Ian Walsh is a serious contender, no matter what the conditions are. While big waves are his passion, the Hawaiian has the ability to smoke nearly anyone in waves from knee high to macking Sunset. He proved it by winning the HIC Sunset Pro in pumping classic Sunset conditions, exactly a decade after his maiden win at the event. The victory grants him a wildcard into the first event of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing at Haleiwa.
“I’m psyched,” he said in a post heat interview. “Hopefully I can get a jump moving into Haleiwa and get a nice result moving into Sunset and back up the final I had last year… and maybe sneak a little wildcard spot into Pipe.”
For Walsh, aside from surfing the biggest and best waves the planet has to offer, his end game is a Triple Crown Title. “That’s ultimately the goal every year,” he explained. “That’s why a lot of us compete in these events. That’s far and away one of the biggest accomplishments I could ever dream of.”
