The region around Hossegor is home to good skim and with the nickname of Grolandes, literally translated as the land of big swell, one can only imagine a better place to hold a skimboarding contest. Riders gathered for this contest across the globe to participate in this event, only to be greeted by friendly hosts and a heavy swell.

On the first day of the contest, after a morning filled with coffee, setting up skim tents, and a few early grinch rides, the event was ready to be kicked off at the south end of les Estagnots beach. With 31° C (88° F) air temperatures and the beach being located adjacent to a naked beach, the contest was the place to be. The heats opened up with an amazing display of skill as Hugo Santos found an in & out barrel, Munir Ruffo did some big skate style drops and Guyano drove endless frontside rides. Not only were these riders exhibiting the sport of skimboarding, but everyone was able to catch some good waves and land some technical tricks. As the day progressed so did the swell and waves, allowing for even better skim in the afternoon near the naked swim zone nearby.

The following day wasn’t quite as fortunate as the swell began to taper off, however waves were still found during the high tide. Also, despite a lack of slope in certain areas of the contest, riders were still able to catch some fun liners. The finals of every division were very impressive, especially the professionals. Olivier “Guyano” Chabert skimmed at a level above the rest of the competition allowing him to win the professional division. Following behind him was Hugo Santos in second, pulling off long backside rides over Mega’s variety of tricks. Also performing well, Joao Denis, who was able to snag fourth place.

Luckily the contest was over before a storm came in, forcing the awards ceremony to be moved inside a cramped venue. This however didn’t stop the crowd from getting riled up for the contestants as they grabbed their overly stuffed award bags, while some of them on the podium began to strip off their clothes. With no more voice left to scream or cheer for the fellow skimmers, there was still enough energy to dance all night long.

The event was remarkable and couldn’t have been done without the help of the sponsors:  Unamas, Dune, Exile, Victoria, Eden, and Dirty Money as well as the Ledoux family, Skalp & Gaby.

RESULTS:

1. Olivier Chabert (Fra)
2. Hugo Santos (Port)
3. Emanuel Embaxaidor (Port)
4. Joao Dinis (Port)
5. Munir Ruffo (Bra)
6. Nicolas Thibaud (Fra)
7. Ricardo Abrantes (Port)
8. Romain Fraigneau (Fra)
9. Antonin Langeard (Fra)
10. Thiago Carlos (Bra)

Photos courtesy of Batardubreak and Acacia.