pic: M.MERRIEN

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Ewan Donnachie - MOnstrosity Photo: Rod Owen

www.fl ipmode.com.au

Ewan Donnachie - MOnstrosity Photo: Rod Owen

www.fl ipmode.com.au

Slab, your off-beat magazine, celebrates its first year of existence and the feeling remains the same: it’s when you are behind the wheel of a UFO that you learn to pilot a little bit more each day, without knowing what its final destination is. All we can say is that the 4th French issue was released just before Christmas, which might have made you slightly impatient. But it’s the same for us, yup, the same for us, because our plan was clear since the beginning, and we were quite sure that the first international number wouldn’t be a one-off. Although the project is French, its vocation is to go beyond borders, just like boogie does, so, Bam! Ladies & Gentlemen here’s Slab Global Issue #2.Besides the fact that our headquarters have been overwhelmed by snowfalls - unseen in France since 20 years or so - we have also been buried under gifts from our photographers and reporters friends of all kinds, and for that we thank you all! What a better way to reward you for all this attention, wherever you are. Here are a few bombs that the Frenchies were lucky enough to find under the Xmas tree. A brand new Slab issue, smelling the sweat of our already tired brains after the New Year’s parties. What a gift hey! Our Santa Claus doesn’t wear red clothes and a long white beard, but rather old perforated tennis shoes and a crumpled shirt. It doesn’t matter, we like him this way! Have we been “good boys” in 2010? Of course not, that is obvious. But this is exactly why we have been rewarded with: an itw of Pierre-Louis, some thoughts on localism with the example of Hawaii, a portfolio of Sam Powyer, a shooting gallery from the Réunion Island, the Annaelle Challenge, a unique competition in France and of course the best of the pics which we came across during the year-end.As a result, as stubborn as a mule, we’ll be persevering for the coming year. The long list of good resolutions ended in the flush, only the will to blow your mind with more content remains.E

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Fisheye by Kevin Row

www.slabmagazine.net

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Eric Gamez by Iraultza

Contents

Pierre-Louis / p.16Interview

ALA MOANA / p.30Article

Sam Powyer / p.34Portfolio

Parallèlism 3/ p.50 Article

Annaelle/ p.52Article

Run island/ p.60Gallery

I see you/ p.68 Gallery

OGM PUB

OGM PUB

AT A TIME OF FRENCH HEGEMONY IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, OUR NATIONAL HEROES HAVE CAUSED A LOT OF INK TO FLOW. DESPITE A NATURAL TENDENCY TO AVOID MAINS-TREAM TOPICS, THE ECHO OF RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS COULD NOT LEAVE US INSENSITIVE. THE TEAM SHARED THE GENE-RAL FERVOUR, AND TO BE HONEST IT IS GOOD SOMETIMES TO FLATTER OUR PATRIOTIC EGO BY PAYING ATTENTION TO THE SONG OF THE FRENCH COCKEREL ABOVE HAWAIIAN SWELLS AND THROUGH PERUVIAN VALLEYS. A FIESTA RAPIDLY OVER, AS THE MAG PUBLISHER WARNED ME TO MEET SOME DEADLINES IN ORDER TO AVOID THE VISIT OF SOME OF ITS OLD UKRAINIAN COUSINS, WHO ARE AS MUCH FANS OF BOOGIE THAN I AM A FAN OF BORSHCH. I HAD TO BE QUICK, EFFICIENT AND GENUINELY FRENCH. WELL, AN OBVIOUS NAME CAME TO MIND.

IN SPITE OF HIS GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS, HIS SIMPLICITY AND HIS SERIOUSNESS COULD MAKE HIM THE BEST NEIGHBOUR IN THE WORLD (BUT THE WORST NIGHTMARE FOR A POOR INTER-VIEWER). DESPITE SHORT TIMING AND DISTANCE, BEYOND “PLC” WE WERE LUCKY TO BE GRANTED ACCESS TO PIERRE-LOUIS.

Everyone has a dream. The gap is abyssal between those who dream of another life and those who turn their dream into reality. He is among the few who did so. Great men are dreamers. One could say they are ob-sessed, but isn’t it another word for impassioned? Life of-fers few opportunities and few people seize them anyway. He was very young when he decided to take control of his destiny by fully living his passion. In his early 20s, he had already spent more than 10 years on a boogie and has list of victories is as long as my arm. The child prodigy of the French bodyboard scene confides in us through our friendly, curious or nasty questions. From Morocco to Hossegor, a journey with Pierre-Louis and his vision of the boogie scene.

Where does Pierre-Louis come from?I grew up in the Mediterranean region, then in Morocco where I started bodyboarding.

What is your relation with the ocean?I like the ocean; I need it for my personal equilibrium. To practice a sport so connected to the ocean forces me to respect it a lot, it is the boss. Boogie is simply a way to spend as much time as possible in the ocean while having great fun.

You learned how to swim before learning how to walk. Tell us something about your family, how did they put you in contact so early with the sea and its waves?My parents are genuine water-people. My mother was a talented windsurfer and my father won the Moroccan swimming championships in his youth. I thus spent all my childhood close to the ocean. I also have a little sister who is on the way to become a professional surfer.

You started out on the Moroccan coast. What outstanding memories do you have from your first water experiences out there? I obviously have excellent memories of this period, as this is where it all began for me. Where I started bodyboar-ding, passed my first tricks, took part in my first contests.

Landing in France, your family moved to the Basque country and then to Hossegor. How was your life in those two places?When I was 11, I came to live in Bayonne. I was in se-condary school and I went surfing after school or during the weekends. But when the winter came, much colder than in Morocco, I almost lost any motivation to go to

the water and I started to use the Bayonne skatepark a lot. I really liked this sport and I spent almost all the winter there. I was even close to dropping bodyboarding in France because of the winter cold. Fortunately thanks to my mother and my friends, who pushed me to spend more time at the beach, who almost forced me to go into the water and really motivated me to pursue bodyboar-ding, I finally chose the ocean.

What is the place you call “home” today? I have lived in the Hossegor region since I was 14 years old. This is the place I call “home”. I like to come back to visit my friends and family and I consider that the waves here are perfect to make progress, the beach breaks are for me a perfect playground.

Did you notice a difference between surfing the Basque coast and the South-West coast beach breaks?Not really, there was just more bodyboarders around An-glet than around Hossegor and the other beach breaks.

Tell me a bit more about your beginning, when you really were a kidI started with a crew of friends; they were all here to give me advice and confidence for solid conditions, and to push me to enter contests. I did not really have a mentor, but I had Adnane Benslimane as a role model: I remem-ber that when he was surfing, I was leaving the water to observe him and wanted badly to be able to do the same one day.

FROM LEISURE TO ADDICTION

Can you remind us your long list of titles?8 times French champion, 2 times European Champion, 4th world rank in 2008, 6th in 2009, currently 2nd.

Why competitions?Because I am a born-competitor. I always loved to face adversaries, win sporting events, gain titles. Competition is a good occasion to show your skills to a public, in real time and conditions. I love to win and hate to lose. I took part in my first contest in an Open category when I was 10 in Morocco, and was so happy to be part of the event. From that day on, I’ve always known that I could win

other contests, but I could not imagine then that one day I would beat my idols in series.

When did you tell yourself that you wanted to be more than an amateur bodyboarder? Or did that all happen natu-rally? I think that all happened naturally. I used each step to progress towards this objective without trying to take short cuts. In the end it happened quite rapidly: I started at 10, I won my first competition the same year, I came to live in France, I won the French championships the fol-lowing year (2002), I won the European championships in 2004, aligned myself on the IBA tour in 2005 and became pro in 2006. In 2007 I reached my first IBA final in Chile and in 2008, I had my first occasion to get the IBA world title in the Canary Islands.

All parents would not necessarily listen and respond to the dreams of a 14 years old kid, how did you get the support of your family? My parents always backed me in all my choices and I have been very lucky as I wouldn’t be there today without them. It is not easy to let a 14-year old child go on surf trip alone to Hawaii or Australia, to let him withdraw from studies for a sport. I will never be able to thank them enough for that.

Did you have to make sacrifices?One of the greatest sacrifices I had to make to launch my career was to stop school soon even though today I do not regret anything.

TRAINING / SELF-ANALYSIS

How do you get prepared for a competition?I try to surf the spot of the competition or similar waves, to have a healthy lifestyle and find the right balance between concentration and a cool attitude. Besides the physical preparation, how do you prepare your-self mentally for the stakes of competition and the small-world of the high-level bodyboarding scene?For the time being, I do not have a real approach to those things but I try to work on it because clearly the mindset can greatly contribute to success.

What has been your biggest frustration during a contest?

To be taken out of a competition, at any stage and whate-ver the importance of the event remains frustrating.

And your bigger disappointment? To lose against Dave Hubbard this year at the Sintra Pro or ending second at Pipe right behind Ryan Hardy.

What really upsets you during a contest?Not being able to express myself either because other ri-ders were really dominating the spot or by a lack of waves.

On the contrary, what are your greatest memories and why? My first victory in Morocco when I was 11 years old quite simply because it was my first victory in competition. The French championships in Guadeloupe because my family came to attend it and it was my first Open title. My first victory on the IBA tour is in my mind forever and of course Peru which was the competition I always dreamt of. It is only when some time has elapsed that you realise you have achieved a dream.

How do you release competitive pressure?When it is too strong, only scoring a good wave can change my mood.

Did your already feel overwhelmed by either your failures or your fast success?No, never.

In which field do you think you can make additional progress?I can always improve my tricks, have more control in the barrels and work on my riding lines.

Since your victory in Peru, you have carried on turning in good performances. What changed, according to you, there? Do you think that this change will give you access to the title in 2011?Nothing has changed, in my view, in Peru compared to other competitions. I was just at the right place at the right time for the best bombs each time this day. We will see how 2011 goes, I’d like to know for a start what events are confirmed, and I am very motivated, especially after Amaury’s title.

The competition formats often change according to the spots and the countries. What works and what could be improved in your view? What currently works best are man-on-man series. With

Backflip at home by Caldo

Pipe /pic: Tungsten

regard to the improvement of the Tour, there are many things that could be changed. A new format has been proposed for next year and I’m waiting to see what will happen.

Do you think that one could recreate a Super Tour like a few years ago?I have a format in my mind but I will wait before being able to propose it. The Super Tour was indeed a good format but that is not yet the ideal format in my opinion.

BOOGIE BUSINESS

Were you rapidly sponsored? How were your first rela-tionships with sponsors? Who sponsored you first? My first sponsors were RIP, SEN No SEN and Rip Curl. I was very young at the time and super happy to have free bodyboarding gear and stickers on my board.

How do you manage relationships with your numerous sponsors today?I have an agent who deals with my sponsoring contracts.

Do you feel a kind of pressure from them? There is inevitably pressure. When a brand supports you or relies on you, the will to succeed and improve the image of the brand is source of pressure but I have a very a good relationship with all my sponsors who backed me as much in good circumstances as in the more difficult moments.

Don’t you think that there is sometimes a tendency to increase the level of risk taken? Of course, as in all the other sports.

Have you ever experienced dreadful fear?In Hawaii generally.

What is the last misfortune you can remember?When I broke my leash at Arica the day after the com-petition. I had to bodysurf 3m high waves between the rocks to get out of the water.

MEDIA / PUBLIC EXPOSURE

How was your apprenticeship of the media machine? Gradually. One becomes inevitably better with the expe-rience and while taking the advice of professionals.

You have just launched your own Internet site: what where the reasons for it?An Internet site was compulsory to develop a media strategy. The Net became so powerful today that it’s more than essential for a rider. I always wanted to have a site, to share my ideas, my opinions, my sessions… It’s really a pleasure to work on it and it’s only the beginning.

Did you have bad experiences with some media/mags/jour-nalists/photographs?No, not yet anyway.

How do you think that other people perceive you?I don’t know how others perceive me; I try to give a good image in any circumstance.

How do you manage the “soft celebrity” of a pro bodyboar-der?I always keep the head on my shoulders. As Mike Stewart says, the fact that bodyboard isn’t really known forces professionals to remain humble. Personally, I have always been the same person. All that I want is to reach the goals I’ve set for myself and surf as much as possible.

FINAL WORDS

If Pierre-Louis was to stop boogie boarding, what would he do?Now I don’t know, perhaps a business linked to body-boarding.

Pierre-Louis 40 years old: a rider like Mike Stewart or a businessman like Eppo?I don’t know. A rider like Mike Stewart.

How would you wish to finish this interview? Well just by thanking all the people who have supported me until now, my family, my friends and supporters and my sponsors (Pride, Stealth, Rip Curl, Pull In, Ocean Roots, OGM).

by Caldo

Fronton this winter /Pic:M.HEMON

It’s the end of March in Hawaii. End of the season, Pipeline is silted up. From now on the swells tend to reach the southern part of Oahu. Famous spots such as Waikiki or Sandy Beach are now working better, and replace in riders’ minds the North Shore frenzy. It is a bit as if the North Shore had given enough and it’s finally time for it to hand over to another place. On this day, following the advice of my Hawaiian friend Keith Sasaki and the photographer Gareth Sheehan, I ventured out to a spot unknown to me until then: Ala Moana.

Ala Moana which means “way to the ocean” in Hawaiian (according to Keith Sasaki) is located right in the downtown of Honolulu. It’s a reef-break at the mouth of a river and near a charming marina. A pretty place, bordered by vast green areas crowded on Saturdays with Hawaiian families who are in the habit of enjoying a barbecue there. Nevertheless, the urbanization around the wave somehow reminds me some French spots. It’s probably because of its artificial dams and the brownish opaque colour of the water that looks familiar to me. After some time spent finding a parking space, Gareth and I finally manage to get out of the car. It’s time to check.

The peak is far out. A 2m left wave is breaking perfectly 400m from there. At this distance, we can count about twenty surfers. To reach the line up, you need to watch out. You have to start from the river and take care of the strong river traffic because the boats go fast. Why such a speed? Because, just like surfers, the skippers have to cross the wave. From the shore, I see them awaiting the end of the series to enter or leave the harbour: impressive! Without waiting any longer, I throw myself from the rocks on which several photographers have started to settle. After ten long minutes of cautious paddling, I reach my destination. During my crossing, I could observe that the wave was quite simply perfect for the boogie. The take-off starts with foam, then the wave throws in foam bowl and never closes. Surfers constantly slow down their ride to capture a nice barrel and then exit with the wave breath. The sets on the other hand are not very frequent and bring no more than 3 or 4 waves.

At the line up, I strongly revise my rough estimate of the spots’ population. There is easily twice my initial guess of riders who wait sitting on their boards, on their shortboards to be more precise… I position myself, neither inside nor outside. I wait there, in the middle of the crowd. I start observing the guys around me. I suddenly realise that this reef seems to accommodate only very few tourists, if any. At this moment, I am the only white and the only bodyboarder… Here the guys are solid and tattooed. They all fit the stereotype of the Hawaiian strapping lad. Without caricaturing, it is really the image of “Polynesian guys” seen in mags and videos. Whoops… Te

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Ala Moana /

Stories on Hawaii and its strong local chauvinism come to mind. Of course, I have heard here and there that certain spots were closed to foreigners. Having surfed Pipeline, Off the Wall and Sandys before without having this feeling, I start to ask myself if my place is here at the peak among native Hawaiians. However, nobody stared at me or behaved aggressively against me. I just have the feeling of not existing in their eyes.

Quickly, I hear a guy speaking louder than the others about ten meters from me. This guy is on a shortboard, encircled by a horde of Hawaiian watermen. Everyone is laughing around him. Pus-hed by my curiosity I spontaneously paddle towards them and join the group. Once there, I recognize the Pipe legend: Kainoa Mc Gee. It was him the centre of the group’s attention. Without thinking twice and unconcerned about possible reactions, I get closer to him and say: “Hi Kainoa, I’m happy to meet you, I come from France”. Mc Gee looks at me in the eyes then repositions himself on his board. He slowly paddles in my direction, all his pals part to let him through me. Once at my level, the famous Hawaiian bruiser starts to smile, offers me a frank handshake and answers: “Hey my friend, how are you? I’m happy to meet you too”. Immediately the faces of the guys relax and one of them even asks: «Hey, is this f***** as***** known in France?» The whole Hawaiian crew laughs. Without imposing myself further in this longstanding fellowship, I go back to my initial position.

Suddenly come the sets. Far from me the idea to take a wave, I just try to keep out of the way of the locals. Then starts the big show! Kainoa leads the scene. He regulates the flow at the peak by designa-ting who among his pals can take-off: “Go, go, bra’” he exclaims. Then the bomb comes. Kainoa paddles quietly while everyone draws aside, as if it is the obvious thing to do. This astonishing attitude does not surprise me so much in the context. On the contrary, I am happy to see this. What were only anecdotes from my remote France with respect to Hawaiian local behaviour turns into a reality, here, in Ala Moana! Once the set passed, everyone takes back their allocated positions respecting a certain hierarchy. The line up is about to be overcrowded now. Sitting on my boogie, I am aware that it will be complicated for me to take a wave in these conditions: there is not

Ala Moana /

one guy at the inside, there are fifty of them! Moreover, the level is such that no one falls, all ride the wave in an optimal way. However, I do not feel any frustration, especially when I realize that Jeff Hub-bard in person places itself beside me. Definitely, it seems that this is the place to be today! Speaking for myself: “Jeff Hubbard, Hawaiian, current world champion who surfs here”? This is precisely when I get the full picture: to surf the splendid bowl of Ala Moana will be impossible for me today. Of course, being an eternal grommet, I jump at the occasion to approach my idol who inspired me so much to bodyboard. I remember saying: “It will be complicated to catch a wave today Jeff”! He answered: “Ho, it’s ok, I’m not complaining”. Soon after that he took an intermediate wave and left the spot. For my part, I tried to enter the battle, but after an unfruitful hour, I abdi-cated. For the first time in my life I left the water paddling, without surfing even the smallest wave. I followed Jeff Hubbard’s example, and it was probably the only solution on that day.

This experience at Ala Moana could have taken place anywhere else in the world. It shows that it is important to consider the personalities who have a longstanding practice of a given spot. Sometimes, it is necessary to accept to step aside and keep subtly in the background until you become accepted. In France, we are also confronted with a massive expansion of surfing and boogie along our coasts. The number of people riding all year long increases constant-ly. The problem also comes from the spots which can’t always contain this strong affluence. As a result, certain implicit local rules locally in the course of time. Naturally, the debate is more than relevant: how can we accept rules, when we are in search of absolute freedom through our discipline? It is, in my opinion, the paradox of the open-mindedness of contemporary surfing.

About SAM//Been photographing for about 4 years doing all types of photography but my main focus is on surf photography. Its always a fun day to shoot anything in the ocean weather on land or in the water.I’ve studied graphic design and photography and recently graduated from the course, its been really fun to be both a graphic designer and photographer I guess being able to do both helps out a lot which is kind of cool.My passions are of course photography, graphic design, the ocean, bodyboarding/ surfing, fishing, having fun and life in general.

I love to travel and I am always doing road trip up and down the coasts with my mates shooting and surfing waves.

Sam Powyer - Portfolio

THIS DAY WAS SO MUCH FUN TO SHOOT! NORMALLY THEREWOULD BE A HEAP OF PEOPLE OUT ON A DAY LIKE THIS BUTSURPRISINGLY THERE WAS NO ONE OUT, JUST SOME SUPER FUNBARRELS COMING THROUGH!

N.S.W SOUTH COAST BOMBIE

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE WAVES TO SHOOT! ITS SUCH AMONSTER OF A WAVE AND THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT ANGLESYOU CAN GET FROM HERE AND ITS EVEN BETTER WHEN SOMEONEIS RIDING IT!

NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT HE WAS GOING FOR BUT ITS LOOKEDAWESOME ANYWAY!

Sam Powyer - Portfolio

Sam Powyer - Portfolio

SUPERS IS PROPERLY ONE OF THE MOST CRAZIEST BUT REMARKABLE WAVES I’VE SHOT, YOU ARE ONLY METERS AWAY FROM DRY ROCK AND AS THE WAVE COMES CLOSER YOU CAN FEEL IT TRYING TO SUCK YOUOVER, A KID WAS KNOCKED UNCONS-CIOUS AND ALMOST BROKEHIS BACK OUT THERE THE MORNING IS SHOT THIS WAVE.

AUSSIE PIPE / TOPYOU’VE PROPERLY ALL SEEN AT LEAST A FEW PHOTOS OF THISWAVE. THIS WAS A PRETTY AVERAGE DAY BUT IT WAS STILLPRODUCING SOME GREAT WAVES!

Sam Powyer - Portfolio

WINNY ON THE WAY!

ACADEMY’S DICTIONARY (8TH EDITION).TRAVEL: noun. / ‘træv.əl’ / activity consisting in going from one point to another through a more or less long path, from a city to another, a country to another. Or from one spot to another.

The journey starts well before the departure. Hours spent reading and rerea-ding the Stormrider Guide, to dissect the list of spots, to get information on forums and from friends. Surf conditions, water temperature, local dishes and a place to sleep not too far from the spot. Above all, forget nothing. Thanks to the Web, some contacts are made before the D-day, ensuring a Visa for the best possible trip. It is also, and especially, a priceless chance to approach the local culture, the essence of a journey.

It is now time to pack. “Do I take the 4/3mm… or not?” ; “PE or PP?“ Do I take the small 40’ rocket or the 41.5’ air carrier? (Yes 1.5 inches make a big difference!). Last checks: Passport and Visa are ok, the boards are under 4 layers of protection, sun and anti-mosquito lotions are ready to use, without forgetting a well uploaded playlist for the long distance… by car, train, or plane. All is good to escape, and the number of kilometres isn’t necessarily the best criteria to judge the quality of the journey.

Clearly translucent water, coral, and surfing in a shorty may help. But the essence is in the break itself, in the fact of leaving behind us our routine, more than anything else. This shift is felt right at the boarding. Stressful traffic jams and the fear of missing the plane are behind, now the airline stewardess manages the rest. And already, people are different from normal life. Travellers on their way back with different accents and people’s looks from elsewhere. We start to search for other surfers, who will certainly be met again in the water at the spots. Small friendly glances exchanged, before dipping back into our magazines to while away the wait.

At last, after several hours, the shore is in sight. Not yet landed and we already begin to watch for peaks on the coast, to try to assess the potential of this new Eden. And the first true shock awaits us just at the exit of the airport. The landscape has obviously changed. Luxuriant tropics, lunar plains of Canary Islands or arid sands of Morocco. To this brand new frame you can add new smells, the colour of the sky, the unusual shape of clouds, the air temperature, and all these small things, sometimes almost imperceptible, which whisper in your ear. “Hey guy, you have arrived. Make the most of your stay!”

And then emerges a fact, implying some humility: here, we are the foreigners. A different culture, sometimes a new language. And the need to leave behind our background to start enjoying the present and write on a blank page the lines of our discoveries there. The journeys often encourage approaching other people with an open mind. Some small efforts often rewarded by those who, having little, give a lot.Te

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Parallelism 3

And of course, surfing, and our small space to conquest in the water. Forget the weak swells and experiment powerful oceans breaking on a sharp-edged reef, fire-coral or volcanic rock. Here also, modesty is advised. To actually drive a small rental car such as a Dakar Rally off-road queen to check a hot point-break at the very end of a sand track is different from just clicking/zooming on Google Map. “are you sure this is the road ? ‘cause with 2 more kilometres like this we’re going to lose a wheel on a bank…” – “don’t worry, that’s ok”… And in the middle of nowhere, 3 or 4 cars on an improvised carpark and a chick standing on a stone with a camera, immortalizing the rides of her boyfriend. A perfect, long, radical wave in a splendid landscape. And the acclamations of the locals in the water when one of them tries a fat drop.

“Here we are…” Nothing more to wear than a board-short and a lycra, in a 26 degree water. First duck-dives and big fun looking at the colour of the boiling water from below the sea surface, above our head. Even the taste of water is not the same here.

Finally, our first wave of the trip: you appreciate all the power of this unknown spot, you try to guess the actual shape of tropical fishes under the board, you see the coral pass below your slick, before being locked up in a turquoise barrel, a big smile on your face…

Parallelism 3

When we were kids, we dreamed of only one thing: taking our boogie, riding our faithful bicycle and conquering the most beautiful beachbreaks in the neighbou-rhood. Today, the same kid scorns soft sand, sent long time ago the crown flying, and aims at only one thing: bringing back home the award for the worst wipe-out and enjoying a big kig ha farz (a local speciality from Léon - Northern Finistère) with a group of buddies!Let’s go back two years: “a small village of indomitable Gauls ” decide to transform a spot facing a deserted island away from the Finistère coast into the place for a unique kind of contest on a French reef. But life is full of surprises, especially for people used to improvising, such as bodyboarders: the island is private property! What could be more normal, here some people own small islands like others would own a kitchen garden. Who cares? After having untangled the long roots and the multiple branches of the owner’s family tree, authorization is granted. Annaelle finds a place in History.

Text: S. Da vilva

Without describing all the zodiac trips back and forth, big barrels, airs, crashs, billigs (the traditional pancake pan) and the quantity of crêpes guzzled down, the 2009 first edition was a success, paving the way for an even bigger and better 2010 edition. For this year, a cocktail of boogie addiction, DIY spirit and Briton riding culture allowed for a change of dimension: more riders, more solid conditions, more sponsors, more prize money and… more kig ha farz ! A contest pushing the limits, leaving the norms behind and being part of this new kind of event: it is created by bodyboarders only to appease the thirst for action of other bodyboarders! On the Annaelle Challenge, an invitational event, nobody is a competitor, all are invited and that makes a difference. This is why the following photos capturing stolen moments of those great days will surely encourage some of you to write a nice motivational letter to the event’s promoters, with the hope with the hope of being drafted to the 2011 edition.

Alan l’helgouach /pic: Bourdier

N. Marinelli /pic: Bourdier

Britain’s wall /pic: Gladu

What I have in common with Hannibal of The A-TEAM, and I am quite proud of it, it is that “I love it when a plan comes together”. I thus buy one of those good old basic tourist guides well after having booked my ticket for this new destination. Lost in the south-west of the Indian Ocean, approximately 700 km away from Madagas-car and a little more than 170 km from from Mauritius, Reunion looks like a medieval castle with its tower, the 3000m high Piton des Neiges. Just a few hours before take-off, I already see myself facing innumerable dangers once the assault of the fortress has been engaged.I take my courage in both hands, and start to read of what should have become my bible for this trip. First page, first word: “the Paradise Islands” Ok, sounds great. Blablabla… second sentence… “Bourbon Island”. It is getting better and better! Finally the guide will remain inside the bag, let’s let instinct take command. Espe-cially after useful feedback such as:“Hey guys, how is Réunion?” - Pfff !! So amazing!!!Yeaahhh!! Then, Tell me more! Waves not too soft? Water not too cold? - No, it is just paradise!! Water temperature is super mild, waves are nuts, and then the food, pfff a killing!Cool! Not too overcrowded spots, nice people? - Yeah, really cool place man, but the food, pfff a killing!The West Coast, not too sharky?- No it’s ok, but the food, pfff a killing!

Don’t you find it so strange that everything is so cool in this place, including the food? Well it only means that you have never been there. Food, is one of the good reasons to let your boardshort dry for a few hours. The Python de la Fournaise volcano could even have woken-up with a big bang, I would have stuck to that plastic chair at Herbert’s place ( big up man!), enjoying an unspoilt view over the lagoon, as long as a single grain of rice from my Rougail Saucisse remained on my plate.

Invert / Robert George / Pic. Jamet

The other main reason to remain a few hours (no more, we remain boogy addicts after all) far from the shore is to visit the other island. Easy man: I already see you straining your eyes over the maps and reviewing the last 10 last years of surf reports on the area in order to find out what this new Eldorado about which nobody has ever spoken is!

Surfers never speak about it. Obviously when one goes on a surfing trip, the idea is to get as many waves as possible. This is true, at least in the beginning. Then the images of this green mountain line increasingly catch your attention. This fog emerging from this green ocean which overhangs us and which one has all time in the world to observe when, at the peak on the Hermitage’s left, by a ground swell, the series are long to come.

This is when you buy your ticket for the second Island, going inland, the ‘Island of Inside” as they call it. Swim fins are replaced by walking shoes to make the ascent of climbs such as the Maïdo Python. The place overcomes you and you find yourself leaving a prayer at the Chapel of Rosemont or saying “hello” to the Formica Léo crater.

Back on the shore, the beauty of the Island appears even more clearly, always in search of a small surf session. We go a bit further north towards Saint-Gilles. The Roches Noires provide a safe harbour when the outside reefs break, just for the sake of getting wet. It is also possible to opt for a more anonymous session, a little more in the south, just to be backwashed in the local Waïmea of Etang Salé.Finally, looking through the window of the plane bringing me back home I end up thinking that on this rough diamond, one always ends up finding a good session. Tide, wind and time passing are no longer a concern, whether you are a fan of acid reefs such as l’Hermitage and its big bowls, or whether you prefer mutant slabs of the 3rd peak behind the dam of Saint-Gilles, the spots hosting a unique competition of this kind, the David Legleye Challenge Memorial, in memory of this gifted rider, who left us too early.

This is also when you understand better why the island is the cradle of the current world champion and the home spot of so many good French riders. The latest to date to expe-riment it, Dave Hubbard, could have drawn the same conclusions: crazy spots, things moving in the water (turtles they say…, mmm), smiles everywhere, lycras of no use and good food. A lot of words could be added but the only ones coming to my mind are: Ok! GO! GO! GO!

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01. Dk snap to reverse / Amaury at home / pic. M.Merrien02. Dubb in Revo air / Run island /pic. M.Merrien04. Dubb Dk air show / pic.Laurent Jamet

JUst BAM! Inv / Julien Gigovic / Pic. Jamet

Run Island /

Big Backflip in the Run tradition / Pierre Barthelier / Pic. Jamet

Run Island /

Dave Loves Run / Pic. Jamet

Eric Medclaff / Pics: Jye MacDonnald

01. M. Ausina / pic. M.Hemon02. Yoan Florentin /pic. A. Caldo03. Y. Cannevet / pic. M.Hemon

04. F. Quenemer /pic. Keravec05. Hawaiian Bodysurf / pic. Lequerre06. E. Gamez / pic. Iraultza07. Trainning Yvon Martinez / Pics. Hemon08. A. Papon / pic. A. Allano

Pic. Ben Sowry

Inv Liam Tomkins Pic. Ben Sowry

Pic. James Raper