Wavepool Surf Tour Crowns First Champions at Alaïa Surf Challenge

Three months. Two waves. The results are in. Leaderboards are LIVE

Michel Roque (Brazil) and Spain’s Carla Morera de la Vall claimed the Open titles at the Alaïa Surf Challenge, as the first event of the Wavepool Surf Tour wrapped at Alaïa Bay in Sion, Switzerland.

Both finished with two division wins. Roque took the Open Men’s title with 17.48 and added the Masters crown with 18.32. Morera de la Vall won the Open Women’s division with 18.01 and also claimed the Junior Girls title.

From 1 August to 31 October, competitors submitted their best waves from the Swiss pool. Judges assessed the performances on Commitment, Creativity and Control, with each competitor’s two-wave total deciding the main division results.

João Roque Pinho finished second in Open Men, ahead of Kilian Rosskopf and Russell Winter.

Ella Aebi took second in Open Women, followed by Elena Bérot and Rachel Bonhote-Mead.

Winter won the Legends title with 16.90, edging Richard Dodd by 0.28, with Hugo Mergulhão third and South Africa’s Jeremy Saville fourth. Bonhote-Mead claimed the Masters Women’s title with 16.04.

Loghann Tilsley took the Junior Boys title. Gaspar Thierry won the Grom Boys division, edging Jeremias Matena by just 0.11, while Jana Hauser claimed the Grom Girls title.

Carlos Lopes and Carla Kummer won the Longboard divisions. Ben Neumann topped Adaptive with a two-wave total of 17.50.

The specialty awards brought more names to the front. Former Championship Tour surfer Winter took Best Turn among the men, with Aebi winning the women’s award. Roque Pinhoand Bérot claimed Best Air. Rosskopf and Bonhote-Mead won Best Barrel, while Vind Pahlsson took the Golden Fin Award.

“We’re stoked with the quality of surfing and the calibre of the winners. Russell Winter coming in at 50 years old and winning Best Turn with pure power surfing was a real highlight. Then you have an exciting young talent like Carla Morera de la Vall winning the juniors, strong performances from both the local Swiss men and women, and big inverted airs helping decide the Open titles. There was plenty to celebrate across the divisions.

“We had an outstanding judging panel, and I thought they got the results spot-on. I’m proud to have been part of this first event and excited about what comes next,” said Wavepool Surf Tour COO Clyde Martin.

With the inaugural event complete, attention now turns towards the 2027 WPST World Final, with qualifying surfers to be announced soon.

The opening event offered US$20,000 in cash and product prizes.

Next comes Ride The Future, running from 13 November to 13 December 2026. The standalone specialty contest welcomes footage from any wavepool worldwide, with surfers competing for Best Air, Best Turn and Best Barrel. Its results do not count towards tour rankings or World Final qualification. Ride The Future registrations are open here.

The Alaïa Surf Challenge was made possible with the support of Alaïa Bay, Sion Tourisme, Wavegarden, Surf Eye, Hurley Europe, Ocean & Earth, EQ Premium Organic Sun Care, NMD Bodyboards, Igloo and Surf Collab.

For now, the Wavepool Surf Tour’s first chapter is complete. Here are the final results.

Alaïa Surf Challenge Results:

Open Men

1. Michel Roque (Brazil)
2. João Roque Pinho (Portugal)
3. Kilian Rosskopf (Switzerland)
4. Russell Winter (United Kingdom)

Open Women

1. Carla Morera de la Vall (Spain)
2. Ella Aebi (Switzerland)
3. Elena Bérot (France)
4. Rachel Bonhote-Mead (Switzerland)

Masters Men

1. Michel Roque (Brazil)
2. Seth Pahlsson (Sweden)
3. Russell Winter (United Kingdom)
4. Richard Dodd (United Kingdom)

Masters Women

1. Rachel Bonhote-Mead (Switzerland)
2. Steph Tissot (Switzerland)
3. Alena Ehrenbold (Switzerland)
4. Emilie Pahlsson (Denmark)

Legends Men

1. Russell Winter (United Kingdom)
2. Richard Dodd (United Kingdom)
3. Hugo Mergulhão (Portugal)
4. Jeremy Saville (South Africa)

Junior Boys — U18

1. Loghann Tilsley (Switzerland)
2. Matias Banto (Switzerland)
3. Mael Luginbuehl (Switzerland)
4. Jeremias Matena (Czechia)

Junior Girls — U18

1. Carla Morera de la Vall (Spain)
2. Ella Aebi (Switzerland)
3. Zoë Hauser (Switzerland)
4. Lara Liselotte Popp (Germany)

Grom Boys — U14

1. Gaspar Thierry (France)
2. Jeremias Matena (Czechia)
3. Knox Pahlsson (Sweden)
4. Gabin Mozer (Saint Barthélemy)

Grom Girls — U14

1. Jana Hauser (Switzerland)
2. Fiona Fernandez Junyent (Spain)

Longboard Men

1. Carlos Lopes (Portugal)
2. Matteo Kunz (Switzerland)
3. Nick Crettenand (Switzerland)

Longboard Women

1. Carla Kummer (Switzerland)

Adaptive Men

1. Ben Neumann (Germany)
2. Erwan Bleuez (France)

Best Air — Men

1. João Roque Pinho (Portugal)
2. Michel Roque (Brazil)
3. Kilian Rosskopf (Switzerland)

Best Air — Women

1. Elena Bérot (France)
2. Zoë Hauser (Switzerland)

Best Barrel — Men

1. Kilian Rosskopf (Switzerland)
2. Jeremy Saville (South Africa)
3. Theo Vialette (France)

Best Barrel — Women

1. Rachel Bonhote-Mead (Switzerland)
2. Ella Aebi (Switzerland)
3. Mathilda Colelough (Switzerland)

Best Turn — Men

1. Russell Winter (United Kingdom)
2. Kilian Rosskopf (Switzerland)
3. Matias Banto (Switzerland)

Best Turn — Women

1. Ella Aebi (Switzerland)
2. Carla Morera de la Vall (Spain)
3. Elena Bérot (France)

Golden Fin Award

1. Vind Pahlsson (Sweden)
2. Seth Pahlsson (Sweden)
3. Kilian Rosskopf (Switzerland)

For more information on the Wavepool Surf Tour, visit:

www.wavepoolsurftour.com

Media Enquiries

Craig Jarvis
Marketing & Communications
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About The Wavepool Surf Tour

The Wavepool Surf Tour connects surfers from wavepools around the world through a shared online competitive format built specifically for wavepool surfing. Competitors participate throughout the season from their local wavepools, with the leading performers advancing to the live Wavepool Surf Tour World Final.