Red Bull Unleashed
Surf Snowdonia, Wales UK
18 - 20 September 2015
World's first Wavegarden surf contest kicks off
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 September, 2015 - "This is so sick!" says Kai Hing after surfing his first duel in round one of Red Bull Unleashed, at Surf Snowdonia in Wales. For those who aren't familiar with Red Bull Unleashed, which is pretty much everyone here including the crowd, the commentators and the competitors, the event is a mystery, but one that is getting more popular the more it reveals itself.
The beauty of an event in a wave pool is that you can organize proceedings down to the minute. In the couple of days that everyone has been in Wales we've had practice, think Formula One with competitors allowed on the course at different times, and qualifying, which took on the sort of format you see utilised in skate and snowboarding events, with a competitor's two best waves from six counting towards a leader board.
Of the 20 men who fronted up at this spectacular location in Wales, 16 progressed to the main event, their scores then used to seed them in the main event. From this point on it's all man on man battles, and the format for advancing changes again. In each duel surfers go wave for wave, in a best of five showdown.
Day 1 competition © Olaf Pignataro / Red Bull Content Pool
With each wave counting you simply cannot afford to fall, yet if you play it safe as the first surfer you risk leaving the door open for your rival, who knows what he has to do to advance. Waves come every three minutes, and it's riveting stuff. "I'm so tense!" screams Jack Freestone, watching his rival Evan Geiselman, "this is insane!"
Today we saw Ian Crane, who you might remember from his nail biting heat with Filipe Toledo at Trestles last week, continued his incredible run of form to post a near perfect 29 out of 30 to ice his 3-1 thumping of Mikey Wright.
New Zealander Billy Stairmand, one of the lightweight brigade who are making this wave their own, beat Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti in a nail biter, while close friends Evan Geiselman and Jack Freestone fought out a back and forth battle that ended with Freestone progressing, and solidifying his standing as one of the men to beat, and in the last duel of the day former World Tour competitor Mitch Crews was clinical in disposing of English powerhouse Reubyn Ash.
Tomorrow the inaugural Red Bull Unleashed will draw to a close in front of a huge Welsh weekend crowd. Performances are ramping up as competitors get more familiar with the wave, and eight men are left standing as the battle for the medieval helmet trophy reaches it's final, glorious, conclusion.
Day 1 competition © Olaf Pignataro / Red Bull Content Pool
