BOZEMAN - Surf's up, Montana.
People here are riding surfboards, though not in typical fashion. And at Hyalite Reservoir Aug. 16, a couple of buff 30-something men stood on surfboards and paddled around the lake demonstrating just how it's done.
As they did, Josh Kuntz and Peter "PK" Kirwan, Bozeman natives now living in Missoula and Livingston, respectively, showed how easy it is stand up on the modified surfboards and propel them with long, canoe-type paddles.
Their bright yellow and red boards glinted in the sun as they slid across the crystalline water near the dam.
The sport is called standup paddling or
paddle boarding, and it is exploding, enthusiasts say.
"The growth has been about 800 percent in one year," Reid Inouye, editor of Standup Paddle Magazine, told a reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City earlier this month. "We're still in that first level of people finding out about (the sport). We had a competition in Tahoe five years ago, and seven guys entered. This year, there were 400."
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The rise of standup paddling is largely attributed to legendary big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton who took up the sport later in his career, said Kuntz, who, with Kirwan, co-owns Pink Cowboy - a paddle board distributor and guide
service.
On its face, the sport is easier than it appears. But it can provide challenges for athletes who want to push their abilities.
It's almost as easy as paddling a kayak and you get a better view, Kuntz said.
"And thankfully they're easy to master with just a little bit of practice," he said.
But by borrowing techniques from surfing, canoeing and skiing, landlocked paddle boarders can not only float lakes and calm rivers, but can venture into exhilarating whitewater.
Last week, for example, Kirwan surfed a wave on the Yellowstone River known as Miss Bubbles.
The range of proficiencies and venues the sport accommodates has driven its growth, those who follow the sport say. Everyone from kids to seniors can participate on everything from lakes and ponds to whitewater and ocean waves.
The sport has also spawned races and competitions hroughout the country.
And the boards can be used for safety vessels during swim races, just like kayaks, Kuntz said. He and his wife
volunteered on theirs for the recent Xterra triathlon held at Hyalite.
Pink Cowboy sells boards, gives lessons and guides trips down the Yellowstone River and on Seeley Lake. The boards can also be rented in Bozeman at Northern Lights Barn.
Seeing three paddle boarders on the boat ramp at Hyalite recently, Susan Krasnican, visiting from Olympia, Wash., asked if she could give it try. She'd seen the boards in Bend, Ore., and she was curious.
The 53-year-old physical education teacher, barefooted and in hiking clothes, hopped on without a hitch and paddled out.
Krasnican used to windsurf on the Columbia River and was looking for a new water sport "that's not so high-impact," she said, after paddling a lap on the 9-foot board.
"I loved it," she said. "It's lightweight and easy to do by yourself because it's something you can pick up by yourself."
"You can be out on the water in a minute," she added. "And it is inexpensive compared to a lot of other sports. I'm ready to buy."
The cost to buy a board and paddle hovers in the $1,000 range. Rentals at Northern Lights Barn run $19 for three hours, $29 for full-day and $55 for two days. They can also be purchased at the Barn or through several outdoor retailers online.
Kuntz said he got into stand up paddling about three years ago when he tried it with a friend in California.
Pink Cowboy developed when Kuntz and Kirwan, who also work with Crazy Mountain Ranch, started to get their friends into it.
"I've always had a landlocked boy's love affair with surfing," Kirwan said. "So when I discovered I could do it here in Montana, I thought, ‘this is just too sexy not to pursue.'"
The hardest part is convincing their parents that the Pink Cowboy venture is a viable career, Kuntz said. Pink Cowboy is, by the way, a tribute to both men's mothers, who are cancer survivors, and to the traditions of state they love.
"We're so lucky that we do this for work," he said. "This is a tremendous view from my office," he added, gesturing toward the mountains.
