Paddling a Starboard K-15 AST with a Kialoa Methane paddle Lina, along with kayak support from Andrew Dye, completed the 740km journey in six days, and was the very first time that an SUP travelled this stretch of river.

Nice work guys Lina and Andrew!

Check out the video here:

Yukon River SUP Expedition 2011 from Andrew Dye on Vimeo.

For more information:

• http://linaaugaitis.blogspot.com/
• www.andrew-in-bc.blogspot.com
• Flickr Photo Account
• Vimeo Video Account

Lina has been stand up paddleboarding for the past two years, participating in a number of SUP races, including the weekly Tuesday Night Races at Deep Cove Kayak, Kalamalka Classic, and Battle of the Paddle California.

She’ll be supported by kayaker Andrew Dye, a whitewater kayak instructor with over ten years of experience padding in and around the rivers around BC, Britain, and the French Alps.

Both Lina and Andrew have participated in numerous multi-day adventure races, so both are well experienced to take on this sort of an ambitious endeavour.

Expedition sponsors include Trident Sports, the North American distributor for Starboard, Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak based in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, national retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op, Icebreaker Apparel, and paddle builders Kialoa Paddles and Werner Paddles.

In Lina’s words…

My dream of paddling down the Yukon River will finally become a reality, in SUP form. In 2010, I pursued the sport of SUP through instructing and racing. My increasing passion for SUP, has driven me to explore different areas and different bodies of water via SUP, leading to the idea to paddle the Yukon river (Whitehorse to Dawson). As far as I can tell, I will be the first to complete this route on a SUP. Through this expedition I hope to enhance my sense of pursuing and reaching my dreams and help others take the first steps to develop, accomplish and relish in their dreams and or passions through my blog, pictures, and stories shared.

The Yukon is full of exciting and undamaged wilderness. Protecting our environment is an important issue in our world today. Throughout and after the expedition, I hope to promote, educate, and cherish the surrounding environment of the Yukon River. Clean water is becoming a prominent issue worldwide. Paddling on such pristine water is another way to appreciate its importance, beauty, and power.

I would also like to promote the sport of SUP. Andrew and I plan to record our journey with photographs and point-of-view video, allowing us to write a blog, and produce a short video capturing the essence of the expedition. Andrew will provide safety support and to help carry gear by kayak.

I aim to motivate others to follow their dreams and passions, and get more people enjoying the outdoors in a variety of capacities. Too many people suffer from symptoms such as overstress, depression, and anxiety, which may lead to other health problems and further complications. I hope that through outdoor recreation people are able to free themselves from fear, let go of their comfort zones, and live the life they want to live without any regrets and full of passion.

I am a teacher and through my work I see that we have youth with unique talents, passions, and dreams. My desire is to reach out to as many youth as possible through role modeling, instruction, discussions, and pursuing goals.

Adolescents are blessed with gifts, dreams, and desires, and they should acquire the skills to allow them to develop confidence and have the support of others to help them reach their full potential. The outdoors is just one of many avenues to accomplish this and I will focus on this through the expedition.

For more information, check out:

• http://linaaugaitis.blogspot.com/
• www.andrew-in-bc.blogspot.com
• Flickr Photo Account
• Vimeo Video Account

Good luck guys!

Nice little shot of him finishing up the expedition and his Surftech Bark 14′ Expedition board.

Check out the video here

Great work Norm, and congratulations once again!

Here’s the word from the source…

Bella Bella, B.C.– May 19^th 2010 – Squamish resident Norm Hann has completed what many thought was impossible.

His 385km Stand Up Paddleboard expedition through Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest started in the Haisla Village of Kitimat, B.C on May 8^th, and ended yesterday in the Heiltsuk village of Bella Bella, where he was greeted by a large gathering of local residents, including school children, hereditary chiefs, elders and other community leaders. With stops in Hartley Bay, Klemtu and as far west as the Moore Islands, the expedition helped bring awareness to the environmental threat the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline and tanker traffic will have on the Great Bear Rainforest, its people and wildlife. Hann also visited a number of vital food harvesting sites for First Nations, which are at risk from potential oil spills. The expedition served to galvanize support amongst coastal residents in opposition to the proposed oil tanker route.

“It was an incredible journey. The weather allowed us to visit wild and remote places rich in wildlife and traditional foods. This expedition confirmed how special and rare this coastal environment really is. First Nations from Kitimat to Bella Bella expressed how valuable their natural resources are to their livelihood and sense of place. They were in full 100% support of not having oil tankers on our coast. Our team was honoured to be welcomed into their communities and we were fortunate to have their guidance throughout our trip.”

Hann runs Mountain Surf Adventures in Squamish and has been a professional outdoor guide in the Great Bear Rainforest for ten years and is very connected to the land and its people. As a fishing, kayaking, wildlife and bear viewing guide he has introduced people from all over the world to the Great Bear Rainforest.

To read a detailed account of the StandUp4GreatBear Expedition please visit
www.mountainsurfadventures.blogspot.com

Vancouver, BC – April 29th 2010 – Squamish resident Norm Hann is the latest recipient of the “Be First” sponsorship program by First Ascent for his upcoming 385km Stand Up Paddleboard (S.U.P.) expedition through Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest.

First Ascent is a line of world-class expedition gear created by Eddie Bauer, whose “Be First” sponsorship program is given to a group or individual that endeavors to accomplish what has never been done, challenge the limits of what is possible, and embodies the drive to be first.

Hann’s STANDUP4GREATBEAR Expedition certainly fits this description as a voyage of this magnitude has never previously been attempted on a S.U.P anywhere in Canada before. Norm’s unique mission will help bring awareness to the environmental threat the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline and tanker traffic will have on the rainforest, its people and wildlife. The expedition will explore vital food harvesting areas along the tanker route and document the importance of these areas to First Nations and the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Great Bear Rainforest stretches from Vancouver Island to southeast Alaska. It is one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforest in the world and is one of the most prolific areas for marine and terrestrial wildlife anywhere in the world. It is also the traditional home of coastal First Nations who have used the bounty of the ocean and forest to sustain themselves for millennia.

Hann runs Mountain Surf Adventures in Squamish and has been a professional outdoor guide in the Great Bear Rainforest for ten years and is very connected to the land and its people. As a fishing, kayaking, wildlife and bear viewing guide he has introduced people from all over the world to the Great Bear Rainforest.

“I have learned that what is here – the traditional food harvesting areas, the wildlife, and the philosophies of living in harmony with the earth – is something special and rare that cannot be lost.” Hann said. “I feel indebted to what this amazing place has provided me with and I cannot imagine a people, with thousands of years of connection to their land not having this way of life.”

For more information about this expedition and to get ON BOARD please visit: www.mountainsurfadventures.com and click on STANDUP4GREATBEAR

Contributing sponsors include First Ascent, Surftech, Kialoa, PacificWild.org, Outdoor Research, Mountain Surf Adventures and Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition.