The Glory’s primary focus is to shine a light on African surf culture, but every now and then something so groundbreaking takes place that we have to take notice. Even more occasionally, we put pen to paper - or in our modern-day; fingers to keyboard. 

Kelly Slater taking out his 8th Pipe Victory a week before his 50th birthday is one such occasion.

Now don’t get us wrong - here at The Glory we certainly are Kelly fans. We understand what he’s done for surfing, how amazing it is for him to have won so many world titles while traversing several generations of surfers. He truly is the GOAT. That being said, we don’t worship the ground Slater walks on like say Chris Coté… constantly referring to him as the GOAT and basically putting Kelly down as the reason he breathes.

However, Kelly’s victory at the 2022 Billabong Pro Pipeline was absolutely groundbreaking. His surfing exuded a youthful exuberance and reminded us of a time when he battled his arch-nemesis, Andy Irons, pushing the boundaries of what was possible on surfboard. Here are 

4 reasons Kelly's 2022 Pipeline Victory was so Amazing

by Cyle Myers

All imagery: WSL

Kelly Charged.

Kelly made some of those CT young guns look like a bunch of frightened chickens in a den full of foxes. Like when the English school heads out into the platteland to challenge some boere school in rugby. It’s like ooooh jinne. Those mense are hardened battle-worn plaas tractors. You don’t even want to go near the ball. Just avoid that thing.

While Slater’s (much) younger competitors sat and waited for that perfect Pipeline wave with an easy chip in, Robert hunted the lineup like a lion prowling the open Savannah in search of a bucking wildebeest. And he found several backdoor nugs. Those ones that lurch on the reef, doubling up and gurgling. There was one particular backdoor nugget against Kanoa Igarashi that blow our minds. A solid 10 footer. Kelly sprinted from Pipeline, stood up underneath the thing, rail sliding down the face of a 10 footer, lip barely missed his outside rail and pumped into the beast like a king ready for war. He didn't make the barrel - but my word what kind of a 50-year-old man is this? 

Kelly’s Barrel Riding is Timeless

Surfing is much like fashion. It ebbs and flows and changes with time. What was once considered stylish 15 years ago, kinda looks outdated today. Slater may be the GOAT but there’s no doubt that his style, on occasion, has ebbed more towards the dated side of things. Now Kelly fans, calm down, we can hear you screaming from your lounge suit, how dare we say that about the god of surfing! While closing the eyes and ears of your precious Slater Designs OMNI. But don’t be offended my friends, we all get old, even my style looks dated and I’m in my early thirties. But my word, has Kelly Slater’s barrel riding stood the test of time. In many ways he owns the space and moves it forward. He has an innate relationship with the barrel that very few people posses and at Pipeline and Backdoor he truly is the barrel riding master.

Kelly Looked Fit as Fiddle.

Man oh man, did Slater look as fit as a fiddle. In his final heat against Seth Moniz, after surfing two heats in maxing Pipeline prior, Kelly still bounced around the lineup like a gazelle looking for a mate. Ross Williams kept reiterating how Kelly loves to surf under priority, and to surf effectively under priority, you gotta keep your opponent constantly second guessing themselves. You gotta look for and create opportunity. And to do that, you have to keep moving. When I worked as a waiter I had this manager who constantly said, “I don't want to see you standing still - there’s always something to do.” So as soon as we saw him round the bend, we’d instantly start moving like we had something really important to do. I wonder if my old Brass Bell manager had a word with Mr. Slater?

The Waves Fired From Start to Finish

Ross Williams kept on mentioning it: some of the best pipe conditions he’d ever seen. And when a past professional surfer who lives on the North Shore continually eludes to how good the waves were - you better believe it was firing. It fired from start to finish and most of the time, from our angle the waves looked in the 8 foot plus region. Conditions were most certainly not for the lily-livered. To win heats, you had to want it. From the depth of your inner being. 

To win your 8th Pipe Masters, 30 years from your first win, a week before you turn 50, at absolutely heaving Pipeline. That’s mind-blowing.