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BIO
First name, surname, nickname : Pablo Gutierrez, aka El MatadorDOB, POB : 12/07/1981, Santander (Spain)
Size : 1 m 72
Home town : Somo (Cantabria, Spain)
Home break : Somo
Main Shaper : All Ocean surfboards
First time ever on a surfboard : 9 years old
Stance : regular
Sponsors : Rip Curl, Smith optics, All Ocean surfboards, Globe, Power Balance, Dakine
Rip Curl rider since : 1994
Standart shortboard : 5'11 x 18'' 1/8 x 2'' 1/8
Best surftrip ever : Mentawai Island
Honours : European pro junior champion (2000, 2001), 1st WCT trials Reunion Island (2005)
Hobbies : gym, cinema, family...
Fantasy : fly
Website : pablogutierrezsurf.blogspot.com
Being a Search rider means surfing frozen waves in the Lofoten Islands, pulling-in unknown barrels somewherre in Indonesia, discovering new pointbreaks in Libya... That's Pablo's life, and, the least we can say, he's happy to deal with it. Living in Cantabria (North of Spain), Pablo has to make his choice between so many waves and configurations every day that the Search became a daily quest to him!
Pablo is also still surfing the european leg of the WQS, even if he's not as committed as he was into contests. But as a former european champion and winner of the Search WCT trials in Reunion Island, Pablo has to feed competitive side. Pablo the freesurfer and El Matador the competitor, or Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde.
QUICK FACTS
If you were :
an object : a surfboard
a place : the beach
a color : red
a country : Spain
a meal : sushi
a game : soccer
a fruit : banana
a sound : the sea
a hobby : cinema
a vehicle : Ferrari
a feeling : make love
a season : summer
a song : Don't worry, be happy
a movie : Gladiator
a wetsuit : anyone from Rip Curl
an animal : dolphin
a superhero : Superman
a woman : my wife
not a surfer : a teacher
a virtue : fighter
a vice : sex
Pick one...
Early or late-riser ? Early
Friends or family ? family
Wanderer or homebody ? wanderer
Photos or videos ? photos
TV or cinema ? cinema
Beachbreak or reefbreak ? reefbreak
Thruster or quad ? thruster
Small or big waves ? big waves
Freesurf or contest ? freesurf
Tea or coffe ? coffe
Beer or whiskey ? beer
Rock or techno music ? rock
Recycling or wasting ? recycling
Your…
5 favorites websites
windguru.cz
hotmail.com
marca.com
surfline.com
my blog
5 favorites songs
I dont know!!!
5 favorites surfers
Kelly Slater
Mick Fanning
Dane Reynolds
Jordy Smith
Taj Burrow
5 favorites waves
Pipe/Backdoor
Hollow Trees
Cloud9
Santa Marina
Mundaka
5 favorites tricks
Barrel
Aerials
Tails out
Carvings
Layback
INTERVIEW
When did you turn pro?
Weel, I started surfing at 9 because I had asthma... The doctor told me to spend all the time I could in water. So I improved my surfing and started contests at 11. I had a bunch of good results as a junior. And when I won both open and junior european championship, I decided to turn pro. I was 19 and ready ofr the WQS battle.
Looking back at the last 5 years, what's your story?
All good! I traveled to perfect places as a freesurfer and I did pretty well in contests. I'm lucky to have both freesurfing and contests to break the routine. And I also married Paula and became a father.
How do deal with being a father and a pro surfer?
I do my best to stay at home. But my carrer as a freesurfer is so on with Rip Curl. I love travelling, discovering new countries. I'm also still hungry about contests. I'm 28 and surf better than ever. El Matador is still on the inside!
How's life going in Cantabria (North Spain)?
I live in Somo, a small village on the coast. My home-break is really consistant with lots of differents peaks. Around somo, I have a wide range of options : reef, beachbreaks, rivermouth... France, Mundaka, Rodiles are really close too. It's hard not to find a place to surf. I could hardly move somewhere else...
A classic day in Somo would be?
Early wake-up, taking Mario to school, killing perfects waves. Then working hard at the gym and ending it with a family walk at sunset.
As a freesurfer, what does The Search means to you?
It's our roots. Any surfer, wherever he is, try to find the best waves at the best time. I live it every single day.
What about your blog?
It's to keep in touch with family, friends, fans when I'm on a trip. Even if I'm on the other side of the planet, we share something.