arnette

This past Tuesday we were greeted with a multitude of surprises. The weather was warm, surf was up and the Arnette Europe “In Your Face” contest winners came to town for a visit. The Holmstroem crew as they are officially known, are just a bunch of average Joe’s like you and I who just happened to win one of the coolest contests of all time, earning themselves a paid trip to Cali to surf up and down the coast. They all hail from Germany and were regaling us with tales of all the famous breaks (Trestles, HB Pier, Blacks) they had been surfing which we take for granted and how their money goes so much farther over here as they had been pillaging surf shops all along the way. 

They were an extremely frothy group of guys and upon meeting up with them in Newport at 28th street for a surf with Arnette riders Michael Dunphy and Christian Saenz, we knew immediately why they won.  Needless to say that the fog bank rolled in and weather went to crap almost instantaneously but they were still super psyched to be hanging and surfing with us. Even better, was post-surf while we were drying off and the Red Bull girls rolled up…well, just look at the photo below and you will catch my drift. At that moment we realized that these guys were definitely a handful but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Be on the lookout for them as they head up to Santa Cruz, you can’t miss their car…if you see them give them a honk!

Jonas Bronnert...the next Marlon Lipke?

Dunphy was easily the standout of the sesh with huge airs like this...he almost stomped this one too.

Saenzy!

Epic hub caps.

I don't know what they are going to do when they have to return this rental car. Hope they got insurance.

The Red Bull gals were digging the Germans. I need to learn a foreign language.

Christian Saenz as seen thru the eyes of Michael Dunphy.

And the winners are: Paul Beck, Jonas Bronnert, Lars Kossowski, Lennart Stagneth, Fin-Eric Christenson, Christian Saenz, Michael Dunphy, Fabian Aschenbach and Jasper Schwampe. Congrats boys! Tear it up in Santa Cruz!

PHOTOS: CARL STEINDLER/ARNETTE