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By Heidi Stroebe - Photography by Paul Hamill
Don’t call it surfing with a paddle. Don’t call it an extreme sport. And please don’t flash a
hang loose sign in the air and scream, “Vaya con dios!” This is stand up paddleboarding, and while it may look similar to surfing at first, the vibe is all its own.
Stand up paddleboarding, for the unacquainted, is the new “it” thing in recreational water
sports. You stand face-forward on a heavily modified surfboard and power yourself through the water using a paddle. And Tahoe Board Works, a new board company in Lake Tahoe is leading the charge with a concept they’re calling flat-water touring.
The idea is that riding doesn’t have to be about getting a rush from catching a wave or winning a race. Instead, it can simply be about exploring the beauty of places like Lake Tahoe, a meditative way to spend some alone time or to bond with your friends and family.
To that end, Tahoe Board Works has created a new line of stand up paddleboards that are more stable, versatile, and durable than their surfing counterparts. The boards allow anyone to comfortably cruise for hours across flat waterways such as lakes, rivers and ocean areas outside the surf zone. They even include handy utility tie-downs, so you can pack lunch, sunblock, even a tent if you’re feeling really adventurous.
So put a lid on the surfing jargon and ditch the live-like-there’s-no-tomorrow attitude. Because this ride is all about the journey.
Find out more about Tahoe Board Works and their boards at tahoesup.com, and watch out for them at Lake Tahoe’s paddleboarding events in during the summer.
To check out Reno and Tahoe summer recreation
videos, click here.
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