nmh2o

It has been a bleak year for h2o in Colorado and New Mexico. A lot of the classic runs never really had any run off to speak of. Never fear, SUP is here. Even with the low water, Stand Up Paddle Boarding is a total blast. If your running a class 2-3 drop, you will get a class 5 feeling in your gut without the consequences. Surfing waves on the river or in the playparks is a total blast. Go to your favorite lake and enjoy the quite and the scenery while getting a great work out.
Just down the road from CKS is the Buena Vista playpark in South Main. Staircase wave is a total blast once you have your surfing feet under you. For beginners, the wave just below it will give you hours of surfing bliss. All this is a blast at these lower flows. The low water class 2-3 Fraction section of the Ark just upstream of BV is a great training ground for SUP river running. A weekend spent doing these SUP activitys in BV will have you grinning ear to ear.
Top off your surf sesh with a cold pint at Eddyline Brewery and the trip will be complete.
Colorado kayak Supply has SUP rentals and all your SUP needs dialed in. Call 719 395 8653 x 2 for rental packages.
I'm loving the new wetsuit from NRS. It is priced right and keeps me warm and protected when I hit the water. Astral makes a PFD called the Sea Wolf that is perfect for SUPing. The NRS leash system works great for SUP and ocean Surfing. I'm also digging this pricepoint adjustable SUP paddle from Accent.
South Main also just finished a new Beer garden area called the Beach. Music will be had every Saturday through out the Summer. Pretty cool.
If your in New Mexico, hit up the local class 3 Racecourse run on the Rio Grande or head over to the Chama for some of the best SUPing around.
Get out and try Stand Up paddling. It is a blast. See you out there......

Aaron Koch on Staircase

Aaron doing his best John Wayne

Mariela tearing it up on Satircase

Rach and Aaron tandem surfing

Atom chillin

Atom throwing away the paddle

Praying for rain

Atom and Aaron doubling up for a surf sesh

Atom on the Racecourse, NM

Atom trying stuff

I might need to buy property in BV

Nate enjoying the Chama, NM

Nate and the Chama's beauty

Not only can Rach SUP, but she owned the Pimp and Ho party in BV

Proof that there is more than just kayaking. Josh Bechtel SUPing

Mariela showing how its done

Nate on the Racecourse, NM

SUP legend patty B!

Rach and the Sesh

Rach enjoying a longboard

Rach on Staircase

My morning view on the Rio Grande

For the past couple years, my girlfriend Rachel and I have been heading south to Sayulita, MX in January for a short vacation to get away from the winters chill. Sayulita has a pretty mellow surf break for aspiring Surfers or Stand Up Paddle borders. Just the ticket for us. The break can sometimes get pretty big, so keep an eye on the surf report.

This year we decided to bring along an inflatable SUP board. We got the C4XXL from Colorado Kayak Supply. The C4 XXL is ideal for any paddler wanting incredible stability out of a inflatable SUP. Designed for riders up to 250 lbs. This extra wide inflatable stand up board is perfect for beginners and big boys. But also performs and paddles really well for smaller framed people. The 34-inch width gives it both extra volume and provides a very stable ride. It comes complete with unbreakable thruster fins, deck pad, pump and travel bag. This is the one that anyone will have fun with. On the ocean, lakes or rivers of your choice.
I was pretty excited. The board came up in a nice package and we checked it onto the plane. We also took our own 2-piece SUP paddles. The C4 iSup comes with a nice bag to carry it around and we just walked to the beach with it and pumped it up. pretty darn easy.

I have been Stand Up Paddle Boarding for a little over a year now. I'm pretty decent on our local lakes and mellow rivers. So I basically thought that I would kill it on the ocean. Catch waves, do cutbacks, cruise around, look good, etc. Wrong! I totally sucked. I had a hard time even standing up. I was watching rank beginners cruising all over, some of them even catching waves, I was in disbelief. My girlfriend was awesome, loving the board and going up and down the beach. She would then give the board to me and laugh hysterically as I tumbled off over and over.
I finally figured out what was wrong. I have a morbid fear of sharks (don't worry, there are none in Sayulita). Every time I would stand up on the board, I would look around at the vast ocean surrounding me, gulp, look down into the dark deep depths and start to shake. I would shake myself right off the board and into awaiting huge serrated jaws of death. I would hit the water, panic, fly prone back onto the board like something wet sprung from a slingshot and pant and pant!

So I stuck to surfing the foamies on a regular surfboard. Being able to touch bottom after wiping out had a great psychological affect on me. I loved it. No deep water. I'm determined to SUP the ocean again. Xanex maybe? But for now I enjoyed surfing, watching everyone else tear it up on SUP boards, including my girlfriend and getting away from the winters chill.
Rachel absolutely loved the C4XXL iSup board and I'm super excited to try it out on our local rivers this Spring as I (no fault of the board, I tried every kind available on the beach) didn't do it justice on the mighty ocean.

The best place we found to hang out on the beach in Sayulita was at Patricia and Pablo's. They have a restaurant right on the beach with SUP and SURF rentals by the hour or day. A bucket of beer on ice is super cheap (cheapest on the Playa), the food is good and the views outstanding. Patricia runs the Surf side of things like rentals and lessons and her Husband runs the boats. He does fishing, snorkeling, whale watching trips. Both of there sons are Mexican National Surf Champs, so you can't go wrong with a lesson. Pablo and Patricia are good people. Look them up and say hi from me. Beers, Atom....

Nothing like being at the beach