I think we can all agree that skiing and surfing are
siblings — the original extreme sports and ancient sources of stoke.
I think we can also all agree that cross country is an indispensible part of skiing, expanding participation, making it a mode of travel in addition to an adrenaline pursuit, and leading to alpine touring and mountaineering.
That’s why it is so fitting that Stand Up Paddling has come
along. Surfing now has its cross country component, a feeder that opens the sport
up to literally every body of water.
So if you’re ever looking for a way to describe SUP to your
friends, parents or the otherwise uninitiated, take them back to their grade
school days with an A is to B as C is to D statement. This works especially well
in Vermont, a mountain-lake state with an ingrained alpine culture.
Q: Downhill skiing is to cross country skiing as surfing is to:
A: Stand Up
Paddleboarding!
SUP opens surfing’s door to flatwater exploration, and if
you’ve ever been SUP surfing, you know it’s a perfect ocean equivalent to
alpine touring through the mountains.
We can’t surf in Vermont, except when the onshore lake winds kick up — which is not uncommon and can be super fun. But we sure can
Cross Country Surf.
