Boating-sailing
SUP International
Small Minded: Wiping The Slate Clean
A few years ago I wrote about a perceived ‘eddy’ of lower and lower volume surfing paddleboards spinning away to the side of the sport’s mainstream. A veritable closed shop of elite riders chasing shortboard surfing-esque performance atop pieces of equipment that increasingly resembled just that: a surfing shortboard.
4 min |
Spring 2019
SUP International
The Great Route
Data can only tell us so much. Environmental researcher Michael Walther wanted to make a more qualititave invesgitation into the effects of the anthroposcene on the remote west coast of Greenland. As he saw, climate change is altering not only the extent of the ice, but more crucially the way the ice behaves. The impact on the people that live there was profound.
8 min |
Spring 2019
SUP International
On Europe's Amazon
The Danube Delta is one of the wildest corners of Europe. A labyrinth of jungle-like waterways bedecked with climbing vines that hide kingfishers, pelicans and floating islands leading into a mystical world of deep forests and rivers. Sadly like any paradise, it is under threat.
10 min |
Spring 2019
SUP International
Clinical Trials
I’d been sitting in Bali chilling and surfing with my girlfriend for the last few weeks, when I got a WhatsApp message from Ollie, Starboard sup product manager, asking if I could stay around for a bit longer. He was coming out to the “island of the gods” for some testing and said he would like my help with that. Well, it’s not often you get invited to test the next generation of SUP toys from a bunch of crazy innovators - so, of course I immediately accepted!
8 min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
Improving Technique
I am fortunate to be able to introduce a lot of people into paddle boarding, inspiring them to the love of the sport. Within two hours of beginner SUP session, people get a flavour of SUP and learn the basics.
3 min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
Connor Baxter
Coming here for the second stop for the APP World Tour was quite amazing.
6 min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
Get Psyched #8 Heuristic Traps
What does a rule of thumb, educated guess, guesstimate, and plain old common sense have in common? They’re all examples of heuristic thinking: a technique that each of us use quite naturally in everyday life. They allow us to reach an immediate goal without putting too much thought into it, meaning we get stuff done quicker. Heuristic techniques are fine when you’re shopping for groceries for example, but heuristic thinking in critical situations that we as paddlers might find ourselves in, can lead to disaster. This issue, I want to talk about how to recognise and avoid heuristic traps. Otherwise known as, ‘check yourself before you wreck yourself ’.
5 min |
Winter 2018
SUP International
Just Another Place To Fall In LOve
I think everyone knows that Maui is the final word for people who have at least two ways of propelling their boards across water. If you have not been there yet, you definitely should, it’s not all Jaws and nuclear force winds on the spiritual home of stand up. Take your board and slip into some moments of pleasure.
5 min |
Winter 2018
SUP International
Arctic Light
This year winter came early for me. I found it in the frozen archipelago of Svalbard; hunkered in the Norwegian Sea between the northern cap of Norway and the North Pole. I have to say it really couldn’t come soon enough; Svalbard is in my heart and I feel at home in this ice world.
3 min |
ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018
SUP International
Paddle Science #13 Cold Exposure
Why are we so afraid of being cold? As creatures of habit we’ll always seek comfort over discomfort, a couple of pillows over none, hot tea rather than tepid coffee and a windproof jacket over a t-shirt. With internal heating, thermostats, Primaloft jackets, merino wool base layers and knitted hats and scarves to keep us warm, it’s hard to actually be cold these days. When you think of the guys who used to climb Everest, right back at the beginning, they wore nothing other than wool jumpers and basic coats. They had none of the technical clothing and gear we have today yet still faced extreme freezing conditions well into the sub-zeros.
4 min |
ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018
SUP International
Legends Of The Fall
It’s early July in the Durance Valley of south west France. We’re in the middle of the huge kayak festival and spirits are high as we are about to embark on a sup mission with the great American paddler Dan Gavere and the hometown hero, Frenchie Nico Fayol to run down the Canyon du Fournel atop the Rapid Air 9’6 river board from Fanatic.
2 min |
ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018
SUP International
Wild Pacific
Just over a year ago, four friends with no previous experience of paddle-boarding set themselves the challenge to circumnavigate one of the remotest islands in the world by sup. A year in the planning and with limited experience on their sup’s, business executives Neil, Meriel and Mark tackled punishing surf, rolling swells and fickle wind changes as they paddled around Easter Island on their Red Voyager paddle boards.
6 min |
ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018
SUP International
Length Matters
SUP is embracing a new wave of ‘longboard’ style shapes, retro hype or a glide worth catching? Finn Mullen muses over SUP’s latest lust for logging 2.0.
7 min |
ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018
SUP International
Different Water
Paddle up to a remote mountain, climb to the summit and ride your split-board down powder slopes into the valley. Then surf a perfect, lonely wave. All in one day. Stretching it a bit? Far up north, Paulina Herpel and Valentin Illichmann embark on a cold triathlon.
9 min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
The Take - Off Spot
The past few years, Ive travelled the world in search of stunning beaches, beauty, adventure, and incredible waves. This year, I told myself that I would also plan my trip with a conscious effort to improve my performance on the wave, to visit a spot that would allow me to practice my surfing every single day. The requirements were simple: warm water, and consistent, quality waves, and an interesting new country to discover.
10+ min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
The Dark Side Of The Goose
How long had we been out here now? Only half an hour maybe, there were four of us, conditions werent dangerous though its always choppy. Why then was I beset with a sense of creeping menace?
2 min |
Autumn 2018
SUP International
Christopher Fuhrhop Founder Of Restube
We first saw the Restube at the huge German watersports expo Boot, in 2014.. The product looked ingenious, a compact self-inflating bouyancy aid that could be worn unobtrisvely in the ocean. Time has shown a genuine demand for Restube across many professional and recreational users. We spoke to Restube founder Christopher Fuhrhop to learn more about how Restube can work for paddlers.
5 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
Back To Dakhla
Six years after our last trip to Dakhla, we returned for two weeks during January and February. When you go back to a place full of good memories after a few years you're always asking yourself about how it may have changed. Even more so in developing areas such as the Western Sahara. Let's dive in to the Dakhla of 2019 compared to the place we enjoyed nearly 2000 days ago.
5 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
Paddle Science #15 - Smart Muscle Training
Some athletes are able to sprint paddle faster and are able to develop bigger muscles more easily whilst some athletes will be able to paddle for longer and further without fatigue. This is largely based upon which muscle fibres are recruited in your body. If you’re thinking of creating a SUP training programme for the summer then understanding what types of fibres you have in your muscles will greatly influence how you will adapt to any training programme.
9 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
If You Do Just One Thing Today…
We’ve all got some advice to give everyone else when it comes to health: go keto, be more plant based, mobilise don’t stretch, lift heavy things, go outdoors, randomise your workouts...
3 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
Minor Threat
Everyone has seen Ice Age and who doesn’t love that movie when poor Zid is denied his nut because it’s frozen inside an ice cube?
8 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
Slow West
As dawn sets in, I slip out of my dream world, crawl out of the tent, put my feet on the sandy ground, breathe in the fresh sea air and watch the breaking waves.
5 min |
Early Summer 2019
SUP International
Knowledge
Get psyched #10 Giving back to nature.
3 min |