Fanning's X Factor

Three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning needs a vehicle to match his adventurous spirit. In the shape of the all-new Mercedes X-Class, which the shark-repelling legend reviews exclusively for Men’s Health, he’s found it

- Mick Fanning

ON A TYPICAL post-retirement day, I’m up pretty early for a surf-check and some breakfast. If the waves are average I’m often checking in with my surfboard shaper, collaborating on new designs, or else heading into Balter, our brewery at Currumbin in the Gold Coast hinterland. If there’s great surf, all bets are off and everything else gets pushed down the list of priorities.

Essentially, my daily ‘routine’ has become anything but. Nowadays, I’m virtually living out of my car, ready for anything the ocean gods dish up.