MASON HO FINALS AT PIPE

…Lost rider Mason Ho advanced to the finals of the 2014 ASP 5 Star Volcom Pipe Pro today, finishing 3rd. He was one score and a dumpy Backdoor section away from taking the win from Kelly Slater. Beside his epic five heat Pipe performance he was also the recipient of the prestigious Todd Chesser Memorial Award for the surfer that charges the hardest in the event yet retains the spirit of sportsmanship and aloha. By being the top placing Hawaiian surfer in the event he qualified for the 2014 Pipe Masters in December (the top 8 Hawaiians get a spot in the Pipe Masters).

He rode a board that was obviously a few inches bigger than most competitors but we’re probably not allowed to give the exact dimensions. The Ho book of competitive success at Pipeline is long (father Michael won the Pipe Masters in 1982 and Uncle Derek in 1986 + 93) but today Mason began his own chapter. In big and challenging side offshore conditions he seemed to have an uncanny way of picking the biggest and best waves during every heat and riding them to perfection. Obviously a crowd favorite all day even Kelly acknowledged Mason is one of his favorite’s after the final. Congrats Mason! Can’t wait to watch in December. Check out some of the photos below. We snagged them from the Volcom website. You can also watch all the heats “One Demand” their too.

MASON HO HIGHLIGHTS (Pipe Pro 2014) from Lost Enterprises on Vimeo.

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Mason took the steep and deep approach all day.

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Perfect Pipe Pigdog.

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Mason dropped a 9 point score in his first heat and never looked back all the way to the final.

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Mason receiving the Todd Chesser Memorial Award from Todd’s mother Jeannie.

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Chris Ward ripped Pipe as usual during the event. Defeating Kelly Slater in round 3 but falling short on the final day. Here’s Ward amidst the chaos where he’s most comfortable.

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2012 finalist Nate Yeomans advanced into the quarter-finals on the final day.

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Photo: surfermag.com/Noyle

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Photo: surfermag.com/Noyle

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Photo: surfermag.com/Noyle

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Photo: surfermag.com/Noyle

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Mason Ho. Photo: surfingmagazine.com/BrentBielmann

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Michael and Mason discussing their plan of attack. Photo: surfingmagazine.com/BrentBielmann

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Nate Yeomans. Photo: surfingmagazine.com/BrentBielmann

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Photo: surfline.com

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Photo: surfline.com

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Photo: surfline.com

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Photo: surfline.com

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Photo: surfline.com

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Photo: surfline.com