There are some people out there who love to paddle—and then there is Lisa Schell.

As Managing Editor for Distressed Mullet (which is one of the world's top paddling websites and based out of Raleigh, NC), Schell keeps her finger firmly pressed on the paddle community's pulse. If she isn't out there paddling herself, she's writing about races, profiling paddlers, and reviewing the latest gear on everything from paddles to boards and fins. 

She's a paddling instructor for REI, an ACA certified SUP instructor, and has spent years paddling everything from flatwater kayaks to outrigger canoes and paddleboards.

On Saturday, October 14th, 2017, Wai Mauna Asheville SUP Tours will be holding a clinic with one of the sport's most inspiring athletes: Pro paddler, April Zilg.

Currently ranked #11 in the world, April has steadily transformed herself from a beginner paddler who wasn't able to finish the first race she entered, to a motivational, professional athlete and genuinely amazing human being. 

Here's the thing with Zilg, though: She isn't content just sitting back and basking in her success—she'd rather share all the knowledge she's learned so other paddlers and athletes can also achieve their personal goals.

You something that's totally crazy? The idea that summer is over after Labor Day and the river is "closed" 'til next summer. 

For some reason there's a long-standing myth that the river "shuts down" once the calendar starts to creep toward the middle of September. The truth is that fall is actually the best season to go paddleboarding in Asheville, and we stay open through October 31 to enjoy this glorious season.

If you're planning on making a trip up to Asheville from mid-September-October, check out these reasons why you might want to put the French Broad River on your list: 

Standup paddling has rapidly in grown into one of the best activities in Asheville, as more and more people realize that “SUP” is the best way to float the French Broad. You can sit on the board and relax like a kayak, paddle upstream for a workout, and go much faster and cover more ground than floating the river in a tube. From the amount of paddleboards you see strapped to roof racks on a casual drive across town, it seems that Asheville is claiming the title of “Surf City Appalachia.”

There's still a lot of prime paddling weather over the next 6.5 months in Asheville—just check out some of these photos below from out on the river in October (or in the snow in January!) You can take them down to Lake Jocassee and paddle up to waterfalls, or throw them on top of the truck for the next time you make a trip to the beach! Lots of adventure opportunities for the fall, winter, and spring!

You know what I found myself doing a lot when my first son, Tanner, was born? Making excuses that I no longer had time to properly train for paddling.

You know what I do now that it’s two years later and I have a second son? Make excuses that I no longer have time to properly train for paddling.

Not much has changed on that front because, well, it’s the honest truth...

Ten years ago, if you had strapped a paddleboard onto your roof and driven through downtown Asheville, people would probably have thought you were from Florida and had forgotten to unload your surfboard.

Today, however, standup padding has exploded in Asheville to the point where it’s just as common to see a paddleboard as it is a kayak or canoe.