Rip Curl Challenge La Nord

Nov 13, 2026

A surfer on a yellow board drops down the face of a heavy green wave as offshore spray blows back off the lip under a grey sky

Photo: Rip Curl

The Rip Curl Challenge La Nord Returns to Hossegor for Its 14th Edition

The waiting period for the Rip Curl Challenge La Nord opened on 1 November and runs until the end of March. Organisers need La Nord breaking at 3 to 4 metres or bigger before they call it on.

The big wave competition is set to return to Hossegor's famous La Nord surf break for its 14th edition. The waiting period, running from November 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, has now opened, allowing the event to run when the best possible conditions arrive.

Organised by the Comité des Landes and hosted by the Hossegor Surf Club, the competition will be broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube and TVPI.

The lineup

This year's invited surfer is Spanish Basque surfer Aritz Aramburu. Joining him in the lineup will be Rip Curl team riders Kyllian Guérin, Jade Magnien, Justin Bécret, Nelson Cloarec and Indar Unanue. A total of 36 surfers from the Landes region and 12 from the Basque Country will be selected to take on the impressive waves of La Nord, right in front of Hossegor's Central Beach.

Turquoise and white event poster reading Rip Curl La Nord Challenge 2026, showing a surfer inside a barrelling wave framed by a concrete pier, with the dates 1er novembre to 31 mars and Hossegor written down a pillar

Photo: Rip Curl

Format and judging

The competition requires solid conditions, with waves reaching a minimum size of 3 to 4 metres. Judging takes into account the size of the waves surfed and each surfer's commitment, while interference incurs a penalty. Competitors must ride a board measuring at least 7'4" and hold a valid FFS Competition licence for the current year.

Depending on the conditions, the competition format will consist of four one-hour heats, each featuring 12 surfers. The 12 highest-scoring surfers will then go head-to-head in a one-hour final.

Five trophies will be awarded at the end of the competition: Overall Winner, Biggest Wave, Best Young Surfer, Best Female Surfer and Best Wipeout, rewarding the surfer who shows the ultimate commitment.

Last year, local surfer Kyllian Guérin claimed victory at the Rip Curl Challenge La Nord for the second consecutive year.