For Seth, Sakke, Knox, and Vind Påhlsson, the Alaïa Surf Challenge is a chance to surf together, push their limits, and have some fun along the way. Six-year-old Knox has already stepped up to a new wave setting so he can compete in the groms.
The Påhlssons have made the Alaïa Surf Challenge a family affair. Seth, 43, and Sakke, 39, are both competing, along with six-year-old Knox and four-year-old Vind. Vind is taking part in Golden Fin.
Seth is originally from Sweden and has been surfing for 26 years. Sakke is from Denmark and has surfed for five years. Knox and Vind were born in Sweden and have already spent three and two years surfing, respectively. For the past four years, the family has lived in Verbier, Switzerland.
There’s one easy way to pick Sakke out on a wave: Sakke is the family’s only goofy-footer. Seth, Knox, and Vind are all natural-footers.
When the family lived in Sweden, their local surf was spread across Skåne, in the south of the country. Nowadays, Alaïa Bay is their regular spot. They have also surfed Lost Shore and O₂ SURFTOWN MUC, and they have a favourite thing about each pool. Lost Shore has the best barrels, Seth says, while the expert point break at O₂ is “pretty sick”. Alaïa Bay feels like home.
“The Alaïa Bay crew is amazing, and they all take good care of the whole family,” says Seth. That support means a great deal when two of the surfers are still so young. The crew gives special permission for children with the required skills to surf, allowing Knox and Vind to join the rest of the family in the water.
All four ride Bugge surfboards, shaped by their friend Chris Bugge in Portugal. Knox and Vind also ride for Backside Shop in Verbier, which supports their snowboarding and mountain biking. Surfing may be the focus at Alaïa Bay, but the kids are used to finding their feet on boards throughout the year.
The Påhlssons don’t spend much time on the competition circuit. They occasionally enter the Alaïa Bay Winter Cup, but the Surf Challenge’s format has given them a fresh reason to push themselves.
Knox took that challenge to heart. He wanted to compete in the groms, so he set himself a goal: to become good enough to surf the advanced cruiser setting. He made it. Now, Seth says, he doesn’t want to surf anything else.
Knox’s own explanation is shorter: “I like it because I like to surf and I like to compete.”
For Seth, getting better is part of having fun. The possibility of a Wavepool World Title adds excitement, but it isn’t what brought the family here. They get to share waves, encourage each other, and see what they can do.
A family sweep of the podiums, Seth admits, would still be “pretty rad”.
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