CATEGORIES

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.

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.

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.

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...

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?

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.

Knowledge

Get psyched #10 Giving back to nature.

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.

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.

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?

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 ’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Islands Of Middle Earth

Sao Tomé and Principe are two small African islands in search of balance on the Equatorial line. This island nation is tiny in size but carries big dreams: Principe Island is home to a unique and unprecedented experiment in sustainable development. Due to their exposure to South Atlantic swells the islands hold promise for surfers, but Carine Camboulives and Manu Bouvet have much more to share than the waves they found.

48 Hours

After working with Scottish gin brand Daffy’s as our drinks partner at the Dragon World Championships in 2017, I am truly a converted gin lover! So, when an invite came to visit their distillery in the highlands, for a day of SUP based botanical foraging, followed by gin making, I jumped at the chance. After a hectic week in the office, I flew north ready for a weekend of Scottish SUPing + gin sipping.

Wind, Waves & Whitecaps A Downwinder In Greece

I must admit, when I looked for a perfect downwind spot in Europe, I didn’t immediately think of Greece. The French Atlantic coast sounded promising. Or Portugal. Until I saw some videos by John and Kostas Spinoulas, two passionate and skilled downwind paddlers who had discovered several downwind spots along the coast of Attika and on Corfu. Wind, waves, whitecaps and warm water. I knew I had to go.

Victory, Everywhere!

No matter what sort of a day you’re having, it’s nice to think that somewhere, some poor individual (perhaps even several poor individuals) is/are discovering the medieval catapulting effect of being sat on the back of a monster sup as the nose stuffs and it pitch poles in the surf.

Return To Glory

We had a date with Puerto Rico. An island known to produce world-class spots and the biggest waves in the Caribbean. Several unknowns await us though: what state would we would find the island in after the hurricane? Will the locals accept us with sups? Was Captain American born on the island? And was the Pina Colada really invented in Puerto Rico?

Hunting Unicorns

The perfect wave, does it exist? Finn Mullen examines the hunt in the modern age and how it can have surprising results.