Frames: Trestles Heroes Through the Years

Former World Championship Tour (WCT) surfer Cory Lopez (USA) is among the innovators in progressive surfing. Like many pros, he adopted San Clemente as his home and became an icon in the lineup.

In 2002, Mick Campbell (AUS) finished runner-up in Trestles with it was the Boost Mobile Pro. Despite a strong performance in the Final, he was out-performed by then-World No. 8 Luke Egan (AUS), who clinched the title.

Egan's win at the 2002 Boost Mobile Pro was his first on the elite Tour since the 2000 Quiksilver Pro Fiji. His event title bumped him from eighth place to second in the rankings.

Richie Lovett defeated fellow Aussie Taj Burrow at the 2003 Boost Mobile Pro. It was an emotional win for Lovett and his first Final after eight years on Tour. "It's been a source of frustration for me the past six or seven years,” he said at the time. “I just hadn’t been able to crack it, so to have everything fall into place today and to get the win, I can’t even put it into words."

Slater holds the record for the most event wins at Trestles. But in 2004, he lost narrowly to Joel Parkinson, who at the time had never lost to Slater in a Final. "The opportunity was there for me but I just blew it," Slater said afterwards.

For much of his career, the late Andy Irons (HAW) was one of the few true threats to Slater's supremacy on Tour. In 2005 he had a strong start at the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Quiksilver, showing off his powerful carves. But Irons was ousted in the Quarterfinals that year and Slater, unsurprisingly, went on to win.

Slater's win in 2005 wasn't unusual for the then-six-time World Champ. But for Aussie Phillip MacDonald, who went down in the Final, the event was one of his best finishes all season.

Winning at Trestles in 2005 signified Slater's continued dominance. The points helped solidify his campaign for his seventh World Title.

In 2006, Aussie Bede Durbidge had yet to make a big splash on the men's Tour. All of that changed at Lowers, where the young gun ousted one heavyweight after another to win the event (known that year as the Boost Mobile Pro Presented by Hurley).

Durbidge's win was all the more exciting because he topped the unstoppable Slater. "I knew the crowd was going to hype it up," Durbidge said of the Final, "and I knew that if he got anywhere near [a last wave], he was going to get it. I was just praying that no waves would come and it all happened for me."

Aussie beer Fosters was the 2006 men's CT sponsor, so when Durbidge won he was showered in it on his victory march. It was his first-ever win on the elite Tour and he jumped to 10th place in the rankings.

By 2007, Slater had eight World Titles under his belt and hardly needed to prove his global reign. But he won the Boost Mobile Pro at Trestles yet again, breaking the record for the most contest wins in the event's history.

2008 saw yet another jaw-dropping win from Slater. Trailing Taj Burrow (AUS) in the Final and needing an 8.93 with just two minutes left, the Champ pulled into a last wave and threw an air-reverse, a 360, a tail-slide and rode out a switch for good measure. Slater won -- again -- by mere tenths of a point. Pressed for a response after the event, Burrow told Surfing: "I don’t even want to talk about it."

Burrow in 2008: So good, so close.

In 2009, Trestles saw the rise of Dane Reynolds (USA), whose style was practically made for the peaky break. Among the most innovative surfers of his generation, the Ventura, Calif., local took his big airs and imaginative maneuvers all the way to the Final for a spotlight on his signature approach.

In a rare display of fallibility, in 2009 Slater fell to Mick Fanning (AUS) in the Semifinals despite solid surfing throughout the event. "Some day you feel it and you’re on and sometimes not," Slater said. "I kind of struggled through my first couple of heats anyhow."

Fanning took the podium at Trestles, triumphant.

Low tide at Trestles reveals the rock bottom that makes it so consistently good.

Fanning in 2009, unleashing at Lowers.

Burrow in 2009, enjoying San Clemente's clean faces.

Slater: Power-carve circa 2009, Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles.

Aussie Owen Wright (AUS) faced Slater in the Final at Lowers in 2011; it was their third Final faceoff in a row, a first in elite Tour history. At more than 6 feet tall, the young gun has power to spare and proved his progressive prowess with launches like this.

While progression is the game of surfing's youth, Slater's been among the pioneers. In the dying moments of his Final against Wright, the then-10-time World Champ showed yet again why he's dominated year after year.

In 2012, it was Parkinson who met Slater in the Final to face off for the win. The powerful Aussie hacked up Lowers in short order.

And yet, Slater reigned: The 2012 event marked not only his sixth win at the break, but the 50th of his career. “I’ve had so many good years at Lowers,” Slater told Transworld Surf. “I won my first event as a pro here, so it feels like a nice wrap-up.”

2013 again saw a battle of a seasoned Tour icon against an agile upstart. This time it was Aussie Julian Wilson vs. countryman Burrow.

Despite the Wilson's multiple air-reverses and new-school stylings, Burrow edged him out with clean, classic carves. After nearly 15 years on Tour, it was Burrow's first win at Trestles.