Off Piste Ski Trip – the largest Black winter sports group in the UK – swapped snowboards for surfboards this summer. The group brought over 60 people from London to The Wave in Bristol for their first experience of riding the waves – opening up the sport to a whole new audience.  
 
Off Piste was set up with the aim of changing the face of European ski resorts and encouraging more of the black community to give skiing and snowboarding a go. It has been a huge success, with the trips growing every year and selling out within days. They decided to build on this and look at other – traditionally summer – sports where black communities are under-represented.  
 
The Wave is the vision of Founder Nick Hounsfield, who wanted to bring the health benefits and joy of surfing to more people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Despite its early roots in Hawaii, Polynesia and Africa, over the last decades surfing has become a predominantly white, middle-class and male activity. The team at The Wave is on a mission to change this.  

The Off Piste Goes Off Shore event on Saturday 29 June was supported by Good Energy, Red Bull and Drip, as part of The Wave’s Impact programme. On the day 64 people experienced a surf lesson, and there was music from DJs Stay Wavey, Mblac, Taylor-Rae and SBK who brought the signature Off Piste party vibe to the event.

“We believe that this is the biggest black surf trip to ever take place in the UK and seeing so many of our community in the water having an incredible time was just the best feeling,” said Frankie Dadzie of Off Piste. “With our ski trips we wanted to create an environment where everyone feels like they belong and can just have a good time. We were keen to see if this could be possible with surfing too and I just loved how well this event was received by everyone. It feels so exciting that we could be inspiring a new generation of surfers.”  
 
Savannah Botombia Co-Founder of Off Piste said its important to diversify representation in surfing.
 
“We’re empowering countless Black individuals to ride the waves confidently, just like Siyanda Hewitt – the only black professional surfer in the UK,” said Savannah. “Our event celebrated the crucial need to make surfing more accessible, showcasing the demand for a more inclusive and intersectional culture in the sport. Traditionally, this hasn’t been the case, but the energy and enthusiasm we’ve seen from the community is undeniable.”

Founder of The Wave Nick Hounsfield said one of the key reasons he wanted to bring a ‘slice of the ocean’ inland was to make it easier to connect urban and inner-city communities with surfing.

“Many people haven’t tried surfing due to geographical and cultural barriers, and we want to help change that,” said Nick. “Partnering with Off Piste to make this event happen is exactly the sort of thing I dreamt of when building The Wave.”