If you are a skateboarder or BMX rider and you don't know what El Toro is it is time to start knowing.

I bet when the people building El Toro High School made this huge stair set they were definitely not thinking "this is going to be one of the most famous stair sets to jump in the action sports world someday." Regardless, it happened. That's simply the result of 20 steps to fame. That's right, 20 steps. Don't knoe the exact measurements of it all but if its 20 stairs tall and 20 stairs long it is BIG.

Many skaters and bikers have left their mark there, either in the photographic or videographic proof of a trick or blood stains on the landing area. Dennis Enarson, Haro Demolition and Nike, is 18 I believe, if not younger. He braved the stair set three times with a tailwhip, never entirely landing one. He get close, but close does not cut it because he ended up with a broken foot. What f*ck*ng determination...

To go at it once, takes balls. To go at it again and again even after getting beaten the first time, now that's f*ck*ng heroic. Peep the GIF.

Nike 6.0 writes:
"Every year the United Kingdom branch of Nike 6.0 offers a talented
filmer or photographer a once in a lifetime opportunity' "a one year
contract that gives them the chance to rub shoulders with the most
influential people in the action sports world*. If you live in the UK
and are over 16, not to mention fanatical about filming and
photography, then this is the gig for you. A key part of your role will
be following the Nike 6.0 Team as they compete in events and comps, do
photoshoots and a whole load more in 2009/2010. You'll be filming the
best riders, hanging out at the best parties and meeting the best
people in action sports.

This year Nike 6.0 has teamed up with MPORA.COM, one of the very
best action sport community websites. To find out how to enter, see
who's uploading what, find out who the guest judges are and loads more
check out www.mpora.com/nike6-apprentice.

*This opportunity is limited to residents of the UK."

First of all, that is awesome. I love opportunities like this for the underground and or up and coming. However, I think this one is already won hands down. Under the vimeo name BLACK CUBE, somebody has created a video that I am now going to say some offensive sh*t about right now: This video is the best video in terms of art direction and filming and editing and simply creativity in general on the internet right now...

NIKE 6.0: A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE (Black Cube)

North Carolina's own, Ben Bourgeois, won the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro last year, so it's only fitting to get a little interview from him first. He had just found out he had been bumped into the next round, and I had just realized I needed batteries for my tape recorder. I saw that he was walking back up the trail too, so I decided to do a little interview with him until my recorder died, I got five questions in.

So you won it last year, how did you spend the money?

I paid bills and put it in the bank.

How stoked are you that it's a six star this year?

Yeah definitely, it's nice that it it's a bigger event. You know, more guys, more prize money, more everything. It's a big plus.

Do you know who's in your heat?

Well, I was supposed to surf this morning, but I got bumped into the next round, so I'm not really sure. Maybe should check on that.

You recently scored some good surf over in Pohnpei. How was that?

It was insane, that [P Pass] was one of the best waves I've ever surfed. Just epic.

Where you off to next?

Hey, look it's Rob Machado over there [Ben gets distracted as Machado fillets a small left just south of Lowers]. How was that? Oh yeah, I'm off to Panama in a few weeks for a little trip, besides that just cruising.

And there went the power.

Lower Trestles is sacred ground for surfers. The wave itself is one of the best in the world for highlighting state of the art high performance surfing. That's why victories here, at any level, carry a significant degree of prestige. While Lowers plays host to a variety of surfing tournaments each year: the NSSA National Titles, a World Qualifying Series (WQS) event and an full blown ASP World Tour stop that brings the world title race into play.
In years past, the WQS event has been the least publicized of the three. That's due mainly to the fact that it didn't carry a whole lot of weight in the overall meaning of things. The WQS, which is surfing's version of the minor leagues, is comprised of hundreds and hundreds of surfers all vying for a shot at making the cut for the ASP World Tour. But unlike Minor League Baseball, where players are broken into segregated leagues, like Single- A, Double-A and Triple-A, in surfing the climb is a bit more complicated. Surfers with enough points can enter any contest they wish on the WQS schedule, which is comprised of roughly 40 events. Those events are broken into a tier system, ranked from 1-Star, which have very little points and prize money, all the way to 6-Star PRIME, which provide top dollars and enough points that they are basically can't miss events for any surfer hoping to make a serious run at the ASP World Tour.

6-Star PRIME events are rare birds indeed. There are only eight in 2009. And the only one on the U.S. Mainland, the 6.0 Lowers Pro, is underway this week at Trestles. Because 6-Star PRIME events are so important, several of the surfers who enter are ASP World Tour surfers aiming to protect their coveted spots by requalifying through the WQS again just in case they don't make the big league cutoff.

So how do the surfers feel about having such an important event at Lowers now?

"It's about time," says Ben Bourgeois, last year's winner. "This is by far the best wave in California for a surf contest, so it's nice to have something on the WQS level that really matters. I think we're going to see a lot higher level this year."

If the first few days of action are any indication, Bourgeois is right.

The first round of the six star prime event is in the water down at Lower Trestles in some pretty junky surf. The swell is supposed to pick up and the tide is starting to fill in, so stay tuned. Click here to watch it live.