AGE: 20
BORN: WALSALL WOOD, WEST
MIDLANDS
HOME: NEWQUAY, CORNWALL
HOMEBREAK: FISTRAL
WEIGHT: 75KG
HEIGHT: 1M82
SHORTBOARD: 6’2’’ EVANS
SPONSORS: ANIMAL, SNUGG,
EVANS SURFBOARDS, DAKINE,
PURE BLUE WATER
Growing up in Newquay, Mitch Corbett learnt to surf when he was 12 with both of his older brothers Lee and Mark. “I started to surf at my local break Fistral, it’s a great wave to learn on because of its always-changing conditions.” But Mitch was never really a regular on the grom contest circuit and it was local pro Alan Stokes who recognised his natural talent, hooking him up with sponsor Animal 5 years ago. “I’ve known Mitch since he was a wee nipper snapper, heading down to the (Newquay) Bay for a surf, just a stoked-out grom with not a worry in the world,” says Stokesy, “and the classic thing is he’s twenty now, he’s a big guy too with a powerful hack but he hasn’t changed one bit, still the stoked grom, always happy and high on life.”
Since then, Mitch has spent several winters in Oz and Indo, opening his eyes to all sorts and taken his surfing to the next level. The pros he most admires include Rob Machado and Taylor Knox because of their near-perfect techniques. “I think surfing is at its best when it’s really easy to watch.”
This year, he placed 2nd in the English Nationals Open and represented the English Open team at the European Championships in Anglet just a few months back. He’s also been doing a load of filming for the new British surf movie MVP (Most Valuable Players) that was due to be released at the end of the summer. When he’s not in the water, Mitch likes to spend his days carp fishing for forty-pounders in a secret lake in south Cornwall, “I usually go by myself and catch nothing, except a cold. But there’s nothing better than the feeling of a bend in the rod.” Well, that and eating Cornish pasties. “They’re the best thing about Cornwall, for sure.”