Interview: Alys Barton Is Ready For the Biggest Month Of Her Career

For those not in the know, the WSL Challenger Series is the final stepping stone to surfing's elite Championship Tour. After dialling in some technique in Indo, Alys is back home and there's only one thing on her mind.

"I'm feeling really motivated," she said. "Training's been going really well. I’ve just come back from a month in Indonesia where I was exploring new waves and pushing my surfing every day.” And no, that's not a holiday.

"I was in the water constantly, building confidence and sharpening my skills in all kinds of conditions,” Alys said. “Now I'm back home and heading to France this weekend to keep preparing. I'm just really excited for the season to begin."

The Challenger Series represents a huge leap from the European Qualifying Series. The world's best surfers who narrowly missed out on the Championship Tour are joined by rising talents from every continent, making it arguably the most competitive tour in surfing.

"I'd absolutely love to win a Challenger Series event," she said. "I'm especially proud and excited to be the first from the UK to represent the British flag on the Challenger Series. For now, though, I just want to enjoy the experience and keep working hard towards reaching the Championship Tour."

This isn't a pipe dream either, it's right there – and only five events are in the way of Alys making history, again.

"It's one of my next big goals," she said. "It would be a dream come true to compete on the world tour alongside my best friends. My main aim is to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour and ultimately represent Great Britain as the first British Olympic surfer at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. I'm focused on continually progressing through the ranks and performing at the highest level internationally."

The UK has always been the underdog in surfing. Unlike many powerhouse nations, competing at Challenger Series level requires enormous financial backing. International flights, accommodation, coaching, boards, wetsuits and months spent travelling around the globe quickly. It stacks up. And then stacks up on top of that stack. An unfathomable expense for a rising star.

"The Challenger Series is a major step up from the European circuit," Alys said. "There's a lot more international travel and a much higher level of competition. It's a full year of competing globally while also maintaining my QS ranking in Europe, so the schedule is intense with back-to-back events, including ISA competitions." And despite reaching the biggest stage of her career so far, she's still searching for key partners.

"The financial demands are significant," Alys said. "At the moment I'm still without a major sponsor or wetsuit partner, so additional support would make a huge difference in allowing me to focus fully on performance."

Away from competition though, Alys is grounded, unfiltered and taking it in her stride.

What's does a Welsh surfing talent do in their down-time? Long walks, staying active, baking and spending time with friends. Travel itself remains one of her biggest passions, not just for the surf, but for the opportunity to experience different cultures, places and food along the way.

Last month, 10 Over Surf Shop brought Alys onto our Pro Team Rider roster, which also includes Lola Bleakley and Willow Smith. Stay tuned for more from the group.

Soon enough, though, life returns to competition mode. The CS kicks-off July 12th in Ballito, South Africa. Then onto Huntington Beach straight after.