Huntington Beach, allegedly, out.
The Olympics and its pomp and its circumstance is on its way to Los Angeles after a triumphant stand in Paris. I was there, if you recall, nibbling foie gras under that magnificent Tour Eiffel, watching various games of handball and Seine swimming though I did not get to witness the surfing bit as that was contested halfway around the world at The End of the Road. By all accounts, it was a dazzling show, though, with Teahupo’o flashing its glory for two days. Caroline Marks bringing home gold for the women. Kauli Vaast for the Frenchmen.
All but memories, now, with attention fully on the City of Angeles and the biggest question of all. Where will Olympic surfers surf?
Fernando Aguerre, chief of the International Surfing Association which acts as gatekeeper to the big show, has long declared that he will not have our heroes striving for medals in a wave tank, insisting it must be in the ocean. Thus, Huntington Beach and Lower Trestles emerged as early frontrunners. A hot hot rumor has floated right into my ear from an extremely well-placed source. It claims that Huntington has been dropped from consideration, not surprising do Surf City’s political radicalization, leaving Trestles and a stunning other potential frontrunner.
The desert town some 100 miles east of LA was mostly famous for its lush golf courses and Liberace soirees but is now famous for its Palm Springs Surf Club churning out gorgeous Tom Lochtefeld art. It had some technical issues, upon opening, and was shuttered for a time but is back now and cranking. Reports from those who have sampled nothing but ultra-positive.
The rumor, anyhow, suggests that powerful television interests could steamroll Aguerre over the desire to have surfing scheduled and not left to the whims of nature.
So?
Would you like to see Palm Springs crown ’28’s baubles or have you not had enough of Lowers yet?
More as the story develops.
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The Palm Springs pool is a joke. Terrible wave and the pool takes forever to settle when its cranked up for competition. They just held a GromSearch event there last week and the wave is barely suitable for groms. Totally unsuitable for adult sized pros.
Non-surfer but also PS resident here: isn’t the point of surfing, pro or am, to surf in the wild, even if conditions are less than ideal? Not unsafe, but seems the point of surfing to me. Cali’s coastline is long enough that there would be options even semi-last minute.
Please have it at Ala Moana
run it in lemoore, let kelly give griff hand signals when the sets are coming. (Precedents in)
Kelly 🤙
Griff, pulls bong out
Olympics gotta be trestles or surf ranch. Unless they wanna add an air show medal the do palm springs for the air medal.
eh it’s not as direct a link as you are implying. People like Schwab are investors in both yes, but some are more involved in one project over the other
Negatron muted. He’s prob butthurt that his heroes are full of sht and kook surfers like Chas.
You’re my Hero Danes BB, when I grow up I hope to also be crying over wave pools in chatrooms.
fuck the Olympics
Ok I reckon Lemoore it has to be !!!
I think highlighting surfing USA , with the Surf ranch , the surrounding amazing Vista’s and of course the local culture will all be on show for the world to see…I mean Tahiti ya can’t compare it wit Lemoore….artificial wave ina country setting…..???
The wave is not great. The initial peak has a nice little section, but there is no water sucking back up the face for the rest of the wave, it’s like you’re surfing over flat water… Making it so you can’t push your board through your turns… You have to baby your turns so you don’t sink…
Also, they need to figure out a basin on the sides of the pool to reduce the backwash.
The Waco wave is better because it has water sucking up the face the whole time and you can properly push your turns.
Fun for the novelty though.
they should go on holidays for a couple of months and just leave an open thread running
Slater will buy it so he can say it’s all about Him….
Thank god somebody sorted it out before it was too late. Just in time.
Anyway, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If somebody figures out the right pool design in time for 2028 then a pool will very much be in the mix, primarily because of the summer season and because they can run the event according to their television schedule. The very little footage I’ve seen of Palm Springs makes it look like one day it can become a fun, entertaining and contestable wave. Or another design that’s an improvement on their “concept of a plan”.
Some bros just won’t risk it, though:
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Clearly you made this up to appease your butt buddy Tom Lochtefeld. (BG wrote a puff piece on Tom and PSSC earlier after Chas got a free day there and right before it shut down for months with mechanical issues). The Palm Springs pool doesn’t work half the time, but nice try. Olympic officials already scoped out the other wavepools, which are higher ahead in the running.
“Butt buddy”?
Why so homophobic, sunshine?
Just like shooting clay pigeons instead of real pigeons.
The world moves on.
Fernando, you’ve done well, now’s the time to retire and get on the phone to all those reef models.
120 degree heat and 90+ degree pool water in July/August sounds very pleasant
Stem to stern gorilla grip.
Will judges differentiate anyone when the wave reads like a short little scrap in Laguna cove.
Have no fear. ISA will find a politically correct spot at which to hold the Olympic surfing event. Lousy Cali waves will be surfed, environmental causes will be espoused, and emo-tears will be shed over whichever tribe the land ashore was taken from. Beach Grit (Ultra-Gay Surf Candy) will be there to offer full surfing adjacent coverage.
“It had some technical issues, upon opening, and was shuttered for a time but is back now and cranking.” has to be the most understated, ultra-soft surf candy I’ve tasted.
But there are these glowing reviews!
https://www.reddit.com/r/surfing/comments/1904gl5/palm_springs_surf_club_anyone_been_out_there/
They’re like 6-9 months old.
Chas should disclose these articles as paid promotions as he did/does get freebies from PSSC and Tom Lochtefeld.
Beach Grit isn’t the New Testament.
Its funny how much you care about this pool.