Paddling gaining popularity
War canoes, water skis, windsurfers and wakeboards have all bobbed up and down in popularity on the waves of Okanagan Lake over the years.
But enthusiasm for stand-up paddleboarding is riding a wave that shows no signs of cresting anytime soon, local devotees of the sport say.
A steady drop in the price of the boards and advances in their design, are drawing more people than ever to the activity, according to members of the Kelowna Paddle Centre.
“It’s still very much a sport that’s growing,” centre spokeswoman Leanne Stanley said Sunday at the Abbott Street facility that houses the group's boards, outrigger canoes, and other equipment.
“You can get entry boards for less than $1,000, whereas a few years ago they would have been over $3,000,” she said.
“And as they’ve come down in price, the construction and durability has improved,” she said. “The first paddleboards were all rounded tip, and they just plowed through the water because they were really heavy.
“Now, the shapes are more efficient. The points of the boards are very narrow and they cut through the water much better,” she said. “They go a lot faster with a lot less work.”
Many of the 270 centre members are active paddlers all year round, but the weekend's fine weather, with clear skies and mild temperatures, brought more out along the Kelowna shoreline.
“Some folks, it was their first day out this year,” Stanley said. “But a number of us have been paddling pretty much through the winter.”
A group of women from Kelowna will go to the world championship this summer in Tahiti. The centre offers a variety of learn to paddle courses for all ages once the regular paddling season starts in April. For more information, see kelownapaddlecentre.ca