Crosby Colapinto is the Vans Triple Crown Pipeline Champion

San Clemente’s Own ‘Croz’ Takes Home the Pipe Stop of the Vans Triple Crown

Sauntering across the sand in the faint, pre-dawn glow, a surfer’s silhouette with a 6’8’’ underarm makes his way to the water’s edge, as the beach rumbles from sets exploding onto the second-reef.

For most, this is a terribly frightening alternative to a mellow morning cup of coffee, but day-in and day-out this Hawaii season, Crosby Colapinto has opted for exactly that: an adrenaline-fueled caffeine substitution. Driven by the desire to constantly find a bigger and better one at the Banzai, “Croz” has logged an infinite number of hours out there, mixing it up in the madness that is the Pipeline and Backdoor lineup.

Amidst the chaos, he managed to sneak a few gems from the local pack and found himself atop the Vans Triple Crown class for his efforts…No small feat when you scroll down the list of Hawaiian royalty in the mix, with names like Billy Kemper and John John Florence rounding out the top three.

If anything, this result is just the tip of the iceberg for the young San Clemente native, and amidst his 6th North Shore season, Colapinto has shown he isn’t one to shy away from anything that comes his way, knifing late drops with reckless abandon (even when others are falling from the sky in front of him, as was the case on one of his winning Backdoor caverns).

Congratulations Croz!