The Quiksliver Pro New York kicked off this morning, and the first question the announcers asked was “What fin set-up is Kelly using?” For the third straight event he screwed in his signature FCS K2.1 quad fins, and easily advanced through his round 1 heat. He sent fellow Quik rider and local wild-card Balaram Stack into the losers round. For more contest updates, visit quiksilverpro.com
Critics thought Slater’s fins were too big for the gutless 2-4ft waves, but Kelly anticipates significant swell to move in via Hurricane Katia, and he looks ready to destroy any wave/anyone with his current fin configuration. He forecasts “We’ll find some peaky barrels and we’ll see what happens. I know that Hurricane swell is out there.” Not one to over-hype conditions, we look forward to seeing what Kelly and Katia bring in the coming rounds at the Quiksilver Pro New York.
The quad fin set-up has gradually gained popularity in the past few years, and Kelly is taking it to new levels this year as he four-fins his way to winning three straight events in 2ft-TOH surf.
At the Billabong Pro Tahiti Kelly Slater proved once again that he’s the best surfer on the planet. In what many described as the heaviest and most terrifying World Tour Event to date, Slater defeated Aussie surfer Owen Wright at the 2011 Billabong Pro at Teahupoo. On a board much smaller than his competitors’ and ridinghis signature K2.1 quad fin set-up, Slater weaved through slabby, 6-12ft barrels to claim his 2nd World tour Victory this year.
Of his fin choice the 10x World Tour Champ said, “I rode my K2.1 Quad set-up for the entire event, it felt really fast and comfortable in the tube. The quad set-up seems to provide a little more security especially in the barrel, it also gives you more control when you’re riding a shorter board.”
Not only did this choice of equipment propel him at the infamous reef pass, but it also helped him win at the sloppy 2-4ft beach break surf at the US Open of Surfing as well. There, with the same K2.1 set-up, Kelly both won the event and pulled off one of the craziest maneuvers in the competition’s history by landing a no grab, backside 360 during a heat (This was against yet another hyper-progressive Lost Atlas surfer, Dusty Payne).
These wins have put Slater at the top of the World title ratings and it seems like only a matter of time before we start seeing the KE-11-Y flags being raised. In an interview in Tahiti he remarked “Since there’s no other multi-contest winners at this point in the year, it’d be almost impossible to catch up if I had three wins after New York.”
Kelly’s signature FCS K2.1 fins are available at SWELL in a variety of set-ups, including Quad, Thruster, and Tri-Quad
Check out FCS’s other fins here
Get official Quiksilver Pro New York apparel here.
