2010 BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SURF CONTEST-WEBISODE 2

The annual Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper trials (Aug 16th-19th, 2010) is the most prestigious trials invitational on the ASP Men's World tour. Just the winner and the highest-placed Tahitian surfer are guaranteed a place in the Billabong Pro Main Event from a stacked field of 64 big-wave, barrel riding specialists. Since the first Billabong Pro at Teahupo'o 10 years ago, the Air Tahiti VonZipper trials have been rewarded with some of the best surf ever seen at elite level. In surfing circles, the trials winner is lauded as a minor hero -- required to put his life on the line inside the huge barrels that break across dangerously shallow, tropical reef - and the respect earned from his peers is on par with the eventual champion of the main event. The Billabong Pro Wildcards also have a reputation for knocking off the top-seeded surfers. With little regard for world title ratings points, the wildcards have nothing to lose and everything to gain. As any one of them will tell you, when Teahupo'o is 10-foot and turning inside out, if you don't have that attitude, you've got nothing!