This 23-Year-Old Is A 2X Performer of the Year at Mavericks

Alessandro “Alo” Slebir does not brag. I tried to coax it out of him, but he didn’t budge. The most obvious admission came from his relocation of December 28, 2023, one of those rare Mavericks days with giant, unforgiving moguls and a long period swell “so west it was essentially south.”

Slebir and his tow partner, 22-year-old Half Moon Bay local Luca Padua, got to Pillar Point Harbor before dawn and were the first to reach the lineup after darting through a half mile of rouge peaks on their ski. What followed was a full-throttle display of black-diamond tow surfing under a blanket of trademark Northern California fog.

Padua airdropped into a spitting cylinder, and Slebir backdoored the bowl time and again. In a session alongside Kai Lenny, Lucas Chianca, Peter Mel and Andrew Cotton, the two early-20-year-olds were in the thick of it. But Alo is quick to recall other rides rather than his own.

“It was more about being happy for your friends, like Luca, Jojo Roper and Hunter Murison,” he said. “Seeing them get those waves was a more eventful part of the day than my own rides. I don’t remember my own rides, but I remember theirs.

“Especially watching Luca’s wave that spit super hard. When we towed into it, we knew it was going to be crazy. Looking down on a Jet Ski at your buddy bottom turning on a 30-40 foot wall of water, that’s what sticks out in my mind.”

When I asked what he took away from that day, the answer epitomized his calculated yet driven approach.

“When it’s west like that do not tow your guy too deep,” he chuckled. “And in terms of dialing in everything, when we have another day like that we want to be in bed the night prior by 8 p.m., not 10 p.m.”

At 23 years old, with several productive winters under his belt, Slebir has quickly become a perennial standout on any given swell at Mavericks. In the four years the Mavericks Awards have recognized men and women for their efforts, he has twice been named Male Performer of the Year. The judging panel is an expert field who has seen the wave from every angle: its pioneer Jeff Clark, three-time Mavericks invitational champion Darryl “Flea” Virostko, photographer Fred Pompermayer, former WSL Big Wave Tour judge Heather Hamilton, and Santa Cruz Waves founder and former Mavericks competitor Tyler Fox.

“What stood out was his dedication,” Fox said of Slebir's approach last winter. “He was out there before the sun came up pretty much every swell. Even if the conditions were rainy, cold or south wind. As I get older, I get a little more picking with the days. But he was frothing every swell and making the most of it. On any given day, he was getting one or two amazing rides. I think that consistency is what impressed me.

“And his versatility too. He was getting amazing rights and getting towed in left. Just huge waves, doing it all.”

Alo the nickname bestowed on Slebir (a tradition in Santa Cruz’s surf scene), a nod to his fair complexion. A son of an Italian mother and a fluent Italian speaker, he is the latest in a lineage of those who have trekked north to have a go at the world's biggest slab. He's not without ego or confidence (key ingredients to a big-wave endeavor), but he knows his history thanks to hours of raw footage from Powerlines Productions. As a youth, he gradually got comfortable with XXM Steamer Lane and built endurance by long-distance prone paddling. He was 14 when he first went to Mavericks under the mentorship of Pat Shaughnessy.

“Before that first session, we ran into Garrett McNamara on the cliff,” Slebir said. “He said to Pat it looked about 15 feet, a couple of waves. First thing out there, I get caught inside and I’m like, ‘This is not 15 feet!’ It might have been, but for a 14-year old it was giant. I got caught twice. It was brutal, but it was worth the risk.”

Related: Meet Your 2023-24 Mavericks Award Winners

Over the following few years, Slebir learned the lineup and paid to play. He dialed his boards (9’2", thicker, not wider). As he progressed, he kept bumping into a familiar face: Padua, one year his junior. After the usual adolescent chest puffing, the two eventually realized they were too similar not to join forces. Through numerous sessions good and bad, they’ve become kindred spirits. They’re alike in wanting to maximize every opportunity Mavs can throw at them by hand and by ski. They share strong senses of responsibility, accountability and leadership. Not to mention a healthy dose of respect for their elders.

“I think it’s more about elevating each other’s performance,” Padua said of their camaraderie. “It’s just by nature of surfing big waves together. There’s been a handful of hairy, caught inside moments and Alo was right there with me."

Both learned the tow ropes from established veterans. Slebir had Ryan Augenstein, another Santa Cruz stalwart. Padua worked with Half Moon Bay’s Tim West Jr. before training with Laird Hamilton (yes, that Laird Hamilton). But this past winter was the first season Slebir and Padua committed to be full-time partners. They see in each other someone to match their energy.

“Obviously, he’s a talented waterman and big wave rider,” Padua said. “But he’s just a really good dude.”

There's no place like the dinner table to get to know somebody. The two spent plenty of time together this past winter over meals at the home of Padua's parents, Wendy and Gino. It was a huge bonus for Slebir as it saved him gas money, afforded him a base five minutes from the Mavericks parking lot and the family hooked it up with post-surf feasts. Like competitive brothers, they love to see each other succeed, but they still think about how to one-up the other.

“It’s a healthy relationship,” Slebir said. “I see what he’s doing, and I want to emulate that.”

Though Slebir didn’t set out to be rewarded for setting his line at Mavericks, the accolades came nonetheless. Even if he wasn’t on hand to pick them up. When it was announced he was the 2022-23 Mavericks Awards Performer of the Year, he was at a country music festival in Southern California.

“It feels great to get recognition,” Slebir said. “But at the same time, what matters to me the most is just being in the lineup.”

When he received his second POTY nod in early May, he was honored to be sure, but he doesn’t want to be known as someone chasing a title. He’d be out there regardless, cameras or not. And he’s doing all of this without a headline sponsor. He’s a sales rep for a few local surf companies and gets cash from a local spirits brand to pay the bills. His summer work fuels his winter exploits. But don’t expect to hear much from him about it.

“He’s soft-spoken and humble,” Fox said. “My ultimate hero, Richard Schmidt, always let his surfing do the talking. I’m a fan of when people aren’t boasting about themselves, but just go out and absolutely charge. I feel like Alo is that way.”

“It’s just fun to have a guy who’s capable and ready for the best and worst Mavericks has to offer,” Padua concluded. “When you’re in the shit and see a guy laughing and smiling, having that energy around is incredible.”

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