Table of contents for 2024 in Stand Up Paddle World

EDITO There is a reason why you are reading this edito. Whether it is a conscious decision or not, reading magazines is always a way to celebrate moments—those important moments—that only carefully curated photography and refined words do justice to. Moments that make us stop, pause, and reflect on something bigger than ourselves. Today, we are frequently bombarded, even overwhelmed by the constant feed of moving images, reels, shorts, and videos we consume mindlessly. Swipe, swipe, click, and onto the next one. Content that jumps your face every time you open a new tab, a distraction we don’t always ask for that is getting harder and harder to avoid. Going on a paddle trip is a way to escape the craziness—the constant news, the beep of notifications, the buzz of…

“Climbing next to a waterfall is like climbing next to a giant living organism. It’s noisy and constantly moving, the force of mother nature in its most raw and powerful form.” THE IDEA The phone rang. It was my good friend Jimmy Martinello, who also lives in Squamish. He’s a bit of a keener, and always has an idea or mission on the go. Sure enough, this call was no different. “Timmy, I think there’s ice on the side walls of Mamquam Falls right now. I’m going in there today with Matt Maddeloni and Valtteri to see if we can climb it. Do you want to join us?” “How are you going to get in there, on paddle boards?” I replied, adding, "Are you taking ropes?” "Yes, on SUPs, but…

THE ORIGINS The SUP Alps Trophy started way back in 2014. Originally founded by Alois Mühlegger, the onetime Chief Editor of SURF Magazine, the event attracted high-profile paddlers from Germany and Austria. In 2021, Alois handed over the Trophy to Gerd Weisner and his team. Gerd, a well-known racer, innovator, and designer of serial hollow construction SUP race boards, had been racing in the trophy for years. His vision has been to develop the trophy into an international race festival series embracing competitive paddling for regional, national, and international paddlers with product demo, clinics, music, and good times in beautiful places. When competing in the second ICF SUP World Championship in Hungary, Gerd recognized the event’s outstanding organization, media coverage, and international participation. While a highlight was winning a bronze…

Interview: Christo Foerster “I MEASURE ADVENTURES MORE BY HOW AND WITH WHAT ATTITUDE I'M TRAVELING AND LESS BY THE NUMBER OF FLIGHT MILES I ACCUMULATE.” SWM: Christo, where did you get the idea to traverse Germany lengthwise on a paddleboard, traveling purely by human power? CF: I had been wondering for a while if it would be possible to travel from the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, to the island of Sylt (Germany’s northernmost point) using waterways and my own power. My experiences with micro-adventures sharpened my view of the possibilities close to home. Then the pandemic hit, travel was severely restricted, and I started to properly develop the idea of an expedition traversing Germany from south to north. Doing research, I quickly realized this could be a fantastic adventure. SWM:…