Photo Credits: Aspen Kayak & SUP Academy
Charlie MacArthur - Aspen Kayak & SUP Academy Charlie’s SUP roots begin in California where he grew up surfing. Hawaii was a destination his family would frequently visit for surf trips. During those trips he had seen some older surfers paddling while surfing, he tried it and thought it was really hard. It wasn’t until his honeymoon in 2003 when he tried a tandem board in Fiji that he too was hooked by SUP and brought the sport back to Colorado with him. Charlie began designing and testing shapes with Dave Parmenter and C4Waterman for river use. His contributions assisted C4Waterman in creating the first SUP Board designed for river use. In 2007 Charlie added SUP to his instructional offerings at Aspen Kayak Academy and has become known as THE pioneer of River SUP.
Earl Richmond – Colorado Kayak Supply
Photo Credits: Colorado Kayak Supply
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MTNTownMagazine.com
Earl Richmond loves the water. It is a passion that he has taken to his line of business, CKS Colorado Kayak Supply, as a co-owner. Although it could appear self serving Earl’s genuine love of whitewater shows in his enthusiasm about getting people into the water and converting them into paddlers. His involvement in the SUP River Board industry has been from inception as the sport took off in our nation’s coastal cities and towns. He has spent a lot of time SUP’ing, learning the sport so he can share his knowledge of the sport and its products. CKS’s Paddlefest has been a huge success with SUP Sports included in the mix. When Earl is out of the shop you can find him in one of two places, playing in the Buena Vista Waterpark or hanging out on or near the water with his family.