Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Riviera Paddlesurf Dealer of the Year

Golden Nugg Award from Rivera Paddlesurf
We're proud to have been named 2011 Dealer of the Year for our region by Riviera Paddlesurf.  Check out the cool "award" they gave us, the Golden Nugg, a 9'2" paddle surfboard.  It might just have to come to Mexico with us the next time we go.

While we're talking about Riviera, we might as well mention one of their new 2012 boards that we think will be ver popular, the 12'6" Coastal Cruiser by Ron House.  It's an all around board that leans toward flat water but also performs well in the surf for a 12'6" board.   It's also very inexpensive for a 12'6" board... and we're shipping it for free.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Stand up paddling in winter? Absolutely!


Quiksilver 3mm Long John
Once you get hooked on stand up paddling, it’s really tough to go without it when the weather cools down. But with the right gear, you don’t have to,  Here’re some items of clothing that will allow you to enjoy stand up paddling during the colder months without freezing your buns off…

The Quiksilver 3mm Long John is an arms free wetsuit that keeps the core warm while maintaining freedom of movement in the upper body and eliminating a spring effect. The Quiksilver Long John is warm enough to help you if you go in the water but not so much wetsuit that you’ll overheat.

Roxy Syncro
Stand Up Paddle Jacket 
A great addition to a Long John to complete a full neoprene outfit is a paddle jacket. For women, we carry the Syncro Stand Up Paddle Jacket by Roxy.  For men, we have the Paddle Jacket by Quiksilver. Both can be worn without a Long John in the spring when the water warms up and feature a front zipper which allows venting if paddlers heat up.

O'Neill SUP Booties
As for footwear, for flatwater paddling, we recommend O’Neill 7 mm Round Toe Booties. With these, your feet don’t even feel the cold. The O'Neill Heat 7MM Round Toe Booties feature high quality Fluid Foam throughout the interior and exterior, along with durable glued and blindstitched seams, an anti-flush shin strap, a torsion control forefoot, and a durable textured rubber sole for traction and long lasting effectiveness.

ZKG Water Shoes by Zhik
For those lucky enough to live in climates where it doesn’t really get that cold, or for fall and spring, you might be able to get away with the new ZKG Water Shoes by Zhik.  

We live in Bend, Oregon, where the winter is long and there isn’t much spring, so we carefully select items that allow us to extend our paddling season. We hope other paddlers enjoy using them as much as we do.