BEHIND / THE / COVER

Billy Stairmand is one busy man! Constantly travelling around the world living out of a suitcase can become quite draining, and although it is seen that you have the dream job, being able to surf for a living, when you finally arrive home after months on the road, the last thing you really want to do is head back out on the road chasing waves. Kicking back, refuelling, and spending time with loved ones before jet-setting off again is priority. So it’s taken quite some time to get Billy on one of our legendary Pita Pit Roady’s.Yet only days before he was due in South Africa, Billy called up to see if we were heading on any trips in the next while? When informed that in fact we were heading away the very next day, being a Raglan boy true to his home town, Bill piped up with his best sales pitch for getting us to Raglan. “It’s gonna be pumping, you should just come here!” was the claim. Sure Raglan is a great place to visit, but we’ve seen what Billy can do on his home waves plenty enough. It was time to drag the lad to somewhere a little different. When told that we were heading to Taranaki and that the country’s top junior Kehu Butler was locked in, Billy was sold! Turns out Billy had not been to Taranaki in years, not since a grom in fact, and on the Roady he got to surf many waves he had never seen before. With the two talented surfers feeding off each others talents and energy, the roady was great prep for both surfers up coming international comps. On our very first surf of the trip, the two were going toe to toe, wave for wave. When the most intense West Coast sunset flared up, our photographer Cory Scott sprinted up and down the beach, at times lying in the wet sand, knowing that if one of the lads launched an epic image would transpire. Yet on his very next wave Billy straightened out and came in. Cozza was straight on it, showing Billy what could be created on the back of the camera, so Bill was straight back out there and on his next wave he nailed this cover shot. Stoked team all round!