The Pipe Championship “was a delight”

In a historic performance by the Peruvians at the Volcomo Pipe Pro, Álvaro Malpartida placed seventh in the tournament and left more than one person with their mouths open who, incredibly, still didn't know him.

The Goofy Footer has long been a standout on the biggest, most tubular waves on the planet, and for some unknown reason this result caught the eye; to those who knew him, it was no surprise.

A QS that nowadays has the trend of qualifying small wave surfers, Álvaro –who is anyway very good at surfing waves- would be one of those who would enter the CT if the qualifying series put more waves like Pipe and El Gringo in his path.

Was the Pipe championship the best of your life? Why?
The Pipe championship has been very important in my career. I don't know if it was the best of my life, but it was one of the most fun. A lot of adrenaline, racing Pipeline for so many days, some great tubes with only four people in the water and with priority, it was a delight. There have been very good championships in life and with good waves, but Pipeline is Pipeline. It was an epic championship, but I don't know if it was the best.

Tell us about the best moment of the tournament and the worst one too.
The best moment of the tournament was definitely in the quarterfinals, when I got through the heat with Joaquín Del Castillo in first position and I helped Joaquín catch a couple of good waves, blocking someone who had priority before him, I think it was Mikey Wright, and well, we got through the Hawaiian and the Australian in a really good, spicy heat with some incredible waves… Joaquín and I got some great tubes, the truth is that it was excellent, sharing it with a compatriot, getting through the two of us together was actually a dream come true. We were in the same house sharing a room so we had a clear goal that we wanted to get through the two of us together, a strategy was set out that we followed to the letter and it was achieved.

The worst moment of the competition is when the final whistle blows in the semi-finals and I don't make it through that series. It was the most discouraging moment. There were some very strong losses in the quarter-finals, very strong, but it doesn't compare to the feeling of when the tournament is over.

There was also an amazing moment, after losing (the break between the semis and the final), it was like 20 minutes where Kai Borg was at the bend of Pipeline and he didn't let anyone else ride and it was just Mitch Parkinson and I in the water at Pipeline, amazing, 10 feet, classic, barrels, a ton of heats came in, a ton of waves we rode, twenty epic minutes of Pipe with no championship pressure, no having to pass heats, no bad vibes.

Sometimes that vibe in the championships can make it difficult for you to take-off on the wave, but hey, some great tubes, it was an epic moment, really that has to have been the best moment of the trip, let's say... It was a classic moment, Pipeline with just one person, epic, in fact, it was the best moment of my life on the wave, twenty minutes alone with a friend in a really good vibe.

You could say that El Gringo's tubes gave you the ticket to Pipe, and that you got two of your best results in your career in both. Where does such an impressive ability on the tubes come from and develop?
I think my ability on the tubes has come about over time and with the passion I put into that “maneuver.” I have always loved trips to Indonesia and I spent a lot of time inside the tubes on those trips. It has probably been the place where I spent the most time inside. In addition, I have eight seasons in Puerto Escondido that add to my learning curve on the tube, and well, my first trip to Hawaii was like 11 years ago, so in fact I have tried to go to almost all of them. There have been a few that I haven’t been able to, but there are almost eight that I have.

Pipeline is probably one of my favorite waves of my life, I knew that an event there would be a great opportunity for me and I set out to compete in that championship. It was a dream of mine for a long time and I'm happy that it came true. I'm definitely looking forward to the next championship and I'm very happy that they haven't changed the date. I mean, there's going to be a Volcom Pipe Pro on the same date, January 15th around there, incredible waves. It's a really good date and it's likely to be epic again so let's go all out.

You also surfed Jaws again, are you already gaining confidence on the wave or is it all fear? It's the third season at Jaws, in fact, it's possibly one of my favorite waves in the whole world and yes, I consider it as the Maui brothers say, the best in the world: It's huge, tubular, impressive, turquoise, it spits, it's the most gigantic and perfect wave in the world, it's very special.

For me, Puerto is there too, obviously Pipeline, Teahupoo, all those waves. There are so many amazing spots.

Coming back to Jaws, it's the third season, I'm very happy with the wave, I'm going to keep going. You definitely get more comfortable and confident, but honestly when I've been very comfortable and confident I've had the worst falls of my life and you always have to have a lot of respect for the wave, I respect it a lot, it's the strongest wave I've ever known in my life, there have been falls everywhere.

We're going to be there, in the world of big waves, it's something I long for, to be invited to the big wave championships, for the WSL to invite me either to Puerto or to Jaws to start and through those results to come other championships. I love big waves, I love the adrenaline, that whole feeling of breaking through fear and riding some big waves is super addictive and beautiful, it's when one feels most alive.

And, regarding the waves that are there for the winter wave, how were they?
This year I had two entries to the wave of the winter, I'm super happy. They were a couple of great tubes and it's all in the hands of the judges, I hope they like it. They are beautiful waves, long tubes with various sections in Pipe and I'm really happy with that, in fact, it's a personal goal every time I go to Hawaii to ride Pipeline, to catch a wave of the year or the wave of the winter, trying, maybe you get the wipeout of the year, but something like monster paddle, ride of the year or wave of the winter entry is something that I personally set as a goal on every trip to Hawaii.

How much would you say QS needs stages like Pipe?
I would say that the QS needs more stages of this quality because it is obvious that the number of people who watch this type of events is greater than the number of people who see small waves, it generates much more interest to the visual public on the internet and it could also be like equaling the number of small wave championships they have, why not put more good wave championships and see what happens?

What happened that in recent years you were without a main sponsor?
I have been without a sponsor for almost a year and a half or two years now. In fact, I have been looking for one, but the truth is that it has been difficult. Things are quite difficult in Peru in terms of being able to surf and pursue a career as a surfer… But there we go and thank God, the work and dedication that I have put into it have borne fruit. Fortunately, I am with Suzuki, Klimax and other brands that take care of me and contribute to my career.

Of course I'm looking for a surf sponsor, a surf brand that would be interested in sponsoring a QS athlete and a big wave rider as well. I'm happy with what's being done, the work is strong, I did well in the QS last year, I finished seventh in the South American ranking and this year I'm going all out, I'm still competing, I hope that some company gets excited after this interview and calls me. @malpafish on Instagram or contact me on Facebook as Álvaro Malpartida and let's go all out because this year is going to be great.

The performance in Hawaii, did it open any doors for you with any brands? 
Fortunately, he opened the door for a couple of interviews, one is this one and the other was done by Stab. In fact, the WSL also promoted a bit that there was a Peruvian in Hawaii passing so many series and reaching the semifinals and the name sounded good, I hope some brand is interested. I'm going to keep giving my best, competing with everything, so this year there will be some very good things, I'm sure of that.

Bad start at Jaws a few days before the Volcom Pipe Pro