For the first time in 14 years, since Josh Kerr bellowed the last Quiksilver Airshow Series swan song in 2005, there will be an aerial world champion. A bona fide, battle-tested, globally relevant, pro league-affiliated, aerial world champion.
Now, we don’t know exactly who that is. The WSL haven’t officially named him yet. What we do know is that this was no easy feat. Not after wrapping up the inaugural Red Bull Airborne series in the kind of brine La Graviere served up today.
Perfect airshow conditions… for Goliath. Photo: Poullenot/WSL
Moonlighting away from his upcoming Championship Tour heat, Jack Freestone buckled boards, ate sand and took a fin to the head, which sent him to the hospital for stitches. Kalani David punted on a tweaked ankle, and tweaked it even worse. Matt Banting got mangled, too; forcing Kerr to send in the alternates: Jacob Szekely, Leif Engstrom and Leon Glatzer. The latter broke his board with his face trying to stick a dizzying Kerrupt flip.
“These are extreme airshow conditions,” head judge and early ‘90s aerial subscriber, Shane Beschen, simplified, shaking his head at the cacophonous detonations going off mere feet away from capacity crowds, which is to say, around 25,000 people. “A lot of carnage. A lot of injuries.”
Nomme Mignot, f/s slob. Photo: Poullenot/WSL
Make no mistake: surfing is absolutely an impact sport, and any WSL judge will assert that aerials account for a majority of injuries at the elite level. Combine the inherent risk of an aerial specialty event featuring 18 guys, both on and off the Tour, with La Grav’s shorebreak treachery, and you have the recipe for… well, put it this way: Misread a f/s disaster, and that’s exactly what could become of your pro career.
Oddly enough, only one CT surfer made the Final today, Griffin Colapinto, who joined two local guys (Nomme Mignot, Maxime Huscenot) an Aussie (Reef Heazlewood), a Hawaiian (Finn McGill) and a Californian (Ian Crane) — all arriving with varying degrees of success in and out of competition. Meanwhile, aerial superstars like Deane, Chippa and Albee had to watch from the bleachers. Because in its current incarnation, the Red Bull Airborne is a make-or-break, ride-away-or-nothing game.
Finn McGill, f/s air-reverse. Photo: Poullenot/WSL
But we get the feeling that, after today, Kerr and co. may rethink that rule. Equally reckless as he was brave, Matt Meola charged the largest, thickest, dumpiest, most ominous sections, and actually attempted to land ‘em — insane, masochistic, straight-legged landings, backwards and sightless.
“Some of the sections Matt Meola got today were astronomical, the biggest I’ve ever seen,” said Beschen, who pondered the possibility of giving the Maui extrovert some kind of award. “If he would’ve made them, there’d be 10’s across the board.”
Reef Heazlewood, f/s WTF. Photo: Poullenot/WSL
Between Meola’s primal rage, Chippa’s shifty transfers from one imploding bowl into another exploding one, Finn McGill’s Indy fetish, and all the other grabs and flips and board and body rotations attempted today, the lack of makes was kind of moot. It’s almost cooler that they didn’t make ‘em. This was a study in imperfection and impulse, however destructive that may be. Some of the contestants here have checkered pasts, dubious reps, and not much of a future in pro surfing, if we are being completely honest.
The tats, the ‘tudes, and the sideline inebriation set the course for a seductive, antiheroic time capsule transporting fans back to the days of Vans/SMAS past. In that way, the Airborne paints a much broader picture of the culture’s supporting cast, all those fringe characters that keep our story raw and funny and interesting. Who knows? This could be the last vestige of countercultural rust before surf culture squeaks itself clean to the point of complete, unrecognizable renovation.
Ian Crane, f/s grab. Photo: Poullenot/WSL
By the end of the 45-minute final, it was one of those fringe characters, Ian Crane, stomping perhaps the most timeless air, the frontside grab, that stole the Airborne from the CT’ers who’d been dominating the series since its 2018 inception.
“This is awesome,” Crane laughed. “I just got chaired up the beach in France, this is just out of control. It’s definitely one of the best surfing moments of my life. It’s my first time down here in Hossegor, and yes, I love it. It was really hard to land airs, but that one was pretty cool. I almost made a huge one that I really wanted to land.”
That “huge one” he referred to was his patented, backside stalefish full-rotation, Ian Crane’s calling card, which he obliged the crowd with — futile, but beautiful. Technical, but dirty.
We’re not sure what kind of bonus the eventual World Air Champ will receive for his three-event performance. All we know is the total prize purse for each event is $70K, according to the Red Bull website. Crane will take home 20 large. In between accommodating the females and revamping the Big Wave Tour, the WSL could do a lot worse than adding a stop or two to their airshow docket, and perhaps a bit more prizemoney. Because surfboards are expensive. Surgeries are expensive.
Just something to consider. Because this Airborne thing has legs. Crazy, unstrapped, totally breakable legs.
The top-three, f/s bubbly pop. Photo: Masurel/WSL
Red Bull Airborne France Final Results:
1 – Ian Crane (USA) 5.83
2 – Nomme Mignot (FRA) 4.50
3 – Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 3.93
4 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 3.77
5 – Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 3.73
6 – Finn McGill (HAW)
Oh, and if you haven’t seen this…it’s how Crane got ready, tongue-in-cheek:
Red Bull Airborne France Qualifying Round 1 Results:
HEAT 1: Albee Layer (HAW) 9.00 DEF. Eithan Osborne (USA) 5.20, Kalani David (HAW) 3.00, Julian Wilson (AUS) , Reef Heazlewood (AUS) , Matt Meola (HAW)
HEAT 2: Ian Crane (USA) 10.66 DEF. Nomme Mignot (FRA) 5.07, Noa Deane (AUS) , Kevin Schulz (USA) , Griffin Colapinto (USA) , Jacob Szekely (USA)
HEAT 3: Finn McGill (HAW) 16.53 DEF. Cam Richards (USA) 8.80, Eric Geiselman (USA) 6.34, Jack Freestone (AUS) 5.20, Chippa Wilson (AUS) , Maxime Huscenot (FRA)
Red Bull Airborne France Qualifying Round 2 Results:
HEAT 1: Ian Crane (USA) 6.34 DEF. Eric Geiselman (USA) 6.24, Albee Layer (HAW) 4.34, Leon Glatzer (DEU) 2.80, Noa Deane (AUS), Matt Meola (HAW)
HEAT 2: Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 12.46 DEF. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 11.34, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.07, Kevin Schulz (USA), Finn McGill (HAW), Jacob Szekely (USA)
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.86 DEF. Nomme Mignot (FRA) 9.54, Cam Richards (USA) 4.20, Chippa Wilson (AUS), Eithan Osborne (USA), Leif Engstrom (USA)
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