Stand Up Paddleboarding at Alpine Accessories

Paddle Boarding at the Hollows

Laurie — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:17:30 +0000

The annual Paddle in the Park at the Hollows Conservation Area put on by the McHenry County Conservation District was again a great success. Paddle boarding clinics were given by Alpine Accessories staff every half hour and participants were able to try out the boards. If you would like to take a full hour lesson call Alpine Accessories at 847-854-4754 for a reservation. Lessons will be given at the Three Oaks Recreation Area seven days a week starting Memorial Day weekend.

Paddle Boarding in the clear waters of the Hollows Conservation Area

Paddle boarding at The Hollows in Cary

Paddle in the Park Demo

Laurie — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:00:19 +0000

Stand Up Paddleboard Dryland Demonstration

The annual Paddle in the Park, a McHenry County Conservation District event, will be on Saturday, May 18th this year. Alpine Accessories will be at The Hollows Conservation Area from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. at this event with Stand Up Paddleboards as we did last year. Dry land demonstrations will be given prior to the testing of the paddle boards. MCCD will collect a $5.00 per person fee which includes all activities at the event. The Hollows is at 3804 U.S. Hwy.14 in Cary IL.

New Paddleboards Have Arrived

Laurie — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:43:43 +0000

The new shipments of BIC Sport and Boardworks stand up paddleboards have arrived at Alpine Accessories. Now that we have a larger selection than last year new racks had to be made to display the paddleboards. Our staff Bill, Sean and Ashley all had a hand in developing, assembling and painting the new racks.

New paddleboards have arrived at Alpine Accessories

BIC One Design Challenge

Laurie — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:57:40 +0000

If you live in the Chicago suburbs this is the Stand Up Paddle board race for you. The BIC One Design Challenge puts challengers against each other using identical equipment to match the boarder’s ability and endurance on a 1 mile buoyed course in an elimination round. No need to bring any equipment. Your entry fee includes use of a BIC 12′ 6″ Wing SUP, board leash, composite paddle, vest and Lycra jersey.
The events will be held at the Three Oaks Recreation Area North Beach in Crystal Lake IL on the second Saturday of June, July, August and September. You can sign up for one event for $30 or all four for $100. Sign in at the pavillion at the North Beach 15 minutes prior to the race.

At the end of each Challenge you will receive a souvenir bib, possible medal, be entered in a drawing to win a BIC 12′ 6″ Wing SUP, and receive a free SUP clinic on the different types of boards and then be able to demo the boards.

The BIC One Design Challenge and Demo is great training before you decide to enter into a World Paddle Association santioned event where you would compete against hundreds of participants.

Challenge Place: Three Oaks Recreation Area, North Beach, Crystal Lake IL
Challenge Dates: June 8th, July 13th, August 10th and September 14th
Challenge Time: starting at 9:30 am to 1:00 pm
5 Challenge Categories: Men 18-39, 40+, Women 18-39, 40+ and Youth 12-17 years old.
Challenge cost: $30.00 for individual dates, $100 to sign up for all 4 dates, or FREE if you purchase a SUP board from Alpine Accessories from April 1 to June 7th 2013.
Sign up online or by calling Alpine Accessories Ski Snowboard and Paddleboard shop in Lake in the Hills IL at 847-854-4754.

Free Dry Land Paddleboard Lessons

Laurie — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:39:18 +0000

Are you planning a warm beach vacation for Spring Break? Many vacation spots now rent Stand Up Paddleboards. Paddleboarding is easier the first time out if you have the basics. To help you enjoy your first paddleboarding experience more, Alpine Accessories is offering Free in store dry land paddleboard lessons on Monday March 18th at 6:30 pm and Thursday March 21st at 6:30 pm. Space is limited so please call 847-854-4754 to reserve your spot.

Stand Up Paddleboarding is easy when you know the basics.

Types of Stand Up Paddleboards

Laurie — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:09:48 +0000

What type of Stand Up Paddleboard should you get?

The paddleboard industry has 3 classifications for paddleboards

ALL AROUND
SURF
TOURING/RACING

: Bic Sport ACE-TEC All Around Stand Up Paddleboard

All Around SUP - About 75% of all stand up paddleboards sold are All Around boards. All Around boards are designed for balance, ease of use, versatility, and come in many different materials and price ranges. All Around boards are usually around 30″ – 34″ wide for stability, 9′ to 12′ long for flotation, and have a slightly turned up nose to ride up and over the waves.

: Boardworks Raven Touring / Racing Stand Up Paddleboard

Touring / Racing SUP - After you have paddleboarded for a while, you may want more of a challenge, enter a race, or want more speed. Touring boards look a little different than All Around boards and normally have a pointed nose, are longer 11″ to 17″, and average only 24″ – 30″ in width. Being narrower allows the board to slice through the water and waves easier but a narrower board is more difficult to balance on if you are learning.

Surf SUP are designed for ocean use and can be used for surfing waves. They tend to have more rocker and are not as stable as all around boards.

Paddleboard Construction -

Paddleboards are made of many layers of various materials depending on it’s specific use, stability, weight capacity and durability.

The big reason why you see so many prices on paddleboards.

Plastic Boards - These boards normally are made liked a little kid’s cheap toy. While the price may be affordable, these boards are normally hollow, offer no deck pads and are very unstable.

Inflatable Boards - The inflatable is durable, transports the easiest, is easy to repair and has a soft deck. Just make sure to get a military grade rubber or it won’t be durable and will be hard to stand on.

Soft Boards - We’re talking about the bottom and deck being soft, the core is stiff. This board offers good performance with the advantage of a full soft deck. Great for kids to play on or doing yoga.

Hard Boards - HARD BOARDS offer the best in performance. They are stiff which allow the boards to plane over the water better than other constructions. HARD BOARDS have many different constructions but as a rule, the more expensive the board costs, the stiffer and lighter it is which makes it perform better and is easier to lift, plane and transport.

Does length matter?

Many SUP’s come in different lengths. A general rule is the more weight you have on the board, the longer the board you need. Keep in mind, other people may be using the board. If you are the only person using the board, then the proper length gives you the correct flotation while being easy to manuveuer. Keep in mind, if between sizes, it’s best to choose a longer length.

If you have more questions, please contact us at 847-854-4754 or stop by the store at Alpine Accessories.

Paddleboard Cross Training

Laurie — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:18:21 +0000

There is a good article on Active.com about runners cross training with Stand Up Paddling

Whether you are training for a marathon or tri-athalon or just want to keep in shape for the next ski season Stand Up Paddleboarding will keep you in shape. Paddleboarding is also great cross training for snowboarding or cross country skiing. You can go at your own pace or sign up for a SUP regatta and race your SUP. There are regattas through out the US to participate in.

SUP Instructor Sean O is doing push ups on his paddle board

Reserve your SUP

Laurie — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:53:07 +0000

Stand Up Paddleboard rentals and lessons at Three Oaks Recreation Area have been filling up fast. Sundays have become just as popular as Saturdays. We recommend that you call the shop at 847-854-4754 several days ahead to reserve and prepay for your groups preferred time slot. There is a maximum of 5 people per group. The 10am spot always fills up first, sometimes a week or two before.

Everyone has a great time when they are out on the paddle boards. Here is our 10am group from last Sunday. We hope to see you soon.

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Sunday Lessons and Rentals at Three Oaks Recreation Area

Laurie — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:23:09 +0000

Now you can take a Stand Up Paddleboard lesson or rent 7 days a week at the Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake! Due to popular demand, Saturday and Sunday lessons and rentals have been filling up with reservations, so we added Monday through Friday’s from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Call ahead to reserve your time slot. Call Alpine Accessories at 847-854-4754 or just show up the day of and see what times are left. Or check our Facebook page for the current daily availability.

Paddleboard Winner

Laurie — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:31:54 +0000

The winner of the Stand Up Paddleboard giveaway was awarded to Michael Maifield of Cary IL. Mikes name was pulled by the Northwest Herald’s Kelly Buckman.
Mike won a Doyle Beefy D paddleboard, a BIC Sport adjustable aluminum paddle, a MTI SUP PVD, and a Dakine board leash. Congratulations!