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The Pipeline Top 10: Slater's Perfect Backdoor Barrel Reminds Us Why He's Still The Greatest
Ben Collins
As the start of the 2022 Championship Tour season gets set to kick off with the Billabong Pro Pipeline, we're counting down the most memorable championship moments from the past 10 years.
After 11 World Titles and 55 career victories, Kelly Slater is kind of beyond the stage of claiming waves.
Besides all the achievements, Slater, the undisputed G.O.A.T. - Greatest Of All Time - has been so barreled so often that you wouldn't blame him if the novelty had worn off.
So in 2019, at the Billabong Pipe Masters, when he exited a seemingly impossibly-deep Backdoor barrel and threw his arms up in pure, unbridled joy, the crowd knew they had just witnessed something truly special.
Slater is a magician, and this wave was a reminder of exactly why he's the GOAT; it's difficult to imagine anyone else on the planet besides him being able to thread that particular wave quite so well.
It was also a reminder of why the 49-year-old Slater is still on Tour at an age when anyone else would have retired. He captured his first World Title in 1992 at the age of 20, and his last in 2011, at 39. While his most dominant days may be behind him, he's still setting the bar when it comes to surfing waves of consequence like Pipeline.
In his post-heat interview after the perfect ride, Slater said he hadn't actually been feeling in sync but made a decision to change his approach. The results were obvious.
"I knew there were good waves out there, but I didn't feel it really happening," stated Slater. "Then I just thought, you know, I've surfed this whole year, kind of behind the eight ball, I'm always trying to catch up ... I'd rather surf this heat from the front. It's just a mindset you put yourself in."
When he paddles out, there's every chance he could win. It's exactly what he'll be planning to do this year, at the Billabong Pro Pipeline which begins in just a few days.
Read More:
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked right here at WorldSurfLeague.com for the latest news and info as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship Tour.
Kelly Slater
Featuring Gabriel Medina, Cole Houshmand, Italo Ferreira, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Yago Dora, Gabriela Bryan, Jordy Smith, Samuel Pupo, John
Featuring Barron Mamiya, Leonardo Fioravanti, Italo Ferreira, Caitlin Simmers, Molly Picklum, Tyler Wright, Ian Gouveia, Kelly Slater, John
101 career Pipe heat heats and counting! Kelly Slater continues to break the mold at pumping Pipeline with another mind-boggling
The eight-time CT Pipeline winner, 11-time World Champ, Kelly Slater added another milestone to his insatiable career with a 100th-career
Kelly Slater's ‘Best Win Ever' from the 2022 Lexus Pipe Pro. With the wildcard at the 2025 Lexus Pipe Pro and an advancement out of the
Billabong Pipe Masters
Check every 9 since 2018 as we gear up for a return to the North Shore at the Lexus Pipe Pro presented by Yeti. Featuring Kelly Slater,
At the World Title-deciding 2019 Pipeline Final, it's safe to say Gabriel Medina was the favorite … but Italo Ferreira had other plans.
In 2019, with Olympic qualification on the line, several competitors were surfing for more than a victory at Pipeline.
Carissa Moore announces her 2020 competitive plans, a recap of Italo Ferreira's road to victory, and Seth Moniz wins Rookie of the Year.
Italo Ferreira wins the World Title and the Billabong Pipe Masters, you can never count out the GOAT and JJF set for the Olympics.