The Morning Report
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With the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf contest coming to Lower Trestles this weekend, the New York Times‘ sports section visits the battle over the famed surf break.
The Foothills/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency has plans to build a toll road through San Onofre State Beach. The agency says it will reduce congestion in southern Orange County. Opponents say it ignores alternatives and will restrict the flow of sediment that replenishes the surf breaks at Trestles.
The story from the Times‘ Matt Higgins says:
“The world tour only goes to the best waves in the world,” said Alex Wilson, associate editor at Surfer Magazine. “Trestles is one of them. It’s a gem. It’s a perfect wave.”
Not overly large and relatively easy to ride, the waves are long and fast, and they peel with well-shaped shoulders ideal for aerials and other maneuvers. Trestles is said to make average surfers seem sublime, and superior surfers colossal.
The Surfrider Foundation, an international grass-roots coastal conservancy, insists that a planned 16-mile toll road would downgrade Trestles. The foundation has pledged to fight the road’s construction and has assembled support from surfing and other sources, including a $30,000 donation from the rock band Pearl Jam.
For some broader context on the Trestles debate, read our story here.