SURFSUP CHRONICLES
Pittsburgh's resource for standup paddleboarding events, lessons, guiding, and equipment.
Every Summer, we look forward to a variety of paddleboarding adventures across Pennsylvania. Perhaps the most visually stunning and the ones we dream about all winter are the opportunities to watch the full moonrises over the water at Moraine State Park. For years we have dialed in the perfect watching locations to give a stunning moonscape that starts above the rolling hills and reflects off the water of Lake Arthur. These experiences include all the fun accoutrements of the Glow SUP experiences (glow necklaces, full LED board lighting, and free photography of your adventure) with the added activity of watching the moonrise (subject to weather of course).
Learn about how SurfSUP Adventures came to be on the Start Up Television hosted by Gary Bredow! The show provides an in-depth look at the fascination of standup paddleboarding and how Ian Smith uses the pursuit as a catalyst to inspire conservation of waterways and mentorship for underserved youth throughout Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.
You are invited to join us on Friday, September 16th for the 4th annual 5Point Film Festival in conjunction with the celebration and premiere of the First Wave’s and the Watersmith Guild’s latest film! The event is held in conjunction with Ascend Climbing Gym and 3 Rivers Outdoor Company at their Regent Square Location. The event will also include sweepstakes, prizes, food from local Regent Square Eateries and drinks from Goodlander Cocktails and Old Thunder Brewing!
The 8th Annual Pennsylvania SUP Championship Race was held in conjunction with the Moraine State Park Regatta on August 6th, 2022. While the racers gave it their all, the events ethos held true to its roots in providing an inviting atmosphere that promotes the paddleboarding community and raises awareness for the Watersmith Guild’s First Waves program for underserved youth and watershed conservation.
Season 1 of the Very Local television show, “Finding Adventure,” featured a variety of outdoor experiences in the Pittsburgh region. SurfSUP Adventures had the pleasure of guiding show host, Kinga Philipps, and guest, Daniel Johnson on a river surfing and whitewater SUP session in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania!
Watch now as SurfSUP Adventures Founder and Watersmith Guild Executive Director, Ian Smith, provides a keynote presentation for the Allegheny College / Creek Connection Student Research Symposium! The Creek Connections program has forged an effective partnership between Allegheny College and regional K-12 schools to turn waterways in Northwest Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh area, and beyond into outdoor environmental laboratories. Emphasizing a hands-on, inquiry based investigation of local waterways, this project annually involves over 40 different secondary schools and the classes of 50 teachers.
To many, fall foliage is Pennsylvania’s apex for natural beauty, and, perhaps the most beautiful visage of the ephemeral display can be seen in the reflection of Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park. A short drive from Pittsburgh, the lake is surrounded by rolling hills in a historic moraine depression that seems to cradle the Autumn colors and amplify the experience. Here are three great ways to experience the foliage at the iconic Park.
Let’s celebrate Earth Day with a surprise premiere of the First Waves Johnstown Project film from the Summer of 2020! Special thanks to the volunteers, mentors, and supporters that made this project possible. Enjoy the show!
With warm weather and sunny skies in the forecast, surely you are thinking the same thing as us - time for paddleboarding season! Whether you’re looking to plan a fun family outing, a safe, socially-distanced group activity, or just escape for some time on the water in and around Pittsburgh, we are ready to provide you with the standup paddleboarding experience you’ve been dreaming of all winter!
SurfSUP Adventure’s founder and lead guide, Ian Smith, was recently awarded the title of “Master Trainer” by the Professional Standup Paddle Association (PSUPA). With this designation, Ian becomes one of only four Master Trainers internationally. He teaches instructor certifications in the disciplines of Flat Water, SUP Camps, and Whitewater SUP / River Surfing. Here’s an excerpt from the PSUPA press release:
Contours is the latest film project by First Waves, a program that inspires conservation through the art of filmmaking and the pursuit of river surfing and paddleboarding.
With the heat of summer, minimal water leaves Pennsylvania and West Virginia a graveyard of dry rivers and creeks. Only a few destinations with either dam releases or sustainable summer flow can offer relief for whitewater paddlers. Valley Falls in Fairmont, WV might be the best place in the region during these times. A series of spectacular waterfalls with multiple lines of varying difficulty make this a paradise for intermediate to expert paddlers.
Though Halloween was approaching, the eerie warnings flashing across the TV, Internet and from friends and family were real. Hurricane Sandy was moving in from the Atlantic and threatening devastation throughout the North East. As the weather turned grim, most people were staying indoors and watching the “Frankenstorm’s” progress on the news. For whitewater enthusiasts, however, it was like getting week-long private admission to an amusement park. The creeks and rivers that had been dry from the summer’s drought were finally open for exploration.
The official launch of “A Quiet Excitement,” a film by Wild Excellence Films in conjunction with Butler County Tourism and SurfSUP Adventures. The film explores a multitude of ways to explore Butler County’s array of stand up paddling. Everything from fly fishing float trips, sunken forests, standing river waves and nighttime adventures are featured.
Last week, a deluge of powder snow coated the mountain laurel and hemlocks and encapsulated the stream in blinding brilliance. I hiked from near the confluence of the Allegheny, pulling my board like a sled behind me. I skulked through tangles of mountain laurel and eventually made my way to creek. With heavy rain prior to the snow, the stream was the color of milky coffee and at the perfect level for a descent on my paddleboard. I set off through the first rapid and crouched under the branches draping overhead. The weight of the snow had bent them into arches like a wedding arbor guiding my way downstream through a winter SUP paradise.
On Monday, November 11, we will be gathering at Patagonia Pittsburgh to celebrate the waves and personalities that comprise Pittsburgh’s inland surf culture. We will be talking story and showcasing films from local filmmakers, including Ontario’s, Andrew Wyton. Wyton’s films include Boom Lagoon, Lake Lyfe, Hot Toddy and Sweet Water. We had a chance to chat with Andrew to learn more about his foray into the wild world of Great Lakes Surf filmmaking…
Sunset SUP Yoga and Eco Adventures are coming back to Moraine State Park! SurfSUP Adventures is partnering with Alison Schuster to offer an amazing evening of serenity and fun on the water. Learn more and find a date that works for you!
Attention Pittsburgh surfers, paddlers, water enthusiasts and adventurers - First Waves and SurfSUP Adventures will be partnering with Patagonia Pittsburgh as they host a Never Town Film Screening with professional surfer, Dan Ross, on Tuesday, October 23! There will be refreshments, food, raffles and more that will all benefit the First Waves program to engage underserved youth in river surfing, watershed conservation and filmmaking! We hope to see you all there!
SurfSUP Adventures has been working with Envision Blind Sports for a little over 3-years now, but this year marks a milestone of accomplishment. Thanks mostly to executive director, Wendy Fagan, and the incredible volunteer network from Slippery Rock University’s, Adaptive Sports program, Envision has become the largest blind sports camp in the country. In total, 70 visually impaired youth ages 6 to 18 participated in 20 sports over the course of the week-long program in June of 2018.
SurfSUP Adventures started with the mission to provide Pittsburgh with standup paddleboarding adventures in the amazing waterways of Pennsylvania. While that objective is still our top priority, it has expanded to include the conservation of these watersheds and introducing these experiences to the local teens.
SurfSUP Adventures is proud to be partnering with expert yogi, TV show host, and all-around awesome woman, Alison Schuster, to provide 4 SUP Yoga and Eco Adventures this summer at Moraine State Park! SUP Yoga is one of the fastest growing disciplines of yoga in the world, and for good reason. Participating in SUP yoga classes will help refine your technique, build strength and offers the serenity of floating just above the water in beautiful surroundings. On top of that, you will receive paddling instruction and a guided eco-tour from professional standup paddler, Ian Smith.
"On Moraine" is a film showcasing the spectacular standup paddleboarding (SUP) opportunities at Moraine State Park in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
We are heading into our 8th season of providing standup paddle boarding experiences in Pittsburgh! In that time, we’ve been honored to introduce thousands of people to standup paddleboarding (SUP), river surfing, watershed conservation, and whitewater SUP. Our love for paddling got us started, but it’s been the people we’ve met on this journey that have truly inspired us. You are the ones we have to thank as we celebrate being named Pittsburgh’s “Best Outdoor Experience” in 2018 by the Manual Awards!
There’s something about outdoor film festivals that makes you question what you’re capable of. The combination of immaculately captured places, harrowing adventures, and a cast of characters only conjured by sports involving leaps from cliffs, vertical climbs, or skate boards hurdling down mountain roads at 70-mph. But why are these festivals so moving?
Nestled in the urban sprawl of Pittsburgh’s East End, The Mount Ararat Community Activity Center provides innovative programs and experiential learning to the area’s families and youth. Earlier this summer, the Center debuted a new program for a select group of students, part of which involved teaching them to surf in whitewater rivers.
WPXI’s, "Proud to be from Pittsburgh," is a program designed to highlight people who are doing good in our communities.” SurfSUP Adventures and First Waves founder, Ian Smith, worked with Channel-11 News Anchor, Peggy Finnegan, to document a First Waves event on the Pittsburgh Riverfront for the segment earlier this year.
The New River Gorge SUP Race has become the epicenter of whitewater paddleboard racing in the Eastern US, but not because of a cash purse (there isn’t one!) or fantastical prizes. Instead, this race has ingrained itself in the hearts of a community that it has helped to grow since its inception in 2011. The setting itself could be attributed to the race’s popularity. The New River Gorge and Fayetteville, the adjoining mountain town, is a quintessential hub for adventure and natural beauty. Still, the underlying values and genuine love that race founder, Melanie Hames, puts into this event is the defining ingredient. The West Virginia SUP scene is filled with passionate people like her, and this event has drawn competitors from around the world that all want a piece of it.
As the racers make the first turn in the PA SUP Championships at Moraine State Park, they are met with the sound of live music from the main stage of the Regatta at Lake Arthur. Thousands of people are sprawled out listening to the music, sifting through food trucks, and watching the sailboats, paddleboards and windsurfers jetting by. A backdrop of thick conifers gives way to blue skies above the horizon of the lake and this is only the beginning.
At SurfSUP Adventures, we have been dealt the opportunity to work with amazing partners and volunteers. The latest project in conjunction with VIP Sports was one of the most memorable. By working with Slippery Rock University volunteers and VIP Sports instructors, we were able to provide a standup paddleboarding experience to more than 60 youth participants that were blind or semi-blind. Here's a short film documenting the training process and the event itself! Enjoy!
SurfSUP Adventures is proud to announce that founder, Ian Smith, has been selected as an ambassador of NRS LEAD for his work with First Waves and the Watersmith Guild.