With the Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee, our town is granted with a high level sports event, an international contest , original and innovating. This big event, which is going to gather the best world champions, is a further expression of the ambitious politics regarding surfing, now emblematic sport of the town. This contest organization is being added to the future setting up of the Surf City, nearby the Cote des Basques, historic place for surfing in Europe, project which will support numerous surfic events and also contribute to perform training for young surfers. With the Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee, the town of Biarritz and its partner Surf Session, according to the ASP and its President, really concentrate on making the year 2000 the beginning of a new and strong sportive adventure. This new contest, unique in its format, is going to benefit of the mildness and the colors of the Basque autumn, the strength of the atlantique waves at this time of the year and the beautiful spot of la Grande Plage, the only urban spot in Europe. All the conditions are therefore put together in order to allow the best surfers in the world to give Biarritz an unforgettable show. The Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee, a major surf event is now part of the international surfing calendar. This is a time of pure surf where the best surfers will take part. Biarritz is proud is suggest this big "surfic" event to the public, an event which will become in the future one of the finest meeting in the world.

The Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee is finally going to be held after two years of preparation. This event is going to go through, thanks to the will of the city of Biarritz. Because, without this desire, this taking risk, this project of competition with an unique format would have remained in the computer still for few years. The little story of this event is that, it has been conceived a little more than 3 years ago between some professional surfers and myself. Organizer and creator of some events such as the O'Neill Surf Challenge and the Gotcha Tahiti Pro, I spent time with the professional surfers who, always aiming for the best, started to think of the evolution of the ASP tour. My contribution, at the beginning, was limited to ask them which type of competition would be the ideal for them. The project took form thanks to the reflexions of some surfers such as Rob, Shane, Conan, Benji or Kelly. Thanks to the means brought by Surf Session Editions who invested in the creation and the development of an events department, I manage to create and develop with Pascal Moret, this unique project in its kind. Two years of work, an exceptional support of the town of Biarritz and the confidence from partners which contribute to the success of this event such as Hoff SA, Counter Culture, Ridingzone and many others...
Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee aims to create a new interest of competition for the surfers, to allow competitors from the Top 44 to meet free riders and to make you meet and discover the surfers under a new day. Many animations are organized so that you can, you public, take part
actively in Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee. Welcome everybody.

An Original event in the history of surfing The history of surfing through competitions really started in 1976 with the constitution of a circuit of professional contests and with an organization working to establish a system of judgement of surfing, as objective as possible. After more than 25 years of existence, this system has been developed, not without some polemics around the criteria of judgement within surfing. The world circuit rests today on a rather reliable unit, format of competitions and criteria of judgement being relatively clear for everyone. However, which says judgement, known as appreciation by third people, the judges, and thus a human risk in the note. And even if the objectivity of the judges is well framed, the surfers always find to argue. The current debate of the world circuit is in particular, too stereotyped criteria of judgement, not taking enough account of the technical difficulty of certain prowesses of the surfers. Some surfers even affirm that the judges cannot really appreciate what they do in the waves... because, precisely, they are unable to do as much . By deciding to be themselves the judges of their competition for this Reef Biarritz Surf Trophee , the surfers create a precedent. They are put to the test to appreciate themselves the level of prowess of their par in the waves. Their objectivity will be seen. Their smoothness of judgement will be seen. Overseen by an ASP chief judge , their notes are likely to have, in the long term, a real influence on the criteria of the world circuit. The proof that this " specialty event " of Biarritz, in addition to being a large spectacle with the best world surfers, is an important stage in the building of a sport whose competition cannot forget that it is also an art. More than ever , from the 28th October until the 5th November , the Great Beach of Biarritz will be the arena for large artists, to gain there but especially " to burst themselves " in the waves. That promises...