Stand-Up PaddleBoarding with Triad ECO Adventures

By Rachel Hoeing

When it comes to Monday mornings, I usually roll my eyes and murmur, “Back to the grind.” But this past Monday morning I jumped out of bed, looked at the sun outside and smiled that the weather had cooperated. THIS Monday morning was going to include a few hours of playing hooky from work and enjoying some serenity on Salem Lake.

If you read the title and noticed the picture, you know I am going to talk about Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP). If you have never done it before you are probably wondering how in the world it could be “serene.” Those of you who have enjoyed SUP in the past know that it is serene, plus so much more.

It was a great workout. It was quality time spent alone as well as quality time spent with my TMoM team members. It was enjoyable. It was an experience. It was quiet time in nature. It was a way to disconnect. Best of all … it was loads of FUN!

As you may remember, some of our TMoM team members recently enjoyed a Segway tour with Triad ECO Adventures. Lucky for us, the team at Triad ECO Adventures was kind enough to host us again for a SUP lesson as well.

A few of us had given SUP a whirl prior to this, but one of our team members was quite nervous and explained it just wasn’t usually her “thing.” She was fearful of falling, of getting wet, of hurting herself, or being embarrassed. Our amazing instructor, Hal, assured her that if she listened to his instructions, she would not need to worry about any of those things. Sure enough, by the end of our lesson, she was paddling along side the rest of us … completely dry.

One of our TMoM members, Kristie, put together a video of our morning that you can check out here.

We would highly recommend giving Triad ECO Adventures a call to enjoy this activity over the summer.  This adventure is great for all ages and all abilities. You can surf around on TEA’s website here, but I also wanted to include answers to a few questions you may have:

– Lessons can take place at Salem Lake, Belews Lake, or Oak Hollow Lake.

– The company can coordinate a time that works best for you and your group.

– You do not need prior experience.

– Our instructor, Hal, has background in competitive swimming, life guarding, and wind-surfing. He has been a team coach, classroom instructor,  & is a Level II certified PaddleFit Instructor. He was able to give us many pointers and helpful tips that I personally did not receive at other paddle boarding excursions.

– Your first Intro SUP Lesson is $45. All you will need to pay for is a paddleboard rental if you do not have one of your own. ($20)

– PaddleFit-Intro class also qualifies you for more advanced “Tech-1” lessons, after spending practice time on the water (if you should get into SUP touring or SUP racing).  It also qualifies you to rent.

– There is no age minimum, as long as a child can swim, they are able to take this paddle boarding lesson.

– TEA offers Glow-Paddle on Saturday Nights! The PaddleFit-Intro class also qualifies you for this. (They can’t teach you in the dark!)

– TEA also offers Yoga SUP classes! As you will see in our video, we got a little taste of some Yoga fun from another instructor, Carly.

So what are you waiting for? Call Triad ECO Tours and book your SUP Lesson today! Visit website here for more information.

 

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*Sponsored by Triad ECO Adventures