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American Balaram Stack and Australian Molly Picklum were crowned the champions of the Vans Pipe Masters after a dramatic finish on Sunday at Pipeline.
Hawaii surfer Kaulana Apo started the closely contested men’s final with a backside tube through the rain, giving him the early advantage in the heat. Apo wouldn’t hold on to the lead for long, as the top spot exchanged hands multiple times until Stack found a truck-sized backside tube that vaulted him into first place with 42.3 total points. Fellow American Griffin Colapinto finished in the runner-up spot with 35.1 points, while Apo claimed third place with 25.7 points for a podium finish. Brazilian Joao Chianca finished in fourth with a score of 24.6.
In the women’s final, American Caity Simmers grabbed the early lead after finding a mini tube on her backhand and finishing with a cutback to end section reentry. Picklum grabbed the lead for good after parking herself tightly in a backside tube for the highest wave score of the heat. Picklum took the win with a final score of 30, while Hawaii surfers Bettylou Sakura-Johnson (20.3) and Carissa Moore (18.1) finished in second and fourth place. Simmers finished in third with a score of 18.5.