Cold War Surf returned to the state of New Jersey after a successful debut in 2016. During the second week of the waiting period, a swell developed that would be optimal for the break in Asbury Park. And the biggest question we all had was, would this swell be big enough? In addition to the swell projection, a weather front mixed with cold air was also set to bring a few inches of snow over the weekend, making it one of those events you’re only going to find in Jersey.
Competitors flooded into Jersey as snow began to fall on Saturday. Living only a few minutes from the event, I knew I didn’t have to rush like everybody else but I was frothing once I saw video of a perfect drainer come through.
The event kicked off at approximately 8:30 the next morning, consisting of man-on-man heats in two-team format. Gesler, the defending champ, against Sam Hammer’s team. As the morning progressed, guys were getting shacked and were really putting on a show for the fans who stood in the snow with temperatures in the low 30s. As the heats began to wrap up there were exciting moments, people cheered, and the competitive spirits continued up until the final heat. But, in the end, Andrew Gesler’s team won the event and Clay Pollioni was named MVP of his team for having the highest score in a heat. The Cold War is definitely a unique event; “Winter Takes All,” as we like to say.
