Surfers had an expression session style heat on Friday, with eight surfers in the water for hour-long heats. 'From walking through the snow to surfing in the mountains, and with a different competitive format, it just felt fresh.' Alaïa Open Winter Cup - WSL / Alaïa Bay 'It was just a very different competitive experience,' said French QS surfer Justin Becret, who finished third in the marquee Men's Open's division. The organizers had posted up a $70k purse, and attracted an international field in the Open Men's and Women's and Junior divisions. This was the venue of the inaugural The Alaïa Open Winter Cup, held at Alaïa Bay in the Swiss Alps town of Sion. And rather than the surging, rip bowl randomness of the Haleiwa Toilet Bowl, there were the ordered sets of the Wavegarden technology pumping out eight-wave sets into a man-made lake.

Boardshorts were replaced with 5/4 steamers, hoods, gloves, and booties. The setting though couldn't have been more different. Yet, while European CT hopes and dreams were evaporating in the rip bowls and humid air of Haleiwa, back on the continent, the rest of Europe's best surfers gathered to start the comeback. With the retirement of Jeremy Flores and veteran Michel Bourez missing the cut, 2022 will see only Johanne Defay, Leonardo Fioravanti, and Frederico Morais representing Europe on the CT. In the Men's no European was in touching distance of qualification, and there were no Hawaiian miracles. While both made a few heats, they didn't get the big result they needed. The same applied to the Portuguese pair of Yolanda Hopkins and Teresa Bonvalot. Early Round losses at Haleiwa for both however saw their hopes fade quickly.

In the Women's French veteran Pauline Ado and Basque surfer Ariane Ochoa traveled to Hawaii sitting in the qualification places. The Challenger Series didn't end too well for a clutch of European surfers vying for their CT dream.

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