Trestles
Pro Wrap
Molly to the Semis. Callum debuts the Utopia RT. LOB takes down Toledo.
Lower Trestles does not hide anything. Clean faces, defined pockets, and whoever surfs best on the day wins. No heavy water to blame.
Miguel Pupo won the men's event. Erin Brooks won the women's for her third straight CT win. Both were surfing at a level that left very little room for anyone else.
Molly made the Semis. Callum made the Quarters on the new Utopia Round Tail in its first CT appearance. Liam took down two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo with an 8.50 in his opening heat. Luke beat the current world number one, Leo Fioravanti, in his opener. Ethan went out in Round 3 to the eventual runner-up, Kanoa Igarashi.
Four models used across the team. Juliette for Ethan and Liam. MF Lightning for Luke. Utopia RT for Callum. MF DNA Round Tail for Molly.
Molly Picklum
Semis at Trestles. Only Erin Brooks in the way.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Trestles suits Molly. Quick transitions, clean faces, room to link turns without the wave deciding for you. She looked comfortable all event.
A 7.83 was the best single wave but the consistency told the bigger story. A 12.72 heat average is serious output at this level.
The Semi against Erin Brooks was the end of it. Erin has won three in a row now. She is surfing with the kind of form that makes everyone else's week harder. Molly went at her but could not find the wave to turn the heat.
Fourth in the world. Another Semi. She has put herself in a good position coming into the last stretch of the tour.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Callum Robson
Quarters on the new Utopia RT. First CT event for the board.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Callum brought the Utopia Round Tail to Trestles. First CT event for the board. It is not out yet. It drops in three weeks.
You do not bring an unreleased board to a CT event unless you know it works. Callum knew. He surfed through the early rounds cleanly, posted a 7.33 as his best wave and held an 11.03 heat average across the event.
The Quarters at Trestles is a good result. The field is stacked and the wave rewards the best pocket surfers on Tour. The board and the surfing were both working.
More on the Utopia RT soon.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Liam O'Brien
8.50 to take down Toledo in his opening heat
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Liam opened against Filipe Toledo. Two-time World Champion and event favourite.
He posted an 8.50 and took the heat. That is not a scrappy upset. Toledo is Toledo. You have to outscore him, and Liam did.
A 12.65 heat average is strong. Round 3 was not the result he came for, but the scalp against Toledo and the way he surfed to earn it say more than the round number.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Ethan Ewing
Went out to the eventual runner-up
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Ethan went out in Round 3, losing to eventual runner up - Kanoa Igarashi.
A 7.67 best wave and a 12.13 heat average. The surfing was there, but the ocean kinda left Ethan hanging. And when the surfer who beats you goes on to finish runner-up, there isn't much more you could have done.
Ethan has been consistent all season. The approach does not change. He turns up, surfs properly, and the rankings reflect it. Eighth in the world coming into the last 3 events
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Luke Thompson
Beat the world number one in his opening heat
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Luke drew the current world number one, Leonardo Fioravanti, in his second heat. He won the heat, quite convincingly.
That does not happen by accident. A 7-point best wave and an 11.65 heat average backed it up. Round 3 was the exit, but the highlight is the heat with Leo. Two DHD surfers took down the top-ranked and the most decorated surfer at Lowers in their respective openers.
Luke keeps showing he belongs at this level, and will be no doubt be back soon.
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
Photo: WSL/Emma Sharon
multiple Boards at Trestles
Every event asks something different. Tahiti was a Sweet Spot 4.0 event. Fiji was a Juliette RT event. Trestles split a few ways.
Ethan and Liam rode the Juliette. Trestles suits it. Clean walls, defined pockets, enough push to reward a board with drive and speed through turns. Both Ethan, and LOB, posted heat averages above 11.5. Liam's 8.50 against Toledo showed what happens when the surfing and the board are both on.
Callum brought the Utopia Round Tail. First CT event for the board. It isn't out yet, but will drop in three weeks. You do not bring an unreleased board to a WSL event unless you know it works. The round tail gives more hold and drive through drawn-out carves. Quarters on its first outing. Callum rode it at 5'11" x 19" x 2 9/16".
Molly rode the MF DNA Round Tail at 5'8" x 18 3/16" x 2 1/4" through every heat. The DNA platform has been part of her surfing for a while now. The round tail variation suited the clean, linking turns Trestles rewards. A 12.72 heat average and a Semi says the board was doing what she needed.
Different surfers, different boards, all working.
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Juliette
Speed and drive through clean pocket surfing. Three riders above 11.5 heat average. 8.50 scalp against Toledo
more info on the JULIETTE -
Utopia RT
First CT event. Not released yet. More hold and drive through drawn-out carves. Quarters on debut
get notified when Utopia drops -
MF DNA RT
Molly's board all event. Speed, release and clean transitions. 12.72 heat average to the Semis
more info on the MF DNA
Rankings and the Shaper Race
Molly fourth. Ethan eighth. Liam 12th. Callum 16th.
Molly stays inside the top five. Callum's Quarters and the Utopia RT debut add to a consistent season. Liam and Luke both took down marquee opponents in their opening heats. Ethan keeps building points.
DHD sits second on the Surfboard Empire CT Shaper Rankings. Those rankings track which board builders get the most results across the Championship Tour season. It is a good measure of whose boards are performing when it counts. Second overall. The boards are doing their job.