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Viewed 65003 times since 30th Nov 2010
WHILST Kelly Slater was busy winning 10 world titles and dominating everything going -- including all the media coverage -- a short hop over the continental United States saw Kohl Christensen equally engaged... winning the third stop of the Big Wave World Tour in 40ft plus seas at Nelscott Reef.

The 6th Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic again saw a day of perfectly brutal surf. You'd expect to catch it 'on' during a long holding period but up there in Oregon everything seems to always fall into place right on cue. New to the Big Wave World Tour for 2010, this was the first time that Nelscott had been a pure paddle affair. In catching the biggest swell of the season competitors charged the largest waves ever paddled here. Word at one point was that it might be 'too' big and on first inspection all you could say was 'big' and 'that's a hell load of whitewater'.

Open ocean swells averaging out a 22ft 18 seconds meant the day started out with pretty raw conditions producing waves of 40ft plus. After a slight cooling period in the morning, organizers decided to start the contest at ten o’clock. Faced with a gigantic beachbreak with no channel it took almost an hour for the first heat to make it into the water. When finally made it out they were greeted with perfect conditions and nare a breath of wind ruffling the face. It was on.
Hammering out of the the winning 10 pointer, a massive back-doored barrel ... Kohl Christensen
© Bella Hunt - 2012
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This article has been given an average rating of 3.64 from 134 votes.
Ed Magicseaweed
Comments
 
Archived Comments
Dave Schauber537 days ago -2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
1st off let me say that it is an International tour. There are surfers from Peru, Chile, Mexico, S Africa, Hawaii, Brazil and The Dominican Republic that have competed on The Big Wave World Tour this year. There are 5 events with 4 different countries as venue locations. Also over 30 percent of the contestants in the Mavs event are not even from The US. As far as Aussies go, there used to be a couple in the Mavs event Ross Clark Jones and Tony Ray were invited to the event for years until they aged a bit and stopped coming to Mavs on every swell like they did in the beginning. Now we have Jamie Mitchell from Oz who is putting his time in at Mavs and has earned an alternate spot. It does not matter where you are from, it matters how dedicated you are to surfing the spot if your going to be invited in PERIOD. Maybe if the Aussie boys would get over towing into slabs and paddle into some real waves, and show dedication to all the spots on tour and a lot of dedication to being a PADDLE IN SURFER in surf of consequence then maybe things will change. It would be great to see Irishman like Al Mennie or Fergal Smith in an event but as with the Aussies they will have to leave home and start PADDLING into waves around the world to build their notoriety and show they deserve to be there. It's easy to sit back and make random statements but until you ride a 30 footer at all the big waves in the world and know what it requires to earn the honor of one of these invites then you really have no opinion, just empty statements that don't offer one shred of truth most of the above statements are just worthless geographic bias. PEACE
jleb536 days ago +5 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Still sounds a bit arbitrary to be fair though mate. Is there an open criteria or is it just down to whether or not people know your face in the line up?
Dave Schauber535 days ago +2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
It all boils down to logistics, you usually only have 1 day of giant surf in a swell therefore there is only time for a 24 man panel of competitors. Ultimately there will always be someone left out that people feel deserve to be there. The Mavs comp consists of the top 10 ranked surfers on The Big Wave World Tour from last season, The current 2010/2011 Big Wave World Tour ratings leader, A 3 time past Mavs winner, Last years XXL award winner for biggest paddle in wave, 6 former finalists at the Mavs event, Kelly Slater who took 2nd in last years Eddie and a 2nd at Mavs in the past. That leaves Nathan Fletcher and 3 other locals who have all made the Semi's or better in previous events. To me it seems as though the list was fairly comprised. There are 8 guys I could name right now who live walking distance to the break and surf the place better than half the guys in the event so it definitely is not all about the locals.
jleb535 days ago +4 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Fair enough, but I imagine if it is ever going to take off as a bonefide World Tour (like the WCT) and be taken seriously, then there would have to be a fair and open qualification (The WQS). Otherwise it's just gonna be a bunch of mates patting each other on the back down at the beach. That's if people want it to go that way. I just think it's easy for people to slap the title 'World' in front of things but to me that implies certain standards are met.
Ed Magicseaweed503 days ago +1 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Have a look at the Big Wave World Tour site. It's as yet a small organisation trying to do just that. Unless you're a magician with unlimited pockets you can't create a perfect system without doing it in stages. A qualifying tour is in the works and you'll see it in action asap.
Grant Davis537 days ago +4 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Should be called the American big wave tour, where are the aussies?
tjo540 days ago +2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
nathan fletcher, hawaii? he's from san clemente?
Ed Magicseaweed538 days ago +3 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Good spot, I missed that. That's what you get if you cut and paste other people's lists.
Gomas540 days ago +6 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Looking at the Mavs invitational list, isnt it time there were a few more international surfers included. Some of the Irish boys must deserve to be in there.
Ed Magicseaweed538 days ago +4 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
You've got to be surfing Mavs a lot (or be Kelly Slater) to be invited there.
jleb537 days ago +5 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
shame, it's hardly a world tour then is it...
Ed Magicseaweed536 days ago +3 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Well no, because it goes over the whole world inviting locals at each event. In Peru you get Peruvians and in California you get Californians. We really need to have an event in Ireland and then we can get the Irish in. Stands to reason no?
jleb535 days ago +1 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
not sure how you could get a world champion then, if there's different people competing against each other each time.
stevealfredson540 days ago -2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Awesome, paddle surfing. Those who question this stuff need to get out in the big surf and paddle harder.
inswano541 days ago -2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
What a junk wave
Baboon Barrels541 days ago +7 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
what a junk comment
snakeman541 days ago +3 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
A possible close-out re-entry as he came out of that barrel?? Come on!! Couldnt have been that hard to do?? heh heh heh...
Scott541 days ago Unrated Rate Positive Rate Negative
Very narce ;)
Colin C541 days ago +6 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
Nice re-entry section...
The Kookoo541 days ago +2 Rating Rate Positive Rate Negative
made me chuckle :D
 
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