Carissa laying down a deep bottom turn in last year’s competition. Photo: Vans/Miller R.
Editor’s Note: This feature is brought to you by our partners at Vans.
The Vans Triple Crown ran last year in a digital format, and to be quite honest we were all blown away with how much of a success it was. We almost expected a digital version to feel distant and unexciting, but instead, it injected a freshness into the mix as we were treated to four weeks of stunning clips streamed to us from the North Shore. This year it’s back with the same digital format and the same three iconic waves: Pipeline, Sunset and Haleiwa, the crown jewels of Oahu’s North Shore. But this season, a few pretty radical changes have been made, most notably that anyone can enter. Sit back, relax, and let us give you the rundown.
What’s New?
The biggest change for the Vans Triple Crown this year is that registration is open to anyone, no matter how many sponsors or Instagram followers you have. The registration period is open until December 15th, and as long as you are at least 16 years old and plan on being on the North Shore and surfing at the three event locations during the event window of December 21 to January 21, the door is wide-open. A massive opportunity for an up-and-comer trying to make it onto the world stage, or the opportunity of a lifetime for anyone who’s always wanted to bag clips on the North Shore. This is your chance. Notable surfers who have already registered include Billy Kemper, Kai Lenny, Brisa Hennessy, the Florence brothers, the Gudauskas brothers, Mason and Coco Ho, Keala Kennelly, Lakey Peterson, and Courtney Conlogue.
How to Win
Surfers will be competing for the overall Triple Crown title, but there are also prizes for the top five ranked men and women at each location, the winners of the Fan Vote, and the weekly Vans Crown Clip winners, as well as a videography prize for filmers.
To win the overall Triple Crown title, competitors must submit videos of two rides per location for a total of six rides to be eligible. Four times during the event period the judges will hold “weekly scoring dates” where they will score all of the rides submitted at that time, giving competitors a chance to understand how they’re stacking up against the competition. At the end of the event period, the male and female surfer with the highest scoring combined wave total wins! No waves ridden during other competitions should be submitted for consideration.
In another change from last year, “progressive surf craft” will play a huge role. “One of your six official submissions MUST be a wave ridden on ‘progressive craft,'” the FAQ page states. “Progressive craft is considered to be any surfboard that is NOT a thruster or quad, traditional surfboard shape.” This rule is sure to instigate some interesting clips.
John John showing off his iconic rail game at Haleiwa last year. Photo: Vans Triple Crown
Throughout the event period, there will also be weekly prizes for the Vans Triple Crown clips based off of fan voting, so even if you’re not there on Oahu be sure to keep an eye on Vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com for realtime scores, online video wave comparisons, profile stats, voting, and more.
All that being said, there’s something about a live event that gets surf fans amped. So the fact that alongside the digital Vans Triple Crown, the Pipe Masters will run as a live, in-person contest is a massive win for everyone. The event will be invite-only, but the overall Vans Triple Crown Champions, as well as the top scoring male and female surfers at Pipe will earn automatic spots into the 2022 Pipe Masters Invitational (not to be confused with the upcoming WSL Championship Tour event at Pipeline this January).
“Over the last century, the North Shore has defined high performance surfing and Vans has had the privilege of being an active participant in surf culture through the Triple Crown of Surfing,” said Scott Sisamis, Director of Global Sports Marketing at Vans. “In this futuristic world of surfing, Vans looks ahead to challenge conventional competition in order to progress surf event criteria and inspire the next generation of surfers. We want to celebrate the creative expression, inclusivity and freedom that surfing offers by continuing to elevate opportunities that empower surfing’s premier talent both in Hawaii and from around the world.”
