Paddle Boarding’s Biggest Trends in 2017

Candice Appleby. | Photo Courtesy: APP World Tour

SAN DIEGO, California - 2017 was a year full of adventure, thrills, learning, and more. There were a handful of trends that caught on this year that caught the attention of our editorial staff here at Supconnect. Here are the biggest trends of 2017:

Women

The ladies of our sport were trending all year. Whether it was from outstanding performances in an event, brands launching lines specifically for females, or the Women’s Equality in SUP movement, women were always a topic of discussion throughout the year and we have a feeling this is only the beginning. It’s likely that the ladies of our sport will continue to stay on trend in the years to come as participation rises and more opportunities become available to these athletes.

APP World Tour Maui. | Photo Courtesy: APP World Tour

Foiling

SUP foiling was reintroduced in 2016 by Kai Lenny and has caught fire ever since. The trend continues to rise in the sport and tons of athletes and brands are jumping on board to get their hands wet in this new crossover of the sport. We wouldn’t be surprised if events in the next few years start offering foil disciplines and clinics.

Abraham Shouse SUP foiling on Maui. | Photo: Starboard / John Carter

Safety

Safety has always been on the radar in paddle boarding but with more and more avoidable accidents and drownings occurring, safety in paddle boarding was on the upward trend in 2017. Creating awareness about basic safety precautions and practices are something that industry leaders are putting energy behind to ensure that paddlers, especially new paddlers to the sport, are educated and aware of what is needed to prevent accidents from happening.

Mo Freitas. | Photo Courtesy: APP World Tour

World Records

So many world records were broken in 2017 it was hard to keep track of them all thus their trending status for the year. Whether it was Chris Bertish’s Transatlantic SUP Crossing which broke tons of records, Lizzie Carr being the first female to cross the English Channel solo, or race time records broken, it was one heck of a year for the progression of the sport.

Chris Bertish paddled across the Atlantic Ocean on the vessel seen here. | Photo Courtesy: Chris Bertish

Eco

Another trend that we noticed caught some speed this year was brands pushing out products with a focus on sustainability and materials less harmful to the environment. Major brands in the industry like Starboard, NSP and Surftech introduced products with eco-friendly materials and even brand initiatives that aim to reduce their carbon footprint. We see this trend exploding in the next few years.

Surftech introduces their new line of eco-friendly boards. | Photo Courtesy: Surftech

For 2018, we predict these five trends listed above will continue to be topics that show up in your news feed. The only question is, what else do you think will trend in the new year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

© Supconnect.com Copyrighted Exclusive Content