Editor’s note: There will be four YouTube episodes recapping the magic of the Twin Fin Invitational coming soon.
William Aliotti’s Twin Fin Invitational ended on a high note after an epic week in Zarautz with local Basque legend Ander Mendiguren winning the men’s division, and the young up and comer from nearby Hossegor, Zoe Jaeckin, winning the women’s division. Each winner received a €3,000 check and a guaranteed spot in next year’s event.
Having been on the ground in Zarautz throughout the week, I witnessed first-hand just how rad it is when you gather a diverse group surfers and make the emphasis in the water all about style, creativity, and flow. No heat scores, no priority, no interference. Just trust that each will do their best and respect each other. Sure, it’s still a contest, with heats, rash guards, and prize money, but it’s so much more than that.
@gorka
What’s different about the Twin Fin?
Regardless of the final results, the experience is one that left everyone feeling like a winner. Alex Gray, pro surfer of over 20 years, shared, “I have never been to a contest where I’ve been so well taken care of, not even close.” All within earshot nodded their heads in agreement.
Twin Fin Invitational
First of all, throughout the entire week the free days were just as fun as the competition days, if not more. After the first day of competition, Tom, Pat, and Leann Curren played an intimate show at Shelter Bar that kept everyone hanging and dancing well into the night. The next day, the swell got too big for Zarautz so the group split up into different strike missions. Some went north towards Hossegor, some went to Mundaka, some stayed local.
Mundaka wasn’t like the legendary day of September 9, 2006, but for someone who had never been there before, it sure felt like it. Instead of offshore and perfect, it was side shore and choppy. The good news was that the crowd was reasonable considering the swell was 6-8ft and pumping steady throughout the day.
Tom Curren, Clay Marzo, Kepa Acero, and Ander Mendiguren were a few of the surfers who made up the legendary lineup that day and scored, not perfect, Mundaka, but still pretty damn good. After the sense there was a shared sense, among both locals and visitors, that we had been a part of a special day.
That same day Ian ‘Gato Son’ Gottron and Greyson Messier trekked to France and found themselves paddling for bombs amongst jet ski crews doing step offs. The boys paddled like men and scored more than just a few baguettes. SURFER will feature footage from both the Mundaka and France sessions in the weeks to cone.
Chris Dodds
On the culinary side of things, Shelter Bar, founded by Basque OG Aritz Aranburu, played host to the crew throughout the week serving up everything from delicious pintxos to endless coffees to decadent pastries to local beer, wine and fine entrees throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner. One of the nights featured a field trip to a traditional Basque Cidery, Urberu Sagardotegia, where the Twin Fin crew filled up three massive tables and feasted on perfectly grilled bone-in ribeyes that left even the meat-loving South Africans well impressed.
Chris Dodds
The spot featured giant barrels of cider along entry wall, as is tradition, you fill your cup directly from the spitting barrel and proceed to drink the entirety of it in one go. Unaware of this, I filled my cup more than half way before the Basque lads all yelled at me to pull away and let the next person fill their cup. Aritz informed me of the rules with a smile and a wink, “Now you must drink all of that.“
Everyone was stoked on the giant dinner party, some stayed for over 4 hours. One of our hosts, Carlos Ferrari, explained “I’m glad you guys are liking it because this is a classic Basque spot mate. This place isn’t some tourist place, it’s the real deal.”
Another tradition involved breaking open walnuts via aggressive head-butting but most everyone passed on that one. Well, everyone except for young Kepa Housset-Ezponda who used his head like a hammer to open at least five walnuts in rapid succession. For what it’s worth, he drew some blood that night but seemed fine the next day.
There’s so much more that went down in Zarautz last week, including an epic visit to the Pukas factory, but that’s another story. We’ll be keeping the coverage going with more articles and video content that’s dropping soon. Stay tuned.
Related: Why Are Some of the World’s Best Freesurfers in Zarautz This Week?