Winter has arrived in SouthWest Sweden
We already have had one November night at -9,5°C, which on any scale is quite cold but temperatures have now bounced back up to above freezing, so, right now, I can still paddle at the lake, in appropriate kit, of course. I have sea access when the lake is no longer available, and maybe I have found a new launch spot on a different lake that has more flow and might stay open when my lake is solid. It is a longer drive, on dirt roads, but I hope it is an option for deeper winter.
My 2025 was mixed, variable.
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| Everything is a little wonky right now, paddler, shoulders, glasses and headgear |
Injuries and stats
I have had a niggle with my shoulders all year, first the right and when I thought I had fixed that, the left went wrong! Despite this, I posted a solid 5km time mid-season, nothing spectacular at 31’8” for the SUP My Race 5km, but Ok, a little of my best. My 10km suffered as a result of my shoulder issues. I know I had a good time in me, 61 minutes or better, but when I was pushing, I could only manage between 8 and 8,5km at full speed, getting to the finishing line at pace is really quite important when trying to keep up with others in a virtual race and slowing down with 1500m to go is not ideal. Still, 64 minutes is respectable and faster than I was a few seasons ago.
The good news is that I now think I know what is wrong.
Self-diagnosis, but my confidence is high. I have overdeveloped some of my shoulder muscles for paddling, and this has caused a huge imbalance in my shoulder health. I have been studying as much physio content as I can online regarding shoulder issues, and now, with appropriate exercises, things are improving. I need to make sure I do not slip back into bad habits again and keep my shoulders healthy.
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| Better off my wrist |
In other news, my general health is great. Weight has not really changed this year. I need to keep an eye on my weight because of the medication I am on, so I hop on the scales once a month, and my weight has remained between 95 and 96kg all year. Also, I have stopped looking at my watch for stats. Yes, really. I no longer keep my Fenix glued to my wrist after a slip and a sprain during a muddy dog walk meant I had to take it off. Once that cycle of continuous stats is broken, then it becomes less interesting. Less vital.
The one stat I miss is VO2 Max, that one felt more useful, but since I stopped using Zwift, the figure I got from my watch was less reliable, until Garmin start to work with MyWhoosh, something that is unlikely to happen any time soon, my real VO2 Max will be a mystery, unless I get a proper test. Let's assume it’s 55 and move on! 😏
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| Winter with the Carolina Evo |
Equipment
The NSP Carolina Evo continues to surprise me with how capable it is. It is, for most paddlers, a narrow width, yet it can do anything. I will be updating in detail on the Evo in the New Year. In short, the winterisation of the board means a plastic fin and Palm Equipment waist leash. One thing readers will know is that winter and the Carolina Evo worried me.
A year ago, anyone who asked me what the most important part of winter paddling was would have got the answer - dry feet and a stable board.
Half of that equation, stability, is so easy with the Evo. But the other part, dry feet, the Evo is not even close to being a dry board. The Carolina Evo is a wet feet design, but that, as it happens, might be a very good thing.
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| Not the Evo, ice feet |
Ice is a problem on a SUP. Standing on ice on a moving board is impossible, and I have plenty of experience of being glued to my deck by ice, my feet have stuck on occasions, or I have simply been afraid to move around, choosing to keep my feet on the only ice-free part of the deck pad. This ice builds up from paddle splash or from spray thrown up from the nose, and my preference for a winter board was always one that would deal with the conditions, a wide board that has a dry deck.
The NSP challenge was to use the Evo all year, and this is what I have been doing. And it works! Let me explain…
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| A little ice with my Evo |
The standing area is underwater when I am stationary, and my feet are wet. The 2024 version of this paddler would have stated that makes for an awful winter board. But the 2024 version of this paddler was wrong. That water drains quickly when I start to move, and the deckpad is dry, or more accurately, it is damp, and a very thin layer of ice can form, more like frost and not thick enough to be a problem. Then, at the end of an interval, I slow and the standing area floods again, removing any ice buildup. For social paddling, the same applies; repeat the move-then-slow-down cycle and have an ice-free deskpad. It’s a revelation for this winter paddler. It’s a genius part of design, although I am positive it was not part of the design brief by Alain at his base in Australia!
The other area the Evo has surprised is with low ice buildup on the hull. My other winter boards would easily collect a few kg of ice in a session on the hull, particularly in the area between the nose and the deckpad. And those kgs were very noticeable when moving the board at the end of a session. This has not happened so far on the Evo because of the design of the nose. When paddling at any speed, the bow wave washes water over the front part of the board, which keeps the first third of the board clear of ice. There is still some buildup in the area around the NSP logo, but much less than on my Infinity or Sunova.
The ice-free deckpad and lower ice buildup on the board make handling the board much easier off the water and make defrosting at home much quicker, with smaller puddles of water in the garage.
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| Winter beach starts with Solite 8mm Custom 2.0 Boots |
Boots
Another upgrade for me this season is my boots. Oh my!
In previous seasons, I have used a combo of wool socks, waterproof socks and dive boots to keep my feet warm, but this year I have moved to Soltie Boots, and I am a happy paddler.
I have already put some words together on the 5mm Custom 2.0 boots; you can read those here. My thoughts on the 8mm boots will follow soon, but in short, the 8mm boots are warm in below-zero conditions, and the 8mm Fire boots are warmer still! A 2-hour session with air temperature of -3°C and patches of ice on the sea left me with cosy feet using the 8mm Fire boot. One downside, getting them off! They obviously like my feet!
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| SoliteBoots Snow Boot |
European paddlers can get a 5% discount on their next Soltie purchase using the code CJONES5 and this link https://soliteboots.eu/?sca_ref=9734013.vMSpPg564i98IHHd
Clothing
My other kit is essentially the same as 2024; you can read about that in this blog. The only update is that I found some new Palm Talon gloves in my size! Happy days. They are not the same as my 11-year-old pair, but the fit is great, and I will be writing about them soon. I have also updated some of my thermal layers from Helly Hansen. There is an HH outlet near me, and they had an offer I could not resist for Lifa Merino, and I treated myself, replacing some threadbare (but super comfortable!) Much older merino tops.
Training
Michael’s focus has been on correcting my stroke and getting used to the Evo. Now that winter is here, the focus will change to maintaining a base fitness through to Spring when the real work starts again. My goals in 2026 will be less ambitious and adjusted to the Carolina. Unless NSP want to send me a Ninja.
I have had a winter training upgrade too; my 7-year-old Elite Direto trainer, an indoor cycling aid, has been retired and replaced by a new Wahoo Kicker Core 2. One immediate benefit from this is that I am no longer hitting the ceiling with my head in my indoor cycling room when I sit up on the bike and have a stretch. Remember, I am quite tall, and the ceiling is low. Tall person problems. The new unit is also super-smooth, and some new kit always refreshes our enthusiasm for workouts.
To go with the new trainer, I have refreshed my very old shoes - maybe 15 years old now, they are a bit tatty, but the carbon sole is in great shape, and the Boa lace system has a lifetime guarantee. If you are a Boa user and you have a problem or a lace snaps, get in touch with Boa through their website. My experience with them has been flawless.
Hopefully, you have had a successful 2025 and you are looking forward to your 2026 season on the water. Investing in yourself is the BEST upgrade you can make, with no exceptions. And that is what this series of blog posts is all about, investing in this paddler with the help of World Champion Michael Booth.
You can find out more about Michael's training on his website Booth Training, from his Booth Training Instagram account and on his YouTube channel BoothTV.
You can find me running the Facebook group SUP My Race and now, occasionally, on Instagram.
You can read the previous training logs here Training Logs and you can get to individual blog posts using the labels in the sidebar.