| SUP Valleyfield...

Et hop une autre vidéo de SUP a Valleyfield, beaucoup de premières pour l'équipe, tout le monde a au moins essayé la partie supérieure du parc (la plus difficile), c'était la 1ère fois aussi que je réussissais à la passer entièrement et a surfer la petite vague dans la section moyenne. Nhu progresse de plus en plus et elle va bientôt réussir à surfer avec moi! Cet été est décidement le plus beau depuis mon arrivée au Québec, on en profite un max avant le retour du froid :)

| REVIEW: Rip Curl Flashbomb...

Yesterday i have finally decided to get a serious wetsuit after some very interesting discussions with our local surfer guru Igor Goni. I already own an Ocean Rodeo Soul drysuit but it is not the most practical piece of equipment for surfing, especially when you need to swim a lot after your board.  I had narrowed down my search on three 2016 winter specific models; the Rip Curl Flashbomb,  the O'Neill Heat and the Patagonia R4. Although the only one i could find around here and try was the 1st one, a big thank to the guys at La Boutique Sharks for their patience and help.

Also, i needed a good break from my intense weekend workload, the temperature was perfect today at about 4ºC (39.2 F) and the sun was definitely screaming for a test ride! My neighbour and surf partner Patrick was available for some camera work (and safety). We walked to the closest shore on the St-Laurent river. That's the beauty of living 2mn from the water in Verdun :)

Now about the infamous Rip Curl Flash Bomb Hooded Chest Zip 5.5/4, it is one of the warmest, lightest winter wetsuit designed for frigid waters and it has won many Awards (3x SIMA). Guess that's exactly what i need around here.
The exterior is made out of their E4 neoprene, a very stretchy material, especially considering this thickness, they use different panels to allow for better movement (4 way back stretch, contour legs, mesh skin...etc.) and reliable stitch-less seams everywhere but the arms (Aquaban plus liquid tape, E4 + tape). This all sound like good marketing terms to say that they know how to make a good wetsuit, and the result is quite impressive.
The greatest thing must be their E4 Flash Dry Lining, it is extremely warm and insulates all the vital areas of your body, this also explains why at only 5.5mm it does the same job as a classic 7mm neoprene. They advertise it as being the fastest drying wetsuit on the market and even though i can not prove it, there are a lot of reviews/posts online to support that statement.

I live in a small semi-basement apartment with poor lighting and small windows, my other suits take a long time to dry and this one was definitely the 1st one to be ready for the next session. My Xcel Drylock 7mm booties were still soaked the day after in comparison. 

The water was pretty cold but i really did not feel it, in fact, when i took off the wetsuit, which demands some effort (more of that later), it was damp from all my sweat.

• CONS:

- It's difficult to see any major problems with this suit to be honest but one of the main inconvenience comes from its Chestzip Entry system. There is a very tight front closure system and the very first time to try to get in, it will take ALL of your energy, no kidding. Fortunately it gets better with time and i find it easier to put it on/off now. When you're used to a back or front zip then this is going to be a big change :) the positive thing though, is that once you're inside, it's very comfy and feels like there are no zip parts at all.

- It allows you to surf in difficult conditions but unlike the summer suits, you wouldn't want to let yourself "leak" in this one, which means going back to shore for a little break or make sure you've done it before your session, this is where my drysuit and its relief zipper get an advantage :) Rip curl please add a pipi-zip!

- Like any of the high end and heavier wetsuits it is also a bit more expensive (~ $500 CAD), still it's cheap in comparison to an equivalent drysuit in terms of quality, and when it comes to protecting your life in the river i'd say they are worth the investment.

• PROS:

- Efficiency; it does what it says by keeping you warm, allow you to move quite well, seems durable and dries very rapidly. 

- Design; it looks great, the panels are well placed to allow for your arms and legs to move well, it doesn't feel too bulky. It's definitely designed for surfing.

- I wish i had tried the 3 brand models aforementioned but hey, shit happens and i don't regret this buy. Apparently Rip Curl fits most body types when O'Neill favors thinner silhouettes, at 1.78m and about 83kgs this one fits me like a second skin but you should always try one on before buying, we all have different curves right!

#RipCurl #RiverSUP #winterSUP #astralfootwear

| Whitewater Weekend...

On demarre notre premiere collaboration avec Pop Spirit et Paddlefit, rejoignez-nous pour un WE de decouverte du SUP en eaux-vives (Pushbutton rapids) a Owl Rafting. Ca va etre enoOrme!

Information: info@popspirit.ca - info@paddlefit.com

| Instructor Basic SUP course flatwater...

whoaAaah that was an intense weekend, we have just completed an Instructor's course in basic SUP flatwater Level 01 with Julien Nantais from Pop Spirit and Unda. He was assisted by Jodi, Rosaire and an apprentice as it was a large class of about 10 students.

It was very windy and chilly at the start of the day on Saturday but the weather gradually improved, there were tiny rolling waves which were pretty fun to surf. The class was very interesting and we all learned a lot, whether it was about pure technical gestures, fundamentals, water safety or about managing a class of beginners. On Sunday we primarily focused on short teaching exercises (using awesome tools like KISS or IDEAS) and we learned 2 efficient safety rescue tricks.

Nice people, beautiful spot and lots of fun that's about what SUP is all about, big thank to the instructors for their knowledge, passion and their patience!
It gave me the opportunity to try the surf quad fin setup that i bought in L.A and it felt great, better tracking than the tiny whitewater fins for sure, plus they look nice right. I can't wait to know if we are certified so we could move on to phase II.

| Alone in Valleyfield...

I thought there would be more people but today i found an empty park on the Saint-Charles River, enough to hesitate but it's a long ride to come here and i couldn't miss a chance to paddle. The water is really cold, the flow was high and it's SNOWING again, perfect time right???

I knew i wouldn't stay too long so i chose to try the G-Rocker over the Stream to get a good idea of its performance on fast moving waters. Surfing will wait a little.

WoOow, it is so small it's scary, it's super nimble and quite unstable under my weight, but you gotta get used to it, can't wait to go on a standing wave now! The board is light with only 5" in thickness and the short tri-fins don't really help tracking running down river, although it turns and responds super fast to any strokes which is a good feeling. I love it!
Evidently i bailed a few times and tasted the icy stream but who cares when you are having so much fun :) 

| Joyeuses Paques...

Happy Easter 2015 to y'all! What a beautiful day to start the SUP season and to test my new Astro Stream, i didn't even need gloves it was that nice! The board inflates at 18 psi and it's always a good warm up, the last part is tough :)

The air temp was about -2°C and the water is just above 0°C, the ice is melting really fast and it was fun paddling around the edges of the remaining ice blocks. My drysuit is still working perfectly and the boots kept me warm the whole time.

Bon WE a tout le monde, amusez-vous bien et profitez du soleil!!! Bises

| Riviere St-Charles, Trip #01

Not long ago we went to the whitewater park on the St-Charles river in Valleyfield. It's a surprising place, stucked between 2 old factory/brick buildings with a post-apocalyptic and peaceful atmosphere. The water comes from the lake above and is really well regulated, it is maintained by a local kayak organization that i encourage to support > the CEEVV. The place is beautiful, it feels very intimate and has safe crystal clear waters, despite being small it has a lot of gates, strong streams and challenging obstacles, enough for us SUP-WW noobs. Here is a little edit of that last session, watch it in HD, enjoy!

J'ai trop hate d'y retourner l'ete prochain, surtout dans les zones plus difficiles :) c'etait egalement l'occasion de publier cette video pour l'ouverture de la page Facebook SUPWWQC/SUPEVQC dont le but est de rassembler/partager toutes les informations possibles a propos de la planche-a-pagaie en eaux-vives au Quebec.

| Astro Stream...

En attendant un test plus serieux, voici une preview de mon nouveau SUP gonflable Starboard Astro Stream, je l'ai achete en Janvier dernier mais je n'ai pas eu l'occasion de l'essayer avant. C'est vraiment un bel ensemble, de grande qualite, avec tout ce qu'il faut pour s'amuser...  et qui vient dans un sac relativement compact.

cat approved!

Suite au gonflage qui m'a bien essoufle (~10mn), j'ai pris la board et je suis alle l'essayer dans le fleuve juste a cote. J'ai pris le pari de ne pas emmener mon drysuit, il faisait presque 30°C a l'exterieur et l'eau est encore un peu froide, mais apres quelques manoeuvres et un equilibre encore un peu douteux, je n'ai pas eu d'autre choix que d'y gouter :) 

Evidemment c'est un SUP de riviere, specifiquement concu par Dan Gavere pour descendre les rapides, et avec ses 3 micro-ailerons, elle n'est pas tres efficace pour la ballade en eau calme mais ce fut, malgre tout, une belle apres-midi avec une planche qui promet de belles aventures!

ben oui mais elle track mal sur des eaux calmes!

| 1st SUP day 2014...

The weather has been finally genial in the past few days, Spring is here despite another snow storm menace in the horizon. I decided to take the Sub-Vector 10 out and check the water temperature. It would be a good test for both my new Xcel Drylock neoprene boots and the Ocean Rodeo Soul drysuit.

So it all started well and putting on the drysuit was pretty straightforward, it has a very interesting unique design which makes it look like a 2-pieces snowboard suit and separates it from the horrible kayak/river usual drysuit type.

I ordered mine all black and grey and it's an amazing piece of equipment, waterproof/breathable, very comfortable and well adjusted, you can tell it's been designed by surfers (kite surfers and SUP aficionados alike). The service and advice at Ocean Rodeo were really good and the size (MK) is perfect, i am 1.78m (5.8) tall.

The UltraStretch booties by Xcel are 7mm thick and supposed to withstand even the worst winter surfing conditions, i was really curious about how they would protect my sensitive toes from the cold. It's definitely easy to put them on as the neoprene stretches a lot, they also have a thin sole too and overall the boot has a comfy snug fit.

Then, i took my PFD, neoprene gloves, my paddle, a GoPro and en route to the river which is about 4mn walk distance from our apartment.

The grass is starting to grow green again and the river is almost entirely free of ice in this area, it's reassuring but you can still see some floating translucent plates here and there, especially close to the shore in the shadows. I filmed my shaky entry in the cold water (12°C), the boots are working surprisingly well and the drysuit is really waterproof but you can feel the fresh walls on the legs, my hands were freezing in no time without the gloves. It was the 1st time in a while on my C4 and i forgot how small it is, hence very unstable for my weight, i should have taken the inflatable because it was windy and there were a lot of waves. It always feel a bit awkward to start over after so many months away from the water, my balance was way off, the paddle was slippery with the neoprene gloves and it felt funny but what a good ride anyway.
It was so windy in fact that when idle, the board was moving upstream and after 5mn of paddling i came across a large floating ice block and decided to take some photos, even though it was difficult to stand still. I took the camera in my jacket's pocket and try to take photos while keeping my balance ;-) of course the inevitable happened and a larger wave almost made me fall, the camera escaped my grip, in a classic slow-motion scene and... plouf... the GoPro Hero 3 disappears under the brown water without a bubble, it dove straight down as i laughed hysterically at my distorted reflection, no way i just couldn't believe it!
I do hate myself when doing stupid things like that, it was sooOooo predictable, how dumb! Now the experience tells me that next time i'll buy a floating pad or use a leash. This summer i'll try to dive to locate the camera, hopefully, if it doesn't move too much with the current or won't be hidden under a thick layer of mud. At least it was a nice day, i fell only once and was well protected, it's good to live so close to the water!