The Contest Circuit Explained

The Contest Circuit Explained

Lukas Skinner retained his double crown at Boardmasters last year Photo: Jason Feast

Words: Joel Gray

This year’s Boardmasters festival is yet again linked in with the biggest surf contest on British shores. New sponsor Yeti have stepped in with naming rights and the YETI PRO has an upgraded feel to it which is backed up by the fact that the event has increased from a QS2000 up to a QS 4000 event. But how does the contest circuit work and what does that all mean? Here’s an explanation so you know your QS’s from your CT’s.

Tya Zebrowski won the women’s open division at Boardmasters in 2024 at just 13 years old and went on to compete on the WSL World Tour in 2026 Photo: WSL/Ana Catarina

Qualifying Series
The WSL Qualifying Series is split into the main surf regions across the globe and The YETI PRO sits as one of the five events on the European Qualifying Series. There are currently 2 x QS2000 events, 2 x QS 6000 events plus the YETI Pro and as such it’s a must-do event for Europe’s top talent and an excellent opportunity for home grown surfers to get some early season points on the board.

Each surfer’s best three results from the five event series will count towards their end of year rankings. Finish in the top seven Men or top four Women and you qualify for the next stage, the Challenger Series.

Alys Barton, this Welsh surfer is the first Brit to compete on the WSL Challenger Series, and we’re looking forward to seeing her compete at Fistral this year Photo: Masurel

Challenger Series
The Challenger Series travels all over the world to five events and is made up of the best surfers from all regional Qualifying Series surfers plus those recently dropped off the elite Championship Tour.

Currently Wales’ Alys Barton is the first and only British surfer to be competing on this level having finished the previous year’s European Qualifying Series in third place. Alys will be competing at the YETI PRO immediately following Challenger Series event at the US Open in California. Top 10 men and seven women at end of year rankings from the Challenger Series make the Championship Tour.

Gabriel Medina, Teahupoo Photo: WSL/Ed Slone

Championship Tour
The Championship Tour is a 13 event world tour with events at some of the world’s best and most famous surf breaks. It’s at this stage where superstars such as Gabriel Medina, Ethan Ewing, Carissa Moore and Caity Simmers battle it out for the ultimate goal in competitive surfing - being crowned World Champion.

How it Works
Throughout all of the WSL levels, competitions are made up of either two or four person heats that start with everyone is round one (aside from the highest ranking surfers being seeded into later rounds).

Heats are typically between 20-30 minutes long and a panel of five judges individually scores each and every wave with the highest and lowest judges scores being wiped and the middle three averaged out.

Waves are scored between one and 10 with a 10 point ride representing a ‘perfect ride’. Key parts of the criteria are speed, power, flow and difficulty of the manoeuvre. Although each wave is scored only each surfers highest two wave scores are counted at the end of the heat. Finish top two in a four man heat or win a man on man heat and you progress to the next round. You get more of those crucial ranking points depending on how far you go in an event.

At the YETI PRO the winner walks away with 4000 ranking points and will have their eyes firmly on the Challenger Series and the ultimate Championship Tour beyond that.

European Qualifying Series Schedule
Lacanau QS2000 - July
Yeti Pro QS4000 - August
Pantin Pro QS 6000 - August
Norte Surf Fest QS 6000 - September
Pro Razo QS2000 - October

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Many out bro?

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No commentary. No fluff. Just raw, uncut action: endless waves, sketchy drops, brutal wipeouts, near misses, and the kind of lineup chaos that somehow keeps everyone coming back for more.

If you've ever wondered what happens when hundreds of surfers all decide to drop in at once, here's your answer.

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After a string of disappointing swell chases, this one finally came together.

Nothing huge, but with clean offshore winds, plenty of waves and crystal-clear winter light, it was more than worth the trip. For the second time in a row I rolled the dice on a Shipsterns forecast, and this time it paid off. On paper it looked promising, although the swell was downgraded slightly each day leading into Friday. Apparently the day before was even bigger, but my plans were already locked in.

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Arriving early in the lineup proved to be the best decision of the day. The sunrise was breathtaking, lighting up the towering cliffs of Shipstern Bluff like something you’d see in Fiji. My camera was rolling from the moment we arrived, capturing every wave and every moment.

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From there, the day only got better. It was one of those rare bluebird winter sessions at one of the most spectacular waves on the planet. Every barrel, every wipeout and every highlight was captured—except, of course, our own “wave of the day” during the boat escape. – Tim Bonython

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Executive Producer: Ryan Scanlon
Cinematography: Milo Inglis & Cameron Haylock
Additional Footage: Ishka Folkwell, Johanna Brebner, Heath Scanlon, Hahnee Chelkowski, Joseph Elijah Daniel & Clementine Bourke

Feature Musical Artists: Cat Power, Maple Glider, Ruby Gill, Minna, Adriana Lenker, Nadia Reid & Jake Xerxes Fussell.