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The August Bank Holiday weekend saw a hive of activity at the inaugural Quiksilver Skins invitation competition, one of the most innovative contest formats to grace the circuit
by Zoey Cotton
28/08/2008:// Thirty two of the country’s top surfers battled it out for the top spot prize of £500 and a Gibson Les Paul guitar and then went on to battle it out in an expression session and tag team event. Ex-European champion Spencer Hargraves worked alongside the British Surfing Association (BSA) to bring this exciting event to Fistral Beach, Newquay.
The weekend saw some challenging conditions ranging from two foot to five foot, with Sunday bringing in the bigger swell. The exciting one-on-one event saw Johnny Fryer, Isle of Wight and Mark Vaughan, South Wales battle it out in a surf off after they both won three heats on the Saturday. Johnny Fryer eventually took pole position as the winner, grabbing himself a healthy £500 pot of prize money as well as the classic Gibson Les Paul guitar.
The Skins Competition was followed by an expression session, which saw some outstanding performances as eight top surfers battled it out in the final. Micah Lester, who has been selected to compete for GB in the World Surfing Games in Portugal, emerged from the surf as the winner. In the exhilarating tag team event teams were chosen by picking names out of a box and again saw some top talent, the Blue Team, which included, Spencer Hargraves, Mitch Corbett, Gareth Llewellyn and Toby Donachie won the event with a 47.8 score.
The Gibson tour bus was parked up on Fistral Beach exclusively for the Quiksilver Skins event and a host of artists rocked the stage over the weekend; including music by Ben Howard, Surf Chixx, Ruarri Joseph and AL & Aza from ALBENAZA. The vehicle was specially kitted out for the most demanding of rock stars and served as a chill out area for surfers and musicians throughout the contest. St Tropez were also pitched up on Fistral beach with the first ever 'Beach Tanning Cabanas', offering girls (or guys!) to get a healthy, safe, naturally looking tan.
Spencer Hargraves says, “This weekend’s Skins concept was a refreshing change, allowing the UK’s top surfers to showcase their talents, have a bit of competitive fun and entertain the crowds. The event went down really well with everyone who was involved and we are looking forward to next year which is going to be even bigger and better!”
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