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.
A Munich native, Valentin drove up to Hamburg in late spring to pick up me and our home on wheels, equipped with split boards, inflatable SUPs and wave SUPs. All packed into a white Ahoy Bulli that would be our best friend for the next 6,000km. Equipped with heater and everything else your heart desires we started our trip up north. We were excited and could not wait to finally smell the sea again at the end of winter. We went from Hamburg first to Denmark over the Öresund Bridge over the Baltic Sea to Sweden. Stockholm welcomed us with spring sunshine and delicious cinnamon bun ice cream. But then it started to get really cold and windy, as expected. We passed a lot of lakes and rivers and they were all frozen. I was not used to that as a Hamburg girl. The Swedes simply used the frozen waters as roads for their snow mobiles. Even the Gulf of Bothnia was frozen. They were walking across the sea. Everywhere ice-fishermen stood next to the holes they’d cut, hoping for the big catch. That’s exactly how I always thought Sweden would be in winter: white, cold and strange. We drove on because we still had about 1000km to go to our final destination.
What’s that big sign there? Did it really say Arctic Circle? Yes - we had just have driven into the Arctic Circle. As far north as we had ever been. However, I’d expected it to be a bit more dramatic to be honest. As if the landscape would suddenly change. But it didn’t, the strange winter seeped in slowly.
The best way to describe Sweden’s roads is as follows: curves, no signs and a passing car every few hundred km. “Stop, stop, a reindeer!” I was so happy when I saw two reindeer in the snow on the side of the road. One was a calf, brown, white and fluffy. Beautiful animals that unfortunately are not afraid of cars.
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Turning Points
With spring in the air and the start of a new decade, thoughts naturally turn to what we can do differently in the name of betterment. Finn Mullen reflects on some changes to consider when looking to improve your SUP surfing.
THE CLOSE OUT- TREV'S GREAT BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE
I have had my fair share of great birthdays, usually coinciding with a national holiday in a country that I’m visiting. But this one was a bit different.
Paddle Science #18 - The Body Fortress. Boosting Immunity
At this time of year, the rate of infection for colds and flu normally tends to slow down as we enter warmer, springtime months. However, if you’ve been anywhere at all in the world recently, then there’s one word you can’t escape at the moment: Coronavirus. Infection rates, mortality rates and prognostic data are changing daily at the moment. As a new virus none of us have previously been exposed to it, meaning that currently, we have no immunity to it. It’s only through being infected by a virus that our bodies are able to make the right antibodies to not only enable us to recover but to also help protect us from any recurrent and future infection from it. If you’re keen to stay well and keep getting out on your SUP board this spring, then focussing on boosting your immune system is a positive step to take.
Ceylon Stories
Like a teardrop on the tip of the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka is a little tropical El Dorado of beautiful landscapes, rich cultural heritage and people with incomparable kindness. Thanks to its favorable exposure to the swells of the Indian Ocean, the has a large number of good waves along its incredible southwest coast where French pro Alexis Deniel and his partner Melanie had an unforgettable experience this winter. Discover their colorful journey through this dream destination sharing its jewels after decades of civil war and the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami.
Polar Bear
In 2019, the Polar Bear showed the world his teeth. After a fourth place in the toughest SUP race in the world, the Red Bull Heavy Water, the now 19-year old Christian Anderson became World Champion in November in the Technical Race at the ISA World Championships in El Salvador. He also won the U-18 title on the Euro Tour with an 11th place overall. What’s behind the young Dane's rise to power?
SHADENFREUDE
TEST REPORTS
Desire Lines
We were on the outskirts of Helsinki, scouting a new destination for our sup camps. Just 45 minutes’ drive from the city, the untouched nature of the Nuuksio National Park stretched out before us. Mirror-smooth lakes, wild herbs and an impressive fauna waiting to be explored over on board or on foot via the many desire lines made by the land mammals.
Magical. Mystical. Epic.
Alexandra is a club ambassador and SUP racer for Bray Lake; relatively new to the SUP scene she completed her first race season in 2019. She participated in her first international event, the Gla Gla, 2020, and placed 1st Brit, 8th lady and 81st overall, out of a mass start of 637 paddlers. Here she shares the highlights of her first Gla Gla experience.
Green Medicine
As a keen outdoorsman and busy GP, Paul Sampson has come pretty close to attaining the mercurial work-balance. When not busy with his patients, he can be found hiking, climbing, paddle boarding, wild swimming… anything that gets him outside soaking up the great outdoors and reconnecting with nature in the beautiful South of Cornwall.
Depth Charge
Many of us have are staying away from the beach for a while, some are confined to our homes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still train for the surf. If you try the following for just one week you’ll see results, never mind three months…
