James and the Whale

This a great story sent to me by Chris Williamson, a high school woodworking teacher at Bella Bella High School. If your not familiar Standup4Greatbear and the Bella Bella Board Builders see my previous post. 


This email made my night and if you have followed this story i think you will enjoy it too.


From Chris Williamson,


"Hey Norm, I hope you are well. I just wanted to share this little story with you. A couple of weeks ago we had Ocean Day, where the school had tonnes of activities down at the water with salmon bbq, coast guards, sea creature tanks, kayaks and the SUPs. David Applebaum and I spent the entire day getting students from grade 1 to 12 out on the boards at the dock. We had 1/2 hour line ups and it was non-stop the entire day.


This was all very exciting but the The coolest part of the day was when a humpback surfaced in front of Bella Bella and James ran down and hopped on his board to go and check it out. He kept on paddling and was a tiny speck in the distance. A while later the coast guards zoomed out after him only to return a few minutes later. They said that he was annoyed that they were checking on him and that he refused a ride back. It was an incredible thing to see him venturing out on his own, full of confidence, pushing the boundaries of his experience. It made me very proud to have been a part of making that happen.
On a separate, but nearly equally as cool, note, a few students have a 10 day workshop down at Hakai learning wilderness first aid etc and they brought their boards with them. As well a student has brought her board to Goose Island for the summer where she is an intern with QQS doing some research.
Anyways, thought you might like to hear the update on what is happening with them. I have been given approval to build more next year and I think the class is pretty darn full again!! Are you up for another course, say in the spring of 2012?


Take care, Chris"


Thanks Chris for sharing these stories with me. I am smiling a big smile.....norm

Round Bowen Challenge

Last Sunday i headed over to Bowen Island for the 34 KM Round Bowen Challenge. It's a very short ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Snug Harbour on Bowen. Jen and i SUPed over to Snug Harbour for breakfast and coffee one morning and then took the ferry back, which was free. You only pay one way. It's a fun little paddle and you just have to be aware of boat and ferry traffic and the westerlies that can build up out of the Straight of Georgia. Paddle it in the morning before the winds come up.

The Round Bowen Challenge traditionally has been a kayak race but this year there were Jen, Mike, Lee and Tim were competing in the relay and Kelvin Hummeny and i were going around solo. I thought this race would be great training for my Molokai to Oahu race at the end of July. Kelvin and crew took an earlier ferry and headed south around Bowen for their start. I took a later ferry closer to the beginning of the race and by that time the call was to head north around the island.

I brought over my 14' Roy Vickers Rogue Raven board to test around the island. I love big distance ocean races and expeditions and the feeling of freedom it brings being on the water. We had great weather for the paddle and throughout the day. The first 50 minutes of paddling was pretty cruisey as i moved with the flooding current and a slight inflow breeze at my back. Bowen Island is located at the mouth of Howe Sound which is the starting point for the strong inflows that develop during daytime heating. By the time those inflow winds get to Squamish, the kiteboarders and windsurfers are having a great time riding the swells and powerful winds. I love these conditions for downwinding on my sup as well and the best place to start is in Porteau Cove.

As i rounded the east side of the island the current and wind both switched direction and i found myself paddling against a decent headwind for an 1.5 hours and against the current for 2 hours. Regardless i just paddled on taking the time to concentrate on my stroke and use the water along the shoreline to my advantage. The west side of the island can be pretty nasty with full exposure to the Straight of Georgia but today it was warm and flat. The quickest part of the race was heading back up north along Bowen and back to Snug Harbour. For the last hour and a bit i picked up the north current again and the nice inflow wind that was at my back again now but stronger. By the time i hit the dock in Snug Harbour my watch read 3:52 mintues. That was pretty much continuous paddling effort with about 500mls of water and 4 shot blocks. I felt pretty good afterwards and really enjoyed the salmon dinner they had waiting for us, man i was hungry. The Vickers board was great and a lot of fun to paddle. Congrats to all the racers but especially to my fellow SUPers, Kelvin, Jen, Tim, Lee and Mike.

I think this race in the future will be a great one for the SUP racers. I like it because it really tests your waterman skills of weather, wind, tides, currents and how to read all of those and how to use them to your advantage. The 34 k tests your physical abilities, training and paddling technique. I know i have been paddling with good technique because aside from some general muscle stiffness i have no joint or tendonitis problems which can occur over long distances and with poor technique.


I think i will head out for the MEC Big Chop race series this Thursday at Vanier Park for some more training. Race begins at 7:00pm.


See you on the water.

THe Baddest Beach Break on the Planet

The Mexican Pipeline.......Puerto


On Location Puerto Escondido#2 from IronFistMedia on Vimeo.

Scientists warn that oceans’ marine life on ’brink of extinction’

Scientists warn that oceans’ marine life on ’brink of extinction’

Kalamalka SUP Classic

This past weekend I went to the Kalamalka Classic hosted by Kevin and Michelle from Kalavida Surf Shop. It was an amazing weekend of SUP stoke. I arrived Friday night and ran a pre race skills clinic for some of the competitors on a flat calm beautiful evening on Kalamalka Lake. Saturday i raced in the short course and sprint race and Sunday we had 10 mile race across the lake. After all of this I was crowned the King of Kalamalka. Aside from the race it was amazing to spend time with so many great people. Saturday night was a highlight as i had the chance to share the first viewing of my new Standup4Greatbear Film documentary. The film received a standing ovation and the feedback i received was humbling. Taylor Fox who produced the film did an incredible job and i cannot wait to share this with everyone. 

I also picked up my new Rogue Custom Roy Vickers Expedition board and people were floored by it's beauty. It had it's christening on the 10 mile race on Sunday. Thanks so much to Team Rogue and to Roy who created the design. Pictures and blog to come. 

Below are the results from the weekend.  

Hann and Augaitis Capture Kalamalka Crowns

Posted on Wednesday, 22 June 2011 11:39

Only one year ago, 18 people crossed the length of Kalamalka Lake and there was only one ‘race’ style board in the mix – that of Beau Whitehead of Bellingham, who won the event in a time of 1:49:12.  This year, 61 athletes made the crossing with a full compliment of 12’6″ and 14″ race boards dominating the field.  It was ‘Classic’ weekend no doubt with good competition, a great vibe and tons of SUP stoke to go around.  Results now posted -
The weekend featured three events;   Short Course, 4x SUP Sprints and the 10-mile Kal Crossing. Norm Hann (Squamish) was crowned King of Kalamalka and Lina Augaitis (Vancouver) was crowned as the Queen of Kalamalka. Helene Urculu (Oliver) and Ed Fitch (Vancouver) earned the overall wins in the Recreational ‘Weekend Warrior’ classes. The event drew competitors from across Western Canada, Washington and California and was more than 3-times larger than last year’s inaugural race. Here’s are the results for all three events.

	Kalamalka Crossing	61 competitors	10 miles
	Competitive Men -  < 12’6	City	Time
1	Beau Whitehead	Bellingham,Wa	1:49:05
2	Gary Parsons	Vancouver	1:52:00
3	Stuart Robinson	Comox	1:52:50
4	Kelvin Hummeny	Vancouver	1:55:02
5	Wade Anderson	Vernon	1:56:13
6	David Jinue	Vancouver	1:58:00
7	Ken Rymer	Kelowna	1:59:51
8	Barry O’Donohoe	Victoria	2:00:01
9	Mike Hainault	Vernon	2:03:15
10	Kim Doleszar	Vernon	2:05:30
11	Eric Raume	Vancouver	2:06:51
12	Nick Smith	Kamloops	2:07:39
13	Bob Purdy	Kelowna	2:07:44
14	Chris Hromek	Kelowna	2:08:00
15	Dave Marshall	Las Vegas	2:08:00
16	Ian Nelson	Penticton	2:10:50
17	Luka Banecevic	Vancouver	2:11:35
18	Jeremy Poettcker	Grande Prairie	2:11:59
19	Dario Phillips	N. Vancouver	2:12:00
20	Tao Phillips	Vancouver	2:14:40
21	Tyler Klassen	Vancouver	2:20:00
	Competitive Men 14′	City	Time
1	David Hazenboom	Bellingham,Wa	1:43:26
2	Norm Hann	Squamish	1:44:36
3	Scott Lemon	Vernon	1:45
4	Kimo Jandoc	Lyndon, Wa	1:46:07
5	Mike Darbyshire	Vancouver	1:47:10
6	Scott Siemens	Vernon	1:48:20
7	Brad Clements	Vernon	1:48:20
8	Dale Plant	Bellingham,Wa	1:49
9	Yannik Michaud	Vancouver	1:51:07
10	Warren Currie	Edmonton	1:54:14
11	Dion Maxwell	Mission	1:56:44
12	Michael Clarke	Vancouver	1:56:56
13	Stefan Idzan	Kelowna	1:59:55
14	Andrew Robinson	Comox	2:00:11
	Competitive Men UNL	City	Time
1	Andy Bridge		1:52:19
	Competitive Women -  < 12’6	City	Time
1	Lina Augaitis	Vancouver	1:50:08
2	Jen Dillinger	Burnaby	2:01:50
3	Kristin Thomas	California	2:05:00
4	Tina Hoeben	Penticton	2:06:15
5	Diana Mauriks	Squamish	2:06:51
6	Sheila Sovereign	Vernon	2:08:00
7	Shawna Buchanan	Comox	2:18:10
8	Diana Newson	Courtenay	2:19:39
9	Adrienne Sol	Vancouver	2:34:19
10	Suzanne Foster	Clearwater	2:42:21
	Recreational Men -  < 12’6	City	Time
1	Mike Jodoin	Vernon	2:04:38
2	Sandy McGee	Kelowna	2:07:24
3	Pierre Goyette	Vernon	2:13:22
4	Ed Fitch	Vancouver	2:15:02
5	David Swirp	Calgary	2:46:54
	Recreational Men – 14′	City	Time
1	Greig Gjerdlan	N.Vancouver	1:58:20
2	Al Saunders	Vancouver	2:03:02
	Recreational Women -  < 12’6	City	Time
1	Dawna Jodoin	Vernon	2:24:22
2	Helene Urculu	Oliver	2:27:44
3	Maureen McEwen	Vernon	2:30:48
4	Kathryn Giorio	Vernon	2:37:41
5	Kim Buckham	Calgary	2:38:39
6	Tina Barrette	Vernon	2:40:28
7	Renee Land	Vernon	2:44:41

	Short Course	40 competitors
	Competitive Men -  < 12’6	City
1	Norm Hann	Squamish
2	Stuart Robinson	Courtenay
3	Beau Whitehead	Bellingham,Wa
4	Mike Darbyshire	Vancouver
5	Gary Parsons	Vancouver
6	Kelvin Hummeny	Vancouver
7	Andrew Robinson	Comox
8	Scott Siemens	Vernon
9	Wade Anderson	Vernon
10	Warren Currie	Edmonton
11	Dale Plant	Bellingham,Wa
12	Ken Rymer	Kelowna
13	Barry O’Donohoe	Victoria
14	Yannick Michaud	Victoria
15	Michael Clarke	Vancouver
16	Mike Hainault	Vernon
17	Stefan Idzan	Kelowna
18	Chris Hromek	Kelowna
19	Dario Phillips	N. Vancouver
20	Luka Banicevic	Vancouver
21	Craig Langford	Penticton
22	Tao Phillips	Vancouver
23	Andrew Kline	Vancouver
	Recreational Men -  < 12’6	City
1	Ed Fitch	Vancouver
2	Rob McLoed	Calgary
3	Reuben Smid	Coldstream
4	Jonathan Bowers	Kamloops
5	Sean Kibyuk	Calgary
6	Neal Gregory	Abbotsford
7	Eli Fischbauch	Alberta
8	David Swirp	Calgary
	Competitive Women -  < 12’6	City
1	Lina Augaitis	Vancouver
2	Kristin Thomas	California
3	Tina Hoeben	Penticton
4	Sheila Sovereign	Vernon
5	Diana Mauriks	Squamish
6	Jen Dillinger	Burnaby
7	Shawna Buchanan	Comox
8	Callie Hill	Kamloops
	Recreational Women -  < 12’6	City
1	Maureen McEwen	Vernon
2	Helene Urculu	Oliver
3	Jen Forbes	Chilliwack
4	Stacey Kemp	Penticton
5	Heidi Macdonald	Squamish
6	Karen McLoed	Calgary
7	Kim Buchham	Comox
8	Tarrah Jandoc	Lyndon, Wa

SUP Sprints – Elimination Style
Sprints – Competitive Men		30 competitors
Final
1	Norm Hann	Squamish
2	Kevin O’Brien	Vernon
3	Stuart Robinson	Courtenay
4	Cory Ferguson	Vernon
Semi #1
1	Norm Hann	Squamish
2	Stuart Robinson	Courtenay
3	Mike Darbyshire	Vancouver
4	Eric Raume	Vancouver
Semi #2
1	Cory Ferguson	Vernon
2	Kevin O’Brien	Vernon
3	Beau Whitehead	Bellingham, Wa
4	Scott Siemens	Vernon
Sprints – Competitive Women		12 Competitors
Final
1	Lina Augaitis	Vancouver
2	Jen Dillinger	Vernon
3	Sheila Sovereign	Vernon
4	Diana Newson	Vernon
Sprints – Recreational Men		6 Competitors
Final
1	Reuben Smid	Coldstream
2	Rob McLoed	Calgary
3	Jonathan Bowers	Kamloops
4	Ed Fitch	Vancouver
Sprints – Recreational Women		8 Competitors
Final
1	Helene Urculu	Oliver
2	Jen Forbes	Chilliwack
3	Maureen McEwen	Vernon
4	Megan Kibyuk	Vernon

Mountain Surf SUP Clinics come to Sudbury, Ontario

This past week i came back home to Sudbury, Ontario to visit family and friends and to run some standup paddleboard clinics for local paddlers. The weather was incredible and Ramsey Lake was a great location to deliver the course. The local TV station picked the story up. Click here to view.

I will be back August 13/14 to offer a Paddle Canada Flatwater Instructor Course and will be offering more Intro and Advanced SUP clinics. Contact norm@mountainsurfadventures.com for more info.

See you on the water.

Bella Bella Paddleboard Project

Bella Bella Paddleboard Project Photo: Karen McAllister

After starting in Kitimat on May 8^th, 2010 I finished my Standup4Greatbear expedition 11 days later on May 18^th in the Heiltsuk community of Bella Bella. It was an amazing place to finish as I was greeted by hundreds of community members and youth. I remembered being really inspired by the students that showed up to support their coast holding signs and waving flags.