitors are chasing him for the 1st place.
'It's the third contest I lost in the quarters in a hard heat.  It's not easy, but that's life.  Now I will be concentrating on the final of the King Of The Groms, which will be at the end of September.  It's one of my main objectives this year.  The last Pro Junior is in October so I will use this break to get some rest and be fit for the last event.'
The basque surfer Igor Munian lost in the quarters while Marc Lacomare, Nicolaus Von Rupp, Dimitri Ouvre and Damien Chaudoy lost prematurely in the round of 32.

The spiritual home European surfing awoke this morning to something of a headache, as an unseasonably large west swell bore down on the famous pine fringed coast of Les Landes and the dust settled on a night of high revelry at the Casino d'Hossegor.

European pro surfers, surf industry bigwigs and assorted good time seekers enjoyed the stellar hospitality of the Casino late into the wee hours last night to celebrate the continued evolution of surfing on our shores, with online voters across Europe and beyond honouring their favourite Male and Female Surfers, Best Video Part, Best Photo, New Kid on the Block and Lifetime Achievement in the Inaugural Surf Europe Readers' Choice Awards.

"I just want to thank everyone who voted for me," a dapper M. Flores said after exiting the stage,"It means a lot not just to try to win contests but to be recognised by the public also. I'm super stoked. I think this is a great night for European surfing, for all of us."

Flores took the top award from TIAGO PIRES (POR) in second place with the voters, who, proudly accepting the honours in front of his mum also echoed Jeremy's sentiments about the growing strength of the European collective.

Fellow Top 45 surfers MIKY PICON (FRA) and ARITZ ARANBURU (EUK) took 3rd and 4th spots respectively, with MARLON LIPKE (DEU) coming home in 5th place with the voters, recognizing his recent stellar performances on the WQS as he attempts to be the first German to qualify for ASP World Tour.

MARC LACOMARE (FRA) took out the New Kid On The Block award as he continues his impressive rise into the pro ranks, the local teenager receiving huge applause from a packed house, as did local charger and French 1988 National Champion SEB ST JEAN (FRA) who picked up a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of decades of performance surfing and dedication to the powerful surf of Hossegor and surrounds.

The ever smooth surfing of JONATHAN GONZALEZ (ESP) was a clear winner for Best Video Part for his section in Euroforce the Actionmentary, the under-spoken Canarian's acceptance speech unsurprisingly being the shortest of the evening, while Biarritz teen sensation LEE ANN CURREN won the no.1 Awards for the Ladies.

Full Honours List:

Men
FLORES
PIRES
PICON
ARANBURU
LIPKE
BOAL
BOUREZ
GONZALEZ
BEVEN
MUJICA

Women
LEE ANN CURREN
PAULINE ADO
CAROLINE SARRAN

NKOTB
MARC LACOMARE

Lifetime Achievement
SEBASTIEN ST JEAN

Best Photo
CARLOS PINTO/PATRICK BEVEN, Coxos. (cover SE58)

Best Video Part
JONATHAN GONZALEZ, EUROFORCE THE ACTIONMENTARY

Surfersvillage Global Surf News
www.surfeuropemag.com

He had the highest scoring wave of the final.  Surfing strongly on a solid 4ft (1.5m) left, he tore three great off the lip manoeuvres and landed a mini air, which added to his 13.17 heat score.   His fellow finalists put on a great show to produce a fitting climax to what has been a truly spectacular event.  "I am proud to win today," he said after his victory.  "I am happy for me and Spain .  We win in the cycling and in the football.  It was a wonderful final.  I'm really looking forward to surfing against the top 16 in the world.  I will go in with no stress, no worries so let's see.  I'm excited to surf alongside Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning." He finished his winner's speech with a "Merci a todos!"  

The final day of competition at this year's KOTG event has again raised the level of junior surfing in Europe .  The sun was scorching, the waves solid, and the crowds lined Le Prévent Beach at Capbreton to watch the action.  President of Quiksilver Europe, Pierre Agnes, at the prize presentation thanked everybody for coming to his home-town to make the event special.  

The best 32 European surfers aged 16 and under fought it out today but only the top two have earned prestigious wild cards into the World KOTG final.  The Europeans will be up against the best young surfers from around the globe who will be here to compete during the Quiksilver Pro France in September.  Joining Vicente as a World KOTG finalist will be Dimitri Ouvré from Guadeloupe , who came second today.  "I know I was first at the beginning of the heat," Dimitri concluded.  "I had two good waves but at the end of the heat I saw Vicente get good waves so I knew I had to do more.  I started to stress."  Dimitri is a fast and stylish surfer and surfed two strong lefts.  He has surfed solidly throughout the event and we look forward to seeing how he fares against global competition.

In third place was the highest rated local surfer, Mark Audo.  Mark's surfing was fast and fluid and he was clearly frustrated in the final, as he couldn't find the waves he wanted.  Mark looked obviously disappointed but said, "I want to applaud the top two.  It was a great competition and I'd like to say thank you and ‘bon surf' to everyone."

Toby Donachie the highest place British surfer really made a name for himself here in France and drew a lot of local support.  He had a great event but in the final things didn't go his way.  He couldn't find the open-faced waves to do his trademark forehand snaps, or bigger power turns.  Yesterday he scored a nine-point ride but after coming through the repercharge rounds today, he couldn't quite continue to find his rhythm.  Toby said, "I was stoked to be in the final against such high level surfing.  I was pretty tired I think I peaked in my last heat, but I didn't mind having to surf all those heats as I just love surfing.'

The expression session was a crazy spectacle.  Surfers were flying through the air trying to outdo each other and the public judged the winner.  The loudest cheers went out to William Aliotti.  He took his place at the prize giving alongside the four finalists.  Colourful confetti and champagne (alcohol free!) was exploding everywhere and the top two surfers went home with limited edition black KOTG surfboards.  The colourful and classy prize giving ceremony watched by a crowd of hugely enthusiastic spectators could easily have been mistaken for an ASP World Tour event.   It is very likely we will see these young guns taking the place of the likes of Kelly Slater et al on that podium in the years to come!

Quiksilver King of the Groms PARTNERS

Orange, partner of the King of The Groms 2008

Energy, creativity and audacity are words that Orange recognises and that have helped it choose to link up with the King of The Groms 2008, a competition for riders under 16.
Orange will use its technological expertise to support the event and will put in place the technical infrastructures it requires (press room equipment, commentators stands, technical areas, web-streaming and ADSL lines...).

About Suzuki

Suzuki makes the next strategic step in rejuvenating the brand. Therefore the cooperation with Quiksilver, one of the world's most successful lifestyle and core sports brands, is just the right step to take. The world market leader in the minicar segment will be present at all sponsored skate and surf events as well as in all communication channels of Quiksilver like www.boardriderstv.com and other selected media. Moreover Suzuki will be providing 20 Suzuki Grand Vitara during all of the skate and surfing events throughout Europe to make sure riders and organizers are at the right place at the right time.

Take a visually stunning and emotionally powerful journey through his life. See Clay literally come alive in the ocean as he destroys the waves of Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, France, Spain and Australia with his wildly creative surfing. You'll also experience inspiring testimonials about his incredible talent from the most legendary surfers in the world. The story also showcases an awareness-raising glimpse into his life and mind as he comes to understand both the gifts and challenges of living with Asperger's. 
This is a surf film unlike anything you've ever seen.