Tahoe Standup Paddleboards

Reno, NV-  We are very excited to introduce our newest ambassador and team rider Justin Riney, from Vero Beach, FLA.  Riney, the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, Mother Ocean, aims to inspire a worldwide movement and passion for the sea, promoting global ocean stewardship and facilitating the progression of ocean science, innovation, exploration, and discovery.

Through Mother Ocean, Riney, envisions a wave of ocean advocacy and awareness of the plight of our planet’s coastlines and waterways. Tahoe SUP will be right there with him in support of this mission, with the perfect vehicle to present his perspective, our SUP touring boards.

Riney saw Tahoe SUP as the only board company capable of fully understanding the concept of exploration and how awareness can be raised when doors to discovery are opened. “After meeting Nate Brouwer from Tahoe SUP and immediately striking a genuine relationship, seeing the quality of their products and the                  direction of the E X P L O R E Project, I knew we were both on the same page”, said Riney.

Details will soon be announced about a year long project that will focus on the coast and waterways of Riney’s home state of Florida. The project will bring together the efforts of Tahoe SUP, Mother Ocean and Quiksilver Waterman.

Much, much more to come…

In the current issue of Standup Paddle Magazine, Tahoe SUP founder, Nate Brouwer is interviewed in a 3 page feature for their Board Builder segment, about the past, present and future of Tahoe SUP.  Nate discusses the current lineup of boards and what to look for in the upcoming 2012 models, as well as introducing everyone behind the scenes of the brand.  His dog, Stella, the Tahoe SUP mascot, is in there too, up front and center.  Someone get that dog an agent!

Standup Paddling in Europe is seeing similar growth to the U.S., in that certain regions have embraced the sport first.  In response, Tahoe SUP will be opening a warehouse in Southern Germany to service distributors and dealers.

  The Tahoe SUP team has recently returned from filming the next episode of the E X P L O R E Project, paddling along some of Northern California's most beautiful rivers and tributaries.  Once again the project was filmed and is currently being produced by the Fuze Group. Many thanks to Revo Sunglasses and SUP Magazine for all their support!  Look for the teaser coming soon.

  In the meantime, team member Ronnie Ayres chronicled the experience for SUP Magazine in a 4 part blog in Field Notes on their website.  Click here for the first installment.

Go On. Tour.

The first ever Standup Paddle race on Santa Catalina island was held Oct 1st and 2nd.  The Catalina SUP Festival featured not only 2 days of racing with a unique race format, but all weekend Tahoe SUP provided the curious visitors and locals alike a chance to demo some of the new 2012 line of boards.                               

   Revo Sunglasses and Catalina Island Company also had the evening activities covered, with 2 premieres of the E X P L O R E Project: Catalina Island episode. The fun kicked off on Friday night with the VIP premiere, as SUP industry folks along with all the event sponsors gathered for a cocktail party and private viewing of the movie at the Catalina Country Club. It was an awesome welcoming to the island, as riffs from a jazz ensamble filled the outside courtyard and sponsors SKYY vodka, Sierra Nevada brewery and Bacardi had the libations flowing. The Tahoe crew was buzzing with excitement to not only view for the first time the final edit but share the project with their peers in the industry.  It was more than fitting to return to Catalina to unveil the adventure that took place some 7 months ago.
 
   The Director of the movie, Zac Smith, of the Fuze Group Inc., the production company that shot and edited the project, introduced the film to the standing room only crowd.  And they really got into it, hooting and clapping at some of the scenes and the stunning quality of footage captured by the Fuze Group.  Two of the E X P L O R E Project paddlers, David Defoe and Ronnie Ayres did a short Q & A with the crowd that lingered to learn more about what inspired the project and where the group is headed next.   

   Bright and early on Saturday morning, the Tahoe SUP Demo booth was up and ready to go right on the beach in Avalon town.  Southern California sales rep, Chris Dunham, along with Defoe, the Nor Cal rep, spearheaded the non stop action, sharing their enthusiasm and passion for SUP with the lucky paddlers.

    Down the road on Descanso Beach, the Elite race field was putting on a show for the spectators as they paddled 3 heats in a row, scoring points to advance to the final to be held in the afternoon.  Racers had about 15 minutes to recover from each heat and then back to the starting line to have at the short but technical sprint course with slalom buoys. Ronnie Ayres was in there mixing up with the pro field and was able to advance into the final.

    "This format was a surprise to everyone and although it is really difficult on the athletes to recover quickly to be ready to go again, from a spectator stand point they are getting to see 3 intense starts, race and finishes in 1 hour," shared Ayres.  "What I liked was that none of us got out of the water in between heats. Everyone just floated around in the water, cooling down and laughing about the scenarios that played out on the course."

    Ronnie would finish 14th in the final with deep field that awarded cash down to 10th place.  "We tried a new board design for this race and once I got used to it the speed was obvious," said Ayres.  "This was my first ocean race of the year and I admittedly struggled with the conditions. Clearly I need to get my butt down to the coast more often!"

    On Saturday night it was the public's turn to watch the E X P L O R E Project, this time at Descanso Beach on the grassy lawn overlooking the race course.  The Moonsville Collective band warmed up the crowd with their down home blend of folk, blues and rock as the celestral light show kept perfect time.

    If the setting wasn't idyllic enough, during the film, a small herd of deer wandered out onto the grass around the screen and became a surreal backdrop for the scenery and magic of the movie.  Tahoe SUP founder, Nate Brouwer, nearly at a loss for words, spoke about the appeal of the E X P L O R E Project.
    "We are not showcasing some remote location that requires an extreme skill set to access.   This is something that everyone can do.  Adventure can happen in your own backyard and our standup paddleboards give you a new perspective with endless possibilities."

    On Sunday the Tahoe SUP Demo booth again was brimming with activity, enough that Chris Dunham deemed the weekend the "most successful Demo weekend ever."  Big words from the big man who operates in the epicenter of the SUP industry.
    A short and long course distance race was also held on Sunday that took paddlers down the scenic coastline to Long Point and back.
    For the Tahoe SUP team of Jennifer Lehrer, Sierra Davidson, Ernie Brassard, Doug Erwin, Nate Brouwer, Chris Dunham, David Defoe, Ronnie Ayres and a host of assorted family and friends, the Catalina SUP Festival served as the perfect retreat to bring all the members together to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Catalina.  A great time was had by all and the gang looks forward to next years event!

Click here to read the TransWorld Business article about the festival and premiere!

      The Cape Cod Bay Challenge's mission is simple. Help support Christopher's Haven's mission to make a tangible difference in the day-to-day lives of children and the families who bring them to the Massachusetts General Hospital for cancer treatment by providing comfortable, affordable housing and a supportive community.
      In its 4th year the event has grown from 8 dedicated paddlers to this year over 70 participants who are all raising funds to support this meaningful cause.  Laguna Beach transplant, Chris D'Amico, now living in Boston will be participating in this years event on August 20th, and going the distance with early model Tahoe SUP Z-Elite.  Chris has so far quadrupled his original fundraising goal of $1000 and is amazed by the outpouring of support for this event and cause.
     "The cause is close to my heart (helping kids and their families fight cancer)…because I lost my young cousin to brain cancer a few years ago," said Chris.  "The response and generosity from my friends and family and friends of friends who all have donated is really inspiring.  There are alot of amazing and giving people out there and I thank you all."
     To donate under Chris D'Amico's name please visit his pledge page here.  And for more information on the Cape Cod Bay Challenge visit their website http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org/index.html#/

GO CHRIS GO!!!
 

    It was an event filled Outdoor Retailer Expo, Summer Edition for Tahoe SUP!  The fun kicked off on Wednsday at the Outdoor Demo Day on Lake Jordanelle in Park City Utah, where our sales team and race team members were kept busy all day with the remarkable turnout and the overwhelming intrest in our lineup of boards.
     The occasion was also a great opportunity for the public to standup paddle while trying out the new Water Lens from Revo Sunglasses and the Revo staff was on hand to educate and outfit everyone for the full experience.  The Tahoe SUP and Revo brands have recently partnered to present the Tahoe SUP E X P L O R E Project and the excitement on the beach was palpable!

    Revo Ambassador and world renowned outdoorsman, Jimmy Chin was on hand and got his first SUP lesson from Tahoe Race team captain, Ronnie Ayres.  "Conditions were a little choppy and most people were staying out about 10 minutes", said Ronnie.  "But considering the type of elements that Jimmy has sought out I dont think he noticed the wind and paddled around for like an hour!"

    The Outdoor Retailer Expo opened the next day in Salt Lake City and it was very clear that the SUP industry was grabbing alot of the attention.  The Tahoe SUP gang was busy on Thurs and Fri handing out flyers and T-shirts announcing the World Premiere of the Tahoe SUP E X P L O R E Project: Catalina Island episode.  On Friday night with a packed house at Pierpont Place in SLC, the world got its first glimpse of the E X P L O R E Project.  

   If he crowd wasnt buzzing enough from the Premiere, Revo and Tahoe SUP whipped them into a frenzy with an unreal raffle of a dozen pairs of Revo Sunglasses, a full cabon QuickBlade Standup Paddle and the grand prize, a Tahoe SUP 2012 Rubicon.  Karen Wilson of Bellevue, WA went home with the Rubicon and the look on her face was absolutely priceless!
  The Tahoe team was back at the EXPO the next morning, fully charged from the feedback and energy of the Premiere.  Southern California Sales Rep, Chris Dunham spoke for everyone when he surmized, "Having this group of Sales Reps and Racers together for this event along with the partners, Ernie, Doug and Nate has been a real inspiration.  The quality of our products and people were all here on display and the future of this company is very exciting."

Pete, Nate, Charnae and Ernie at the Premiere.  Stella, just underfoot.

(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, California/Nevada) – On January 17, 2012, for the first time in history, two adaptive athletes will “push” the limits and themselves in sit skis 100 miles across the frozen Antarctic landscape to the most inhospitable place on the planet - the South Pole. This chosen date for “The Push” marks the 100-year anniversary when Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition set foot on this remote terrain.

As part of their rigorous training for this difficult journey – all of which will be professionally filmed - Lake Tahoe residents and spinal cord-injury athletes John Davis, a two-time Paralympics gold medalist, and Grant Korgan, a world-class kayaker and adventurer, will kayak approximately 50 miles in 4 days following the Lake Tahoe Water Trail. Seasoned guides Doug Stoup and Tal Fletcher of Lake Tahoe will accompany Davis and Korgan on Tahoe SUP paddleboards.

“Paddling Lake Tahoe is a soulful experience,” said Davis. “You’re completely surrounded by snowcapped peaks while sitting atop tranquil waters so clear that you can literally see 75 feet down. But the lake also makes for a fantastic cross-training venue as we’ll be paddling approximately 96,800 paddle strokes, just more than half the 176,174 pole pushes required to trek 100 miles across the frozen landscape to the South Pole.”

According to “The Push” expedition team, they are working with Lake Tahoe visitor bureaus and paddle companies to encourage the public to join the paddle, whether it be for an hour or day, creating a human-powered armada that will follow and cheer on the team via kayaks and stand up paddleboards.

“With this Lake Tahoe paddle training event, as well as the overall mission of ‘The Push,’ we hope to inspire people of all walks of life that they too can achieve the seemingly insurmountable,” said Korgan. “We encourage them to push their own everyday limits and live up to their ultimate potential.”

The group will launch the event Tuesday, August 9 at 6 a.m. from Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, 5 miles south of Tahoe City, California, and will paddle clockwise 7 miles to Carnelian Bay, California. They will land just before noon at a lakefront estate (4850 North Lake Boulevard) for a private presentation by “The Push” with hosted lunch attended by media, tourism officials, as well as key community and industry leaders. 

From there, the team will paddle to Waterman’s Landing in Carnelian Bay, California for a quick stop, before continuing onto Tahoe Vista, California, completing leg one (10 miles total) at Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort at 5 p.m. to be greeted by resort guests, spectators and supporters. One of the most festive days of the trip, this landing is open to the public and will include live music, along with free stand up paddleboard and kayak rentals and demonstrations. It’s also where the team will overnight.

Day two, Wednesday, August 10, is a much more difficult leg with “The Push” team departing at 8 a.m. and paddling 16 miles along the North Shore and camping lakeside that evening on Nevada’s East Shore. The film crew will accompany them on a powerboat, open to selected media, and will follow the group to document the entire journey. Live Internet dispatches will also be made available to the media and public during this training event, as they will be at the South Pole.

The film crew, along with top photographers, will continue to follow the team Thursday, August 11, day three, with another long stretch of paddle, 12 miles, from East Shore clockwise along the lake to a campground located on Tahoe’s West Shore.

Day four, Friday, August 12 (12 miles), is the final day of the trip, and similar to the first night’s landing at Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort is one of the best ways for the public to get involved and cheer on the team from the ground. Davis, Korgan and company will depart the campsite early morning and arrive at the historic Ehrman Mansion at Sugar Pine Point on the West Shore, 10 miles south of Tahoe City, at noon for a picnic lunch. 

The team will close the loop on circumnavigating Lake Tahoe, ending their 50-mile paddling exercise, with an official landing taking place at Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge at approximately 6 p.m. for a small, intimate dinner open to selected media.

 “The Push” Lake Tahoe Paddle Event is the second training event for the athletes, who visited Norway’s Svalbard arctic archipelago this past spring. A third filmed training session hits the ice in South America this September, with a final training event in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert this October. “The Push” is targeting a documentary film release for summer/fall of 2012. To follow the journey of “The Push,” click to  HYPERLINK "http://www.southpolepush.com" www.southpolepush.com.

The Lake Tahoe Water Trail circumnavigates the 72-mile shoreline of Lake Tahoe. Visitors can paddle the trail solo or join a guided service that leads the tour and provides overnight accommodations and amenities, such as lakeside dining.

“The Push” is in support of the High Fives Foundation, a California-based non-profit organization whose mission is to help winter athletes suffering life-altering injuries get back on their feet, and ideally, get back to their sport. 

“The Push” Lake Tahoe Paddle Event is sponsored by the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge, Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort, Tahoe SUP, Infinity SUP and Chase International, which is supplying the 4850 North Lake Tahoe Boulevard home (for sale).