First Ever Cali Paddler Retreat Announced

SANTA BARBARA, California - Cali Paddler will be hosting a first of its kind retreat March 3-5 in Santa Barbara County for the paddling community. The all-inclusive Friday-Sunday event is aimed to bring together paddlers of all craft backgrounds and create a welcoming atmosphere for all skill levels. It will be held at the beautiful Refugio State Beach, with friend and world class paddler Danny Ching headlining the event, various clinics and lots of paddling.

"Towards the end of last year, my partner Greg and I were talking about how we could do something special for our team paddlers that would be a paddler's dream weekend", said Cali Paddler Co-Founder Clarke Graves. And so the idea was born to create an awesome retreat. "However, our mantra is to Be E.P.I.C. (Every Paddler in California), so we quickly decided we wanted to open it up to everyone in our Cali Tribe."

"It started with everyone just bringing their own craft, but then we wondered, 'Hey! What if some of the best paddle craft companies also came to join us?' " shared Greg Gagnon, Cali Paddler's other founding partner. So the process began to connect with various companies and see if they liked the idea. "Everyone was pretty stoked about the concept and wanted in!" explained Clarke.

To represent the various paddle craft, Cali Paddler has announced that 404SUP,
Bark Paddleboards, Kamanu Composites, and Epic Kayaks and Surf Ski will all be attending. They will have booths setup and staffed with experts and paddlers to meet and talk to, along with all their newest craft to try out. In true Cali Paddler style they invited these iconic companies to stay and enjoy the retreat. "How great would it be to sit around the campfire with these folks and share stories and talk paddling" Clarke excitedly shared. "It would be amazing to hang with a legendary shaper and Olympic Trials Finalist roasting marshmallows!"

Ultimately though, Cali Paddler knew it wanted to have an inspiring icon to headline the event. Clarke explained "When you think about top California paddlers, Danny Ching immediately comes to mind. So we contacted Danny and shared our vision of creating something unique. He was in!" Danny Ching will be delivering the keynote presentation with a focus on how all paddle craft can help improving your skills in the water, along with what has helped him, on the water and off, succeed.

Sprinkled in with an already awesome lineup are clinics of various topics such as craft care and maintenance, paddle nutrition, injury recovery and prevention and, staying true to one of Cali Paddler's core pillars of environmental stewardship, an Eco-conscious and sustainability clinic. Throw in some on-site massage therapists, sunrise yoga, local food, music, a killer swag bag, and camping. All in one of California's prettiest coastal locations. Cali Paddler has created a paddler's dream retreat.

Space is limited. For registration and more information visit CaliPaddler.com.
For questions please direct to events@calipaddler.com or (619) 432-2254 (CALI).

Companies participating and supporting include:

• 404SUP
• Bark Paddleboards
• Epic Kayaks and Surfskis
• Kamanu Composites
• HippoStick Paddles
• OnIt Pro
• Nature's Bakery
• Koog Bar

To see more SUP Events, see the Supconnect Events Calendar.