Who's riding what? - Bernd Roediger SUP Surf

Waterman Bernd Roediger has always had a thing for kit, whether it be windsurf, surf or SUP. Back in the early days (like when he was fifteen!) there were always photos of him riding boards of all different shapes and sizes. Keen to ride new and exciting kit, Bernd found his path linking with Naish and from then on he has increased his yellow quiver to an impressive size! Bernd’s love for using all types of kit, old and new, reminds us to try everything we can get our hands on, learn from it and have fun on the way! So let’s catch up with Bernd Roediger in the fourth ‘Who’s riding what?’ SUPboarder feature, to talk SUP kit …

Who's riding what? - Bernd Roediger — Photo : Brian Bielmann

Name: Bernd Roediger

Age: 20

Weight: 160lbs

Height: 5’9″

Home Country: U.S.A.

Main SUP Discipline: Surfing!

Number of boards in quiver: Good golly how much time do you have? Haha! Since joining Naish, a year ago, I’ve been… accumulating boards! Of course I use a lot of equipment just to compete on the APP World Tour, considering the range of conditions this year!

Boards:

You’ve got your average conditions, the beach breaks that require a 7’0” x 23”, a 7’3”x 22 3/4” for more hollow surf. Then if the conditions get big, I have a 7’8”x22 3/4 (deep breath). However, as soon as you add Sunset Beach into the tour, then your quiver blows up. Suddenly you have an 8’4”, 8’10”, and 9’4” gun quiver for the massive slopes, add on a Peahi Gun, 10’4”. Of course Naish doesn’t stop there! They’ve got a 6’8” Raptor that rides like a dream in small surf, especially finless! We make a great nose riding longboard in the 10’0″ Nalu, and the 9’0” Inflatable Mana is perfect for inland waterway adventures! Finally, Foiling is taking off, so I’ve got my 6’8″ SUP foilboard on hand! Pheeew, man when you list it all off, it sounds kinda crazy, I guess really I’m just grateful to Naish for giving me the opportunity to ride so many different boards. To come to know the different faces of surfing.

“If I could give any kind of board advice, it would be to try everything and anything you can. There is no such thing as a bad board, each and every piece of foam out there is a beautiful poem written by someone passionate enough to see it through till the end. No matter what it feels like as a whole, there’s probably a verse in there that will resonate with you. That will guide you to the next board and help you build an idea of what you like and don’t like. Because surfing is a totally subjective sport, and you can’t succeed by following others, that spirit is championed by free-thinking paddlers. So consider your equipment to be a personal adventure, that hopefully never ends as you continue to learn and feel.”

Paddles:

Well for surfing I use an adjustable paddle! With all the boards that I use, I need to adapt to different buoyancies, which change the amount of space between the surface of the water and your body. Likewise, different board lengths can also alter your stoke. Not to mention the simple fact that each board requires a unique style of riding, you may need approach a turn in a way that requires a shorter or longer paddle. For example, riding my Raptor, finless, means staying really low and relying on the rail for grip, so my paddle has to be short, like up to my chin. If I’m riding my 8’10” gun in larger surf, the object of the game is to get into the wave, to have almost a race-paddle stroke! My paddle can go up to six inches above my head as I progress through bigger and bigger waves. Ultimately, paddle height is totally up to personal preference, and those preferences might change as you progress, or pursue a certain style of riding.