Elkerton to Defend Title in Surfing, Snowboarding

Pro surfer Gary Elkerton of Mooloolaba, Australia, will defend his championship at the $10,000 Op Wintersurf Pro, which begins Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Thirty-two of the nation’s top pro surfers and snowboarders will compete in the two-day event, which begins at 6:30 a.m. Saturday with the surfing competition at the pier.

The contest continues at 10 a.m. Sunday with the snowboarding at Bear Mountain Ski Resort.

Scores from the four-man surfing heats and the snowboarding obstacle course will be combined to determine the overall winner.

Elkerton won the surfing and overall titles in last year’s competition, edging snowboarding winner Kris Jamieson of Bend, Ore., in the overall race.

Jamieson is entered again this year, along with fellow snowboarders Craig Kelly of Mt. Vernon, Wash., and Dana Nicholson and Damien Sanders, both of Huntington Beach.

Among the surfers expected to compete are Mike Parsons of San Clemente, the defending U.S. champion; Noah Budroe and Gary Clisby of Huntington Beach, and Christian Fletcher and Nathan Fletcher of San Clemente.

No admission will be charged for the event.