Even though the Volcom Pipeline Pro only boasts five stars from the ASP — not quite enough to affect most surfers’ World Tour qualification plans — this third contest of the 2011 ASP season, held at one of the most important venues in the surfing stratosphere, still has plenty of heavy names in the mix for a waiting period of January 24th-February 5th. Hawaiian hellmen like Bruce Irons, Reef McIntosh, Mark Healey, and Sunny Garcia. Internationally touted young guns like Kolohe Andino, John John Florence, Kai Barger, and Marc Lacamore. Bona fide psychos like Jamie O’Brien, Chris Ward, Timmy Reyes, and wildcard Kalani Chapman. World Tour vets like Dusty Payne, Fred Patacchia, Dean Morrison, and Roy Powers.

And, of course, an eight-man-strong East Coast contingent that includes World #15 Damien Hobgood, Gulf Coast superstar Cory Lopez, Puerto Rican brothers-in-arms Dylan Graves and Brian Toth, New Smyrna Beach, FL, compatriots Eric Geiselman and Nils Schweizer, Outer Banks, NC, hard-charger Brett Barley, and rising Vero Beach, FL, phenomenon Oliver Kurtz.

A disparate group, yes — Damo and Cory both in their early 30s but ripping as hard as ever, with Hobgood firmly slated in the World Tour’s Top 16 over the past decade and Cory coming less than two heats away from re-qualifying last winter after his own decade-long stint. Dylan, Brian, and Eric all in their mid 20s and gunning hard for their own qualification campaigns. Nils and Brett, who both turned more than a few heads at last year’s Volcom Pipeline Pro, hailed far and wide for their fearless big-wave skills. And Oliver, typically stereotyped as an air guy (and a damn good one at that), out to prove he’s got heavywater chops as well.

EasternSurf.com caught up with each Right Coast representative (with the exception of Geiselman) to get their take on tackling the North Shore, what opportunities the venue provides for East Coasters, and how the Volcom Pipeline Pro fits into their 2011 plans. Visit www.VolcomPipePro.com to peep the live webcast, which should be up and running in bombing six- to ten-foot later today.

ESM: First off, tell us why you’re surfing the Volcom Pipeline Pro this winter: strictly for the ASP points? Or strictly for the experience?
Damien Hobgood: Basically you get to surf Pipe with four guys out and you get paid for it — not sure why you wouldn't enter. I’m not doing it for the points, just for the love of surfing Pipe and Backdoor.
Cory Lopez: Yeah, it’s only a 5-star, so you really only get points [that count towards qualifying for the tour] if you win. Ultimately, winning is the goal, but the main reason you do a Pipe event is just to surf Pipe. Any time you can get heats in the water there, especially this year as we’re looking at four days of 10-foot-plus surf, it's a good thing.
Dylan Graves: I'm doing it for both really, because any points are good points, and if you do end up making it far, you’re stoked because you get all kinds of experience and points. And any chance you get to surf Pipe is always insane, and to be able to do that with only a couple other people in the water is a dream come true.
Brian Toth: Five-stars are hard to qualify off of — mainly you just have to do Primes to qualify these days. I’d definitely like to get a good result and showing out there, but I’m just going to have fun with this contest. Just cruise with it and have fun. Being out there with only four guys out is always good.
Nils Schweizer: I don’t really have any expectations. I just want to get out there, wait for that one good one, and get barreled. It’s Pipe with three other dudes out — you can’t beat that. And it means everything in the surfing world to do well out there.
Oliver Kurtz: I'm really excited about this year's contest. The forecast looks insane and with last year’s experience under my belt, I’m more prepared this year. I do this contest solely in hopes of scoring a sick wave. Points mean nothing to me right now. I'll let the ‘QS grinders worry about that.
Brett Barley: Normally not a lot of people try to get in [the Volcom Pipeline Pro] because there’s a 6-star in Brazil at the same time, but not this year. I don’t like to have any hopes going in to a contest. I want to get barreled, bottom line. Other than that, my main goal is not to put any pressure on myself. I’ve already had one guy ask me if I’m going to win it. There’s only so much I can do though — it has a lot to do with luck and who’s in the right spot. You can’t have too many expectations because anything can happen. Get the one good wave in your heat, and you’re set. That’s what happened to me last year.

ESM: Have you guys spent time in Hawaii already this winter getting a feel for the North Shore? How do you think the off-season compares to the November-December circus?
Cory Lopez: I went out and did [the contests at] Sunset and Haleiwa, but that part of the season was horrible and I had a shocker in those two events. I just flew in from Morocco last Thursday, got home on Friday, and left first thing Saturday morning just in time for the contest. When I was younger, I always went at the end of January through February, March, and April, and I’ve caught a lot of good waves that time of year. Every winter is different, though; it wasn’t that good during the main contest season in 2010, but apparently it’s been firing for the last three weeks straight and should be firing for the next two. We’re in a good little zone for storms out there in Hawaii right now, so I’m looking forward to it. Any time you’re getting ready to do a Pipe event and you’re looking at four days of 10-foot-plus WNW swell, that’s always a good thing to see on the maps [laughs]. I’m pretty excited and looking forward to getting some good tubes in the event.
Dylan Graves: I was here earlier in the year for Haleiwa and Sunset, and ended up staying the whole time to watch the Pipe Masters. Then I went home to Puerto Rico for about a month and now I'm back!
Brian Toth: I’ve been out here for a while now, since January 9th. The waves have been big and pretty solid, but I’ve been pretty mellow though. I kind of tweaked my ankle out, but I’m definitely doing the event. I’m gonna strap up the ankle and charge it.
Nils Schweizer: I’ve been coming to the North Shore since I was 17, and I’m 24 now, so I’ve got a little bit of experience out here. The last two years I’ve been staying with the Beschens. Their place is right in the middle of everything. My friend Hopper [Eichstaedt] is really good friends with Shane [Beschen], so I’ve always been cruising over to Shane’s place the past few years. He added a downstairs thing where the garage was, stuck a couple beds in it, and rents it out for $30 a night. It’s a pretty awesome set-up.
Oliver Kurtz: I was out in Hawaii in December and only surfed Pipe once because it sucked the whole time. But over the last couple of days I’ve gotten a few out there and tested these 10 boards I brought with me that hadn’t touched the water yet.
Brett Barley: Thanks to [my equal-7th finish in the Pipeline Pro] last year, I was able to make a lot more contacts in the surfing world, even with guys just out at Pipe. When I went back to the North Shore in November, I felt way more comfortable. Being able to talk to guys and meet new people is such a relief. I guess because I wasn’t the random guy that people had never met before, it became OK to say hello. Before the Pipe contest last year, I just sat by myself super deep and took whatever no one else wanted.

ESM: How does surfing the Volcom Pipeline Pro and maintaining a presence on the North Shore in general help someone coming from the East Coast?
Damien Hobgood: It's great for kids who have trouble getting waves out there but are still really good. They’re able to show their skills at this event.
Cory Lopez: East Coast guys have always treated Hawaii as the proving grounds. Kids from the East Coast always want to go out and just go for it and make a name for themselves. That’s how you get recognition — go out and get some Pipe bombs. Brett Barley and Nils Schweizer have been charging it; we saw how they did in the contest last year, and it’s good to see those guys go out and charge. I love surfing with them; I’ve spent a lot of time down in Mexico with them. But yeah, if you’re an East Coaster and you want to make a name for yourself, Hawaii is definitely the place to go and do it.
Dylan Graves: I think everybody wants to see everyone [from the East Coast] get a big one at Pipe. It puts a stamp on what kind of surfer you are.
Brian Toth: The Pipeline contest definitely helps, because if you have a good showing out there, you’re gonna have a lot of eyes on you. It’s definitely a good contest to be in to get some exposure.
Nils Schweizer: This is the proving ground. To get respect, you’ve got to come out here and prove yourself, if you can do it. It takes respect to get respect. When I first started coming, I sat there a lot, spending a lot more time sitting than catching. I go for the right when Pipe’s good, because nobody wants Backdoor when Pipe is perfect. I don’t live here, so I don’t expect to get anything, but last year definitely helped me. People kind of nod their heads and recognize me more than in the past for sure.
Oliver Kurtz: This contest is a great way for the East Coast to get even more street cred and respect. Success stories like Nils and Brett from last year show that we are not be fucked with when the opportunity arises out there.
Brett Barley: Doing well here helps a ton. We’re from the East Coast — the industry isn’t here. People don’t even know we surf. Florida has a mini-California scene, but no one thinks of North Carolina as a surf spot. Going to Pipe and charging big reef barrels is what East Coasters have to do to prove we matter. Look at the East Coast World Tour guys — the Hobgoods, Kelly — they charge Pipe, Chopes, and all sorts of heavy, scary barrels.

ESM: Cory, you came within a few heats of re-qualifying for the World Tour last winter. How did that close call feel, and are you planning to push it hard for 2011?
Cory Lopez: That was a big bummer coming a hundred points short of qualifying, but I’m on to the next round. I want to push it hard; I’m doing the first 6-star Prime in Brazil in a couple of weeks, and since they’re taking results from the second half of 2010, my 2nd-place from the Canaries will count towards the new season. A couple more big results and hopefully I can work my way back in there. The ball’s in my court to get it done.

ESM: Brian, you’ve made a name yourself charging some of the biggest barrels ever recorded in the past year back home in Puerto Rico. How does that experience translate to surfing waves like Pipeline?
Brian Toth: I definitely love barrel riding — it’s probably one of my favorite things to do. It’s helped a lot living in PR and then coming over here to surf similar waves. I’ll definitely feel comfortable out there, that’s for sure. I did a Pipe contest a long time ago, and was here surfing in November and December. No nerves really — just going to go out there and have fun.

ESM: Nils and Brett, you guys wowed the world last year with your respective quarterfinal and semifinal finishes. How did the extra exposure that came from last year’s Volcom Pipeline Pro results help out?
Nils Schweizer: 2010 was the third time I’d done the contest there, but I don’t think I ever made it out of a heat before last year. It was mostly just a personal benefit — I was just stoked to be surfing against all those gnarly guys and making heats. I guess it put my name out there a little more, too. My sponsors were stoked.
Brett Barley: Career-wise, last year was a big boost. Working a niche is what makes me useful to O’Neill. They had already told me to spend a month in Hawaii and a month in Mexico, but after last year they told me to focus on that contest and gnarly waves in general. I have more of a rep for barrels, and they want to develop that.

ESM: Brett, you even added a manager and a surf coach to your repertoire. Did last year motivate you to make a solid go at professional surfing?
Brett Barley: Yeah, my run in the contest made me realize that if I was going to get serious about being a career surfer, that was the time. Being a freesurfer, it’s hard to put a worth on me for the company. But because of that contest it was easier to get a manager and for him to sell me. That one result gave me worth; I can say what I’ve done. But I hate to talk about myself. I’m not one to sell myself, but that’s what you have to do to make it. I asked if [the manager] would help me, so I could get money and pay my bills. He helped me out with my current sponsors and some sponsors to come. And my shaper John Carper is actually good friends with Craig Hoshide, and John introduced me at the contest. I wanted to get better at my small-wave surfing — that’s why I went. I need to be more well-rounded if I’m going to do well enough in standard, small, mushy ‘QS waves to qualify for the few comps I want to do. So Craig trained me on Kauai, focusing on fundamentals and technique.

ESM: And of course we can’t ignore the fact that Pipeline legend Gerry Lopez said during the online commentary last year that “Pipeline likes Brett Barley.” How’d that make you feel?
Brett Barley: It was awesome. I never thought anyone like him would say that, but it was a pretty cool experience for me.

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